# Install

URL: https://docs.testvibe.com/self-hosting/install

TestVibe self-hosted is delivered as a **versioned release bundle** : a `docker-compose` stack plus an `.env` template. Bringing it up is a short, repeatable flow.

## Prerequisites

| Requirement | Detail | **Docker** | Docker Engine with Compose v2. | **Image access** | The container images are **private** . You authenticate to the registry with a token TestVibe provides before pulling. | **An AI provider** | Test *generation* needs either a hosted AI key or a local model. The rest of the app runs without one. See [AI models](/self-hosting/ai-models) . | **A license** | Enforcement is on. You can boot first and activate during the grace window — see [Licensing](/self-hosting/licensing) . | **Network reach** | The stack must be able to reach the **site under test** from inside your network. 

## Quick Start

1. **Get the bundle and authenticate** to the image registry with the token TestVibe gave you.
2. **Copy the template** to `.env` and fill in the required values (see [Configuration](/self-hosting/configuration) ).
3. **Start the stack:**
```sh
docker compose up -d
```

The order is enforced automatically: database → schema job → object storage → app.
4. **Check it came up:**
```sh
docker compose ps
```

The app and object storage should report `healthy` , and the schema job should show `Exited (0)` .
5. **Open the app** at the public URL you configured (the default is `http://localhost:3000` ).
warning
Generate strong, unique secrets for every key value (a database password and a few signing keys). Treat them like production credentials — don't reuse the template defaults.

## First Sign-In And Licensing

On first boot the instance prints an **install id** to the web container's logs and starts a **grace window** . Send that id and your organisation name to TestVibe to receive a license, then install it. Until then the app is fully usable; after the grace window lapses without a license it goes read-only. Full flow in [Licensing](/self-hosting/licensing) .

If you didn't configure GitHub or Google sign-in, the app falls back to local email/password accounts.

## Upgrades

To move to a new release:

1. Pull the new bundle and updated image tags.
2. Run `docker compose up -d` again.
The schema job re-runs and applies only the new changes (it's idempotent), then the app restarts on the new version. Your data in the named volumes is untouched.

## Data, Backup, And Teardown

- **Persistence** — the database and object storage live in named Docker volumes that survive restarts and upgrades.
- **Backup** — back up those volumes (and your `.env` ) on your normal schedule. They hold everything: data *and* the instance's license/grace state.
- **Teardown** — `docker compose down` stops the stack but keeps the volumes. Removing the volumes deletes all data — do it deliberately.

## Related Help

- [How it works](/self-hosting/how-it-works)
- [Configuration](/self-hosting/configuration)
- [Licensing](/self-hosting/licensing)
- [Troubleshoot execution](/runners/troubleshooting-runners)