Getting started.

Start locally, learn with synthetic data, then connect the private hardware you own.

What you'll need

A workstation

A Mac is the guided installer today. It keeps the archive, SQLite database and import pipeline under your control.

An always-on home server

A small Linux machine or Raspberry Pi serves the portal and optional local services for your household.

Your private network

WireGuard is the normal remote-access path. Keep the portal private while still reaching it from your own devices.

The shape of it

  1. Try it safely. Start with nocloud demo. It opens a synthetic local portal and never reads personal data.
  2. Set up your own instance. The guided setup writes private configuration, detects useful defaults and checks the workstation and server before deployment.
  3. Bring in the first material. Drop a folder or recognised export in the Sink. The import runs in the background; Desktop shows each batch, progress, remaining work and estimated time.
  4. Use one connected portal. The home server serves the PWA, desktop wrapper, Store and local services over your own network.

Install

Today, the way to try NoCloud is the desktop app — every installer ships a complete, read-only demo portal with fictional data that runs offline, no account or server needed. The source repository is in a private early-access period while the first public release is prepared, so the CLI below currently requires repository access:

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin && curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NoCloudLife/nocloud-core/main/bin/nocloud -o ~/.local/bin/nocloud && chmod +x ~/.local/bin/nocloud && ~/.local/bin/nocloud init && ~/.local/bin/nocloud demo

Make sure ~/.local/bin is on your PATH. Then run nocloud setup, nocloud doctor and nocloud deploy when you are ready to configure your own server. Follow the YouTube channel to catch the public release.

Source on GitHub → Docs ← Back to nocloud.life