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Getting Started

Quickstart

Get a node running with AutoHost in under 5 minutes.

Get a node running with AutoHost in under 5 minutes.

Prerequisites

  • A Linux machine (Debian/Ubuntu-based, amd64 or arm64)
  • Internet access
  • curl installed

1. Install the CLI

bash
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/mazapanuwu13/autohost-cli/main/scripts/install.sh | bash

The script auto-detects your OS and architecture, downloads the latest binary, verifies the checksum, and installs it. If the binary is installed in ~/.local/bin, add it to your PATH:

bash
echo 'export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"' >> ~/.bashrc
source ~/.bashrc
autohost --version

2. Set up Docker

bash
autohost setup docker

This installs Docker (if not present), adds your user to the docker group, and creates the AutoHost network. If prompted, log out and back in to apply the Docker group changes.

3. Connect the node to AutoHost Cloud

bash
autohost up

This opens a browser-based authentication flow (similar to Tailscale). Once authenticated, your node is registered with the cloud and the agent configuration is saved automatically.

Headless or CI environments

For servers without a browser, use the manual enrollment flow instead:
bash
autohost enroll link --api https://api.autohst.dev --token <ENROLLMENT_TOKEN> --name my-server

4. Install and start the agent

bash
autohost agent install
sudo systemctl enable autohost-agent
sudo systemctl start autohost-agent

The agent will begin sending heartbeats and system metrics to the cloud API every 15 seconds.

5. Install an app

bash
autohost app install nextcloud

Follow the interactive prompts to configure the app. Once installed, it runs as a Docker Compose stack.

Next Steps

  • CLI Commands — Full reference of all CLI commands.
  • Agent Configuration — Customize the agent behavior.
  • Cloud Panel Overview — Monitor your nodes from the browser.

This guide will help you get AutoHost installed and deploy your first service in under 5 minutes.

Next Steps

Now that you have AutoHost running, check out the CLI Reference to learn about all available commands, or dive into the Tutorials section for more advanced deployments.