> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tesslate.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Self-Hosting Quickstart

> Pick the right path to self-host OpenSail: Docker, Desktop, Kubernetes on Minikube, or AWS EKS

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tesslate/VT6tbZolrCfpx26M/images/opensail-banner.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=VT6tbZolrCfpx26M&q=85&s=66579c47537b3464fb65b229cc9ab0fd" alt="Tesslate OpenSail" width="4712" height="1612" data-path="images/opensail-banner.png" />

## Overview

OpenSail is Apache 2.0 and self-hosts cleanly. There are four supported install paths. This page is a router. Pick the path that fits your goal, then follow the dedicated guide.

<Info>
  Prefer a managed experience? [tesslate.com](https://tesslate.com) runs OpenSail as a hosted service with zero setup.
</Info>

## Pick your path

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Docker Compose" icon="docker" href="/guides/docker-setup">
    One command brings up the full stack on your laptop or a single VM. The fastest way to kick the tires. Best for local development and small teams.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Desktop App" icon="laptop" href="/guides/desktop-install">
    Native Tauri v2 app with a built-in FastAPI sidecar and SQLite. No Docker, no cluster. Runs fully offline against local models.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Kubernetes (Minikube)" icon="cube" href="/guides/kubernetes-local">
    Full K8s pipeline on your machine: per-project namespaces, btrfs CSI volumes, Volume Hub, snapshots. Test the production path end to end.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AWS EKS" icon="cloud" href="/guides/aws-production">
    Production deployment via Terraform. EKS, ECR, managed Postgres, S3-backed CAS, wildcard TLS via cert-manager.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Decision matrix

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="By use case">
    | You want to...                                       | Pick              |
    | ---------------------------------------------------- | ----------------- |
    | Kick the tires in 10 minutes                         | Docker Compose    |
    | Build on a single machine with no containers         | Desktop           |
    | Air-gapped install with Ollama                       | Desktop or Docker |
    | Serve a small team on one VM                         | Docker Compose    |
    | Multi-tenant production with isolation and snapshots | AWS EKS           |
    | Validate the K8s pipeline before prod                | Minikube          |
    | Pair a local app to your own self-hosted cloud       | Desktop + AWS EKS |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="By capability">
    | Capability                              |  Docker |     Desktop    | Minikube | AWS EKS |
    | --------------------------------------- | :-----: | :------------: | :------: | :-----: |
    | AI agent runs (`tesslate-agent`)        |   Yes   |       Yes      |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Live preview and Monaco editor          |   Yes   |       Yes      |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Multi-container projects                |   Yes   | docker runtime |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Per-project namespace isolation         |    No   |       No       |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | btrfs CSI and Volume Hub                |    No   |       No       |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Snapshot timeline (up to 5 per project) |    No   |       No       |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Hibernation with CAS restore            |    No   |       No       |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Three-tier compute (0 / 1 / 2)          | Partial |     Partial    |    Yes   |   Yes   |
    | Wildcard TLS via cert-manager           |    No   |       No       |    No    |   Yes   |
    | SQLite (no Postgres)                    |    No   |       Yes      |    No    |    No   |
    | No Redis required                       |    No   |       Yes      |    No    |    No   |
    | Horizontal scaling                      |    No   |       No       |    No    |   Yes   |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="By operator effort">
    | Path           | Setup     | Moving parts                                                 | Ongoing ops                       |
    | -------------- | --------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ | --------------------------------- |
    | Docker Compose | 10 min    | Postgres, Redis, Traefik, orchestrator, app, devserver image | Restart, rotate backups           |
    | Desktop        | 2 min     | Tauri binary, sidecar, SQLite                                | Installer auto-updates            |
    | Minikube       | 30 min    | Cluster, kustomize, local images, btrfs CSI, Volume Hub      | Rebuilds, manifest rollouts       |
    | AWS EKS        | 2 to 4 hr | Terraform, EKS, ECR, RDS, S3, Cloudflare, wildcard TLS       | Cluster upgrades, cost monitoring |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Prerequisites by path

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Docker">
    | Requirement                     | Notes                                                        |
    | ------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
    | Docker Engine + Compose v2      | Docker Desktop on macOS and Windows                          |
    | 8 GB RAM minimum                | 16 GB recommended                                            |
    | 10 GB free disk                 | For images and volumes                                       |
    | A model key or LiteLLM endpoint | BYOK OpenAI, Anthropic, OpenRouter, or point at local Ollama |
    | Git                             | For cloning the repo                                         |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Desktop">
    | Requirement                      | Notes                                         |
    | -------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- |
    | macOS 12+, Windows 10+, or Linux | Tauri v2 builds for all three                 |
    | 4 GB RAM minimum                 | SQLite and sidecar are lightweight            |
    | 2 GB free disk                   | Grows with projects                           |
    | A model key                      | BYOK or Ollama for fully offline use          |
    | Optional: Docker                 | Enables the `docker` per-project runtime      |
    | Optional: `tsk_` API key         | Unlocks marketplace, sync, remote K8s runtime |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Minikube">
    | Requirement                     | Notes                              |
    | ------------------------------- | ---------------------------------- |
    | Minikube                        | With the Docker or KVM driver      |
    | kubectl + kustomize             | Kustomize ships with kubectl 1.14+ |
    | btrfs-capable node              | Required for the btrfs CSI driver  |
    | Local Docker registry           | Minikube loads images by name      |
    | A model key or LiteLLM endpoint | BYOK or proxy                      |
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="AWS EKS">
    | Requirement             | Notes                                  |
    | ----------------------- | -------------------------------------- |
    | AWS account with admin  | EKS, ECR, RDS, S3, IAM                 |
    | Terraform               | `k8s/terraform/aws/`                   |
    | Cloudflare DNS          | For apex and wildcard certs            |
    | Managed Postgres        | RDS recommended                        |
    | ElastiCache Redis       | For ARQ and pub/sub                    |
    | btrfs-capable nodegroup | Required for CSI driver and Volume Hub |
    | LiteLLM deployment      | Or direct provider keys on the proxy   |
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Core environment variables

Every path reads the same core variables. The full reference lives in [Configuration](/self-hosting/configuration).

| Variable                                  | Why it matters                                                                        |
| ----------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `SECRET_KEY`                              | JWT signing and Fernet encryption for stored credentials                              |
| `DEPLOYMENT_MODE`                         | `docker`, `kubernetes`, or `desktop`. Selects orchestrator, DB driver, queue, pub/sub |
| `DATABASE_URL`                            | Postgres (cloud) or resolved SQLite (desktop)                                         |
| `LITELLM_API_BASE` + `LITELLM_MASTER_KEY` | AI gateway that fans out to providers                                                 |
| `APP_DOMAIN`                              | Apex domain for routing, cookies, and OAuth redirects                                 |
| `OPENSAIL_HOME`                           | Desktop only. Data directory for `opensail.db`, projects, and cache                   |

Generate a secure `SECRET_KEY`:

```bash theme={null}
python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(32))"
```

## What you get after install

| Component         | Source path                                   | Purpose                                                                 |
| ----------------- | --------------------------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Orchestrator      | `orchestrator/app/main.py`                    | FastAPI backend, router registration, middleware                        |
| Agent runner      | `packages/tesslate-agent/`                    | Agent loop, tool registry, context compaction, approval gates           |
| Task queue        | `orchestrator/app/services/task_queue/`       | ARQ on Redis (cloud) or asyncio + apscheduler (desktop)                 |
| Pub/sub           | `orchestrator/app/services/pubsub/`           | Redis Streams (cloud) or in-process (desktop)                           |
| Orchestration     | `orchestrator/app/services/orchestration/`    | Per-project `factory.py` resolves Docker, Kubernetes, or local backends |
| Volume Hub client | `orchestrator/app/services/volume_manager.py` | gRPC client to the Hub (K8s only)                                       |
| Frontend          | `app/src/App.tsx`                             | React 19, Vite, Monaco                                                  |

## Next steps

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Docker setup" icon="docker" href="/guides/docker-setup">
    Full Docker Compose install with seeds and clean-slate reset.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Desktop install" icon="laptop" href="/guides/desktop-install">
    Installers, cloud pairing, permission system, runtime selection.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Kubernetes on Minikube" icon="cube" href="/guides/kubernetes-local">
    End-to-end K8s locally including btrfs CSI and Volume Hub.
  </Card>

  <Card title="AWS production" icon="cloud" href="/guides/aws-production">
    Terraform, EKS, ECR, wildcard TLS, S3 CAS, managed Postgres.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Configuration reference" icon="gear" href="/self-hosting/configuration">
    Every environment variable, grouped by subsystem.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Architecture" icon="diagram-project" href="/self-hosting/architecture">
    Orchestrator, agent runner, storage, queue, compute tiers.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Getting help

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="GitHub" icon="github" href="https://github.com/TesslateAI/opensail">
    Source, releases, and issue tracker.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Discord" icon="discord" href="https://discord.gg/qmrcHGNch7">
    Ask questions, share what you are building.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Agent runner" icon="book" href="https://github.com/TesslateAI/tesslate-agent">
    Deep dive on the `tesslate-agent` package.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Email" icon="envelope" href="mailto:support@tesslate.com">
    Direct support.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>