APEX 26.1 Docker images for your local setup

A

APEX 26.1 dropped and everyone wants to spin it up locally. Good news, you don't have to build anything from scratch. The community have already done the heavy lifting. Here is whats out there.

uc-local-apex-dev (United Codes)

GitHub: https://github.com/United-Codes/uc-local-apex-dev

This is my first recommendation for anyone who just wants to get going. Philipp Hartenfeller from United Codes maintains it actively, and it is kept up with every release since 23ai.

Runs Oracle DB 26ai + APEX 26.1 + ORDS 26.1 out of the box. A single "./install.sh" handles everything, including waiting for the database to come up and configuring ORDS. Works with both Docker and Podman (it auto-detects your engine), and it is Mac/Linux friendly.

ORDS Docker Compose (Anders Swanson, Oracle)

GitHub: https://github.com/anders-swanson/oracle-database-code-samples/blob/main/ords-docker-compose/

Anders Swanson works on Oracle AI Database at Oracle, and he published a nifty Docker Compose setup that spins up Oracle AI Database and ORDS together, with APEX installed dynamically at startup. It uses Docker volumes so your workspace data persists between sessions.

The full writeup is on his GitHub, linked from his LinkedIn post. Good option if you prefer Compose over a shell-script-driven setup, or if you are more interested in the AI Database + ORDS side of things.

oracle/docker-images (Oracle)

GitHub: https://github.com/oracle/docker-images

The official Oracle repo with Docker files for the entire Oracle stack: Database Free, ORDS, WebLogic, and more. More of a "build it yourself" approach than a turn-key setup, but it is useful if you want full control over what goes into your images or need to customize the build for your environment.

It doesn't wire everything together for you the way uc-local-apex-dev does, so expect to do some plumbing.

The others

There are a few more community images floating around Docker Hub. These are individual community experiments and vary a lot in how actively they are maintained. They might work fine for a quick spin, but I wouldn't build a dev workflow on them without checking when they were last updated.

Bonus

If you are not sure which container setup fits your use case, Kris Rice from Oracle published a skills repo that includes a containers section with a matrix showing when to pick which option. Worth a look before you commit to one approach.

He shared it on LinkedIn in March 2026.

If this saved you some digging, share it with someone. Thanks.