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MolnOS Docs

Quickstart

This guide shows you two ways to get started with MolnOS quickly: running it locally on your machine, or deploying it to free cloud services for a demo accessible from anywhere.

Run MolnOS Locally

Section titled “Run MolnOS Locally”

The fastest way to try MolnOS is to run it on your local machine.

Prerequisites

Section titled “Prerequisites”
  • Node.js 24 or later (download)
  • Basic comfort with command-line interfaces
  • 10 minutes of your time

All of the below assumes Linux or MacOS or that you use equivalent tooling as expressed in the steps.

Step 1: Install MolnOS

Section titled “Step 1: Install MolnOS”

Install the MolnOS CLI:

Terminal window
curl -sSL https://releases.molnos.cloud/install.sh | bash

Add MolnOS to your PATH (if needed):

Terminal window
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Install the MolnOS API using the CLI tool:

Terminal window
molnos install

Step 2: Configure MolnOS

Section titled “Step 2: Configure MolnOS”

Create a configuration file manually (as per below) or generate a scaffold using:

Terminal window
molnos init

Edit molnos.config.json with your email settings. For local testing, you can use a service like Mailtrap or your own SMTP server:

{
  "email": {
    "emailSubject": "Sign In To MolnOS",
    "user": "your-email@example.com",
    "password": "your-smtp-password",
    "host": "smtp.mailtrap.io",
    "port": 2525,
    "secure": false
  },
  "auth": {
    "jwtSecret": "your-secret-key-change-this",
    "appUrl": "http://localhost:5173/app"
  },
  "server": {
    "allowedDomains": ["http://localhost:5173"]
  },
  "molnos": {
    "licenseKey": "",
    "bootstrap": {
      "organizationName": "My Organization",
      "adminEmail": "your-email@example.com"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Download and Configure the Web App

Section titled “Step 3: Download and Configure the Web App”

Download the MolnOS web application from releases.molnos.cloud and extract it.

Open index.html in a text editor and verify the API endpoint configuration:

<script>
  window.APP_CONFIG = {
    apiBaseUrl: window.location.href.includes('localhost')
      ? 'http://localhost:3000'
      : 'https://your-production-api.com'
  };
</script>

The default configuration automatically uses http://localhost:3000 when accessing the app via localhost, which matches MolnOS’s default port.

Step 4: Start MolnOS

Section titled “Step 4: Start MolnOS”

Start the API server:

Terminal window
molnos start

In a separate terminal, serve the web app using any static file server:

Terminal window
# Navigate inside of the web app directory
cd path/to/molnos-web


# Simple example using a basic Node.js package called http-server
npx http-server -o -p 5173 --proxy http://localhost:5173?

You should receive an email asking you to join your MolnOS organization. MolnOS automatically invites the admin email when there is no existing data.

Step 5: Sign In

Section titled “Step 5: Sign In”
  1. Click the join button in the email you have received (the one you set as BOOTSTRAP_ADMIN_EMAIL)
  2. MolnOS will process your join request and you’ll be able to sign in
  3. Sign in with your email, now that you are part of the organization
  4. Check your inbox for a magic link from MolnOS
  5. Click the link to complete sign-in
  6. You’re in! Start exploring MolnOS’s features.

What’s Next?

Section titled “What’s Next?”

Now that MolnOS is running, here’s what to explore: