> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://tinycloudlabs-skgbafa-app-kit-docs.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Self-Hosting Overview

> Run your own TinyCloud node

A TinyCloud node is the server component that provides storage, authentication, and delegation services. You can run your own node for full control over your data infrastructure.

## What is a TinyCloud Node?

A TinyCloud node handles:

* **Authentication** -- verifying SIWE signatures and managing sessions
* **Key-value storage** -- storing and retrieving user data in spaces
* **Delegations** -- creating, verifying, and enforcing access delegations
* **Block storage** -- persisting data to local filesystem or S3-compatible storage
* **Relay** -- connecting nodes for cross-node delegation resolution

## System Requirements

| Requirement | Minimum                  | Recommended               |
| ----------- | ------------------------ | ------------------------- |
| CPU         | 1 core                   | 2+ cores                  |
| RAM         | 512 MB                   | 2 GB                      |
| Disk        | 1 GB                     | 10 GB+ (depends on usage) |
| Runtime     | Docker or Rust toolchain | Docker                    |
| Network     | Port 8000 open           | Ports 8000, 8001, 8081    |

## Quick Start

<Steps>
  <Step title="Clone the repository">
    ```bash theme={null}
    git clone https://github.com/TinyCloudLabs/tinycloud-node.git
    cd tinycloud-node
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Create a configuration file">
    Create a minimal `tinycloud.toml`:

    ```toml theme={null}
    port = 8000
    address = "0.0.0.0"

    [storage]
    database = "sqlite:./data/caps.db"

    [storage.blocks]
    type = "Local"
    path = "./data/blocks"

    [keys]
    type = "Static"
    # Set via TINYCLOUD_KEYS__SECRET env var instead
    ```

    <Warning>
      Never put your secret key directly in the config file. Use the `TINYCLOUD_KEYS__SECRET` environment variable instead.
    </Warning>
  </Step>

  <Step title="Generate a secret key">
    Generate a random key of at least 32 bytes, base64url-encoded:

    ```bash theme={null}
    openssl rand -base64 32
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Run with Docker">
    ```bash theme={null}
    docker run -d \
      --name tinycloud \
      -p 8000:8000 \
      -e TINYCLOUD_KEYS__SECRET=<your-base64url-secret> \
      -v ./data:/data \
      ghcr.io/tinycloudlabs/tinycloud-node
    ```
  </Step>

  <Step title="Verify it's running">
    ```bash theme={null}
    curl http://localhost:8000/healthz
    ```

    You should see a `200 OK` response.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## Ports

| Port   | Service    | Description                 |
| ------ | ---------- | --------------------------- |
| `8000` | API        | Main HTTP API for clients   |
| `8001` | Prometheus | Metrics endpoint            |
| `8081` | Relay      | Node-to-node relay protocol |

## Docker Image

The official Docker image is available on GitHub Container Registry:

```
ghcr.io/tinycloudlabs/tinycloud-node
```

See the [Docker deployment guide](/hosting/docker) for full Docker and Docker Compose instructions.

## What's Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Configuration" icon="settings" href="/hosting/configuration">
    Full configuration reference for tinycloud.toml
  </Card>

  <Card title="Docker Deployment" icon="container" href="/hosting/docker">
    Deploy with Docker and Docker Compose
  </Card>

  <Card title="Database Setup" icon="database" href="/hosting/databases">
    Configure SQLite, PostgreSQL, or MySQL
  </Card>

  <Card title="Monitoring" icon="activity" href="/hosting/monitoring">
    Health checks, metrics, and observability
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

## Source Code

<Card title="GitHub Repository" icon="github" href="https://github.com/TinyCloudLabs/tinycloud-node">
  tinycloud-node on GitHub
</Card>