A private place for your own medical records. Everything below runs on your own computer -- nothing is uploaded anywhere, and no one else can see it.
Install Docker Desktop. This is the free program that runs Bacta on your computer. Download it from docker.com/products/docker-desktop, install it like any other app, then open it once. Leave it running in the background -- Bacta needs it any time you use the app.
This is the only thing you need to install. It's normal software, used by millions of people -- not anything unusual or risky.
Download this file and put it in a new folder, somewhere easy to find like your Desktop:
It's just a plain settings file, not a program.
Open a Terminal in that folder.
Mac Right-click the folder and choose "New Terminal at Folder." (If you don't see that option, open the Terminal app from Launchpad, then type cd and drag the folder onto the window before pressing Enter.)
Windows Open the folder in File Explorer, click into the address bar at the top, type powershell, and press Enter.
Create your own private settings file. This generates two random passwords, used only by your own copy of Bacta, on your own computer -- no one else, including whoever made this guide, will ever see them.
Run the one line that matches your computer. You only need to do this once, ever -- it creates a file named .env in the same folder.
Sign in once. Whoever sent you this guide will also send you a short code (a "token"). In the same Terminal window, run:
It will ask for a password -- paste the token you were given there (typing/pasting a token into a password prompt like this is completely normal). You only need to do this once, ever.
Start Bacta. Still in the same Terminal window, run these two lines (one at a time, or copy them together):
The first time, this downloads Bacta and gets it running -- give it a minute or two. These exact same two lines are also how you'll get updates later (see Part 3) -- no separate update file needed.
Open Bacta. Go to http://localhost:8000 in your web browser. Click "Create an account" and fill in your name, email, and a password. That's it -- you're in your own private Bacta.
Add your medical records. From the dashboard, go to Ingest. Bacta reads medical record export files -- the kind you can usually download from a patient portal (look for wording like "Download my record" or "Export health record") or from the Health app on an iPhone. Upload one there and Bacta will read it in.
Browse your dashboard. Once something's loaded, the dashboard shows tiles for each part of your record:
Visit Report. The Visit Report page in the top menu builds a one-page printable summary (allergies, medications, problems, vitals, labs) -- handy to bring to or show a doctor.
Whenever you're told a new version is ready, open a Terminal in the same Bacta folder (step 3 in Part 1) and run the exact same two lines from step 6:
Your account and everything you've added -- medications, tags, notes, uploaded records -- stays exactly as it was. This only replaces the app itself, never your data.