Installation · Docs

Download 0.1.0-preview.1 from release downloads, or build the public source using the steps below.

Install the preview

Windows and macOS installers connect to your Monolith host. To create a host, download the Linux image for your server architecture and the server setup kit from the same release. The kit includes Compose configuration, a private environment template and step-by-step instructions.

Follow the preview installation guide to load the image, configure your secrets and HTTPS proxy, and create your first account. The browser client is served by that host. This preview is installed manually; review its signing and update limits.

For building a shared host from source, use the container setup.

What you need

Node.js 22.23 or later.
pnpm 11.21.0, matching the repository’s packageManager field.
PostgreSQL 17 for local development.
Git to obtain the source.

Set POSTGRES_BIN to the PostgreSQL bin directory if it is not discovered. Typical locations are C:\Program Files\PostgreSQL\17\bin on Windows and /opt/homebrew/opt/postgresql@17/bin on macOS.

Get the source

The maintained Monolith source is public. Clone it without a GitHub account, or choose a published preview from GitHub Releases. See release availability for platform and signing details.

git clone https://github.com/MaxJafar/monolith.git
cd monolith
pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

The repository uses pnpm workspaces. Run these commands from the repository root.

Start a local workspace

pnpm build
pnpm local:setup
pnpm db:push
pnpm dev

Open http://localhost:5173. A new database uses onboarding to create the first account. The development API uses port 3636, and the isolated local PostgreSQL service uses 55432.

local:setup creates ignored configuration with random secrets and separate database roles for application access and schema management. Keep that configuration local. The normal application connection must use a non-superuser role without BYPASSRLS.

Stop and return later

Stop the development process in its terminal. To stop the checkout’s development database while preserving its files:

pnpm local:stop

Run pnpm local:setup and pnpm dev when you return. Apply schema changes deliberately when updating your checkout; back up any data you want to keep first.

Next steps

Create a page, explore the native sections and arrange your dashboard. To use desktop clients or an agent bridge against a shared host, configure the public gateway with the self-hosting guide.

If a command fails, start with troubleshooting. Package build output and a running server are separate checks; do not assume a completed build means the database and host are configured.