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Self-Hosting

Canonical inventory

What ships in the npm package vs what you must configure: Capability inventory.

Run Carina on your own infrastructure. Docker is optional; bare metal Node.js works with a single command. Docker is only required if you need the Cloud/Scout multi-service orchestration stack.

Bare metal (from source)​

The fastest way to run Carina. You need Node.js 22+ and pnpm:

git clone https://github.com/carina-ai/carina.git
cd carina/core.carinaai.uk
pnpm install
cp .env.example .env   # fill in your provider keys
pnpm dev               # agent is live

That's it. The agent starts with SQLite by default; no Postgres, no Redis, no Docker. Chat immediately.

For production persistence, add a database:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://carina:pass@localhost:5432/carina
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

Then pnpm build && pnpm start (or node dist/src/index.js).

npm global install​

carina-agent v0.1.1 on npm (Node.js 22+):

npm install -g carina-agent
carina setup

Configure ~/.carina/.env (wizard or manual) and start with carina or carina web.

Docker (optional; for Cloud/Scout multi-service)​

Docker is only needed when you want the full multi-service stack: Postgres with pgvector, Redis, nginx TLS termination, Skills Hub, and Scout integration. Single-user self-hosted Carina does not need it.

cd core.carinaai.uk
cp .env.example .env
export DB_PASSWORD=your_strong_password
docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml up -d

Services:

  • carina-web; Agent + web gateway on port 3000 (internal)
  • carina-hub; Skills Hub on port 3001 (internal)
  • postgres; pgvector/pgvector:0.8.0-pg16
  • redis; Session and pub/sub
  • nginx; TLS termination, static docs, public site

Post-deploy, ingest the property pack:

docker compose -f docker-compose.prod.yml exec carina-web node dist/src/skills/ingestion.js --pack property-uk

Local dev databases​

docker compose up -d postgres redis
# Postgres exposed on 5433, Redis on 6379

Carina + Scout (VERLOX stack)​

Combined Carina, Scout, and admin panel (not shipped to customers):

docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.verlox.yml up -d

Set LABYRINTH_ENABLED=true and matching SCOUT_API_KEY on both sides.

Windows​

npm install -g carina-agent
carina setup

PowerShell direct shell mode works for local commands. Docker Desktop optional for stronger isolation.

TLS and domains​

Production nginx: docker/nginx/carina-prod.conf. Terminate TLS at nginx, proxy to carina-web:3000.

Health checks​

  • GET /api/providers; should return configured providers
  • CLI startup: Memory store ready when Postgres is reachable
  • Scout: dashboard shows instance heartbeat within 90 seconds

Security checklist​

  • Rotate JWT_SECRET, SCOUT_API_KEY, and DB passwords for production
  • Set CORS_ORIGIN to your real front-end origin
  • Do not expose ops.carinaai.uk admin (VERLOX-internal only)
  • Enable Scout for prompt guard, egress filter, and kill switch on internet-facing deployments