Quick Start Guide

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Quick Start Guide

Get your first UnboundBytes app running in under 5 minutes. This guide assumes you’ve already installed and paired the agent.

Before You Begin

Make sure you have:

• UnboundBytes agent installed on your server
• Agent paired and showing as Online in the portal
• Access to https://portal.unboundbytes.com
• Docker or Podman installed on your server

Don’t have the agent installed yet? Follow the installation guide

Deploy Your First App

1. Open the Portal

   Visit https://portal.unboundbytes.com and sign in

2. Go to Deployments

   Click Deployments in the left sidebar

3. Click “Deploy New App”

   Select the app you want to deploy (we’ll use Vaultwarden as an example—it’s lightweight)

4. Choose Your Device

   Select the device where you want to run the app

5. Configure (Optional)

   Most apps work with default settings:

   • App Name: Keep the default or change it
   • Port: Change if you want a different local port
   • Environment Variables: Usually not needed

   Click Next

6. Review and Deploy

   Click Deploy and watch the logs

   Expected output:

   Downloading image...
   Starting container...
   App is running on http://localhost:8080

7. Access Your App

   Once deployment completes, click the app in the portal to access it

   That’s it! Your app is now running.

Access Your App

From Your Local Network

Apps are accessible at http://localhost:PORT on your server:

# SSH into your server
ssh user@your-server

# Visit the app
curl http://localhost:8080

Or open a browser to http://your-server-ip:8080

Securely from Anywhere

For remote access without exposing ports:

The portal provides a secure tunnel URL (coming soon) ```bash # Create a local tunnel ssh -L 8080:localhost:8080 user@your-server

# Then visit http://localhost:8080
```

Configure custom domains with automatic HTTPS (coming soon)

What’s Next?

Deploy More Apps

File sync and sharing. The open-source Dropbox/OneDrive alternative. Photo management. Google Photos alternative for your photo library. Office suite. Edit documents, spreadsheets, and presentations.

Browse all apps →

Configure Backups

Protect your data with automatic backups:

1. Go to your app in the portal
2. Click Settings
3. Enable Automatic Backups
4. Choose backup schedule (daily recommended)

Your backups are encrypted and stored in secure cloud storage.

Monitor Your Server

View real-time metrics for your server and apps:

1. Go to Devices in the portal
2. Click your device name
3. View CPU, memory, disk usage, and app status

Add Another Device

Have multiple servers? Add them all:

1. Install the agent on your new server
2. Run the pairing code flow
3. Deploy apps to any device from the portal

Troubleshooting Quick Start

App Won’t Deploy

Check the logs:

1. Go to the app in the portal
2. Click Logs tab
3. Look for error messages

Common issues:

• “Docker connection failed” - Docker isn’t running. SSH in and run: sudo systemctl start docker
• “Image pull failed” - Network issue. Check connectivity: curl https://docker.io
• “Port already in use” - Change the port in app settings and redeploy

App Deployed But Won’t Respond

# Check if container is running
docker ps

# Check app logs
docker logs container-name

# Restart the app
docker restart container-name

Agent Shows Offline

# SSH into your server
ssh user@your-server

# Check agent status
sudo systemctl status unboundbytes-agent

# View logs
sudo journalctl -u unboundbytes-agent -n 20

# Restart if needed
sudo systemctl restart unboundbytes-agent

Can’t Connect from Browser

If you’re on the local network:

• Use your server’s internal IP: http://<your-server-ip>:8080
• Check firewall rules: sudo ufw status
• Verify the port is correct in app settings

If you’re remote:

• SSH tunnel is recommended: ssh -L 8080:localhost:8080 user@server
• Or wait for Cloudflare tunnel integration (coming soon)

Common Apps to Deploy First

For Beginners

Vaultwarden (Password Manager)

• Lightweight, self-contained
• No databases to manage
• Perfect for learning UnboundBytes

AdGuard Home (DNS + Ad-blocking)

• Blocks ads and trackers network-wide
• Excellent first app to understand how things work

For Data Privacy

OpenCloud (File Sync)

• Your own Dropbox/OneDrive
• Powerful but requires more resources
• Great for storing important files

Immich (Photo Backup)

• Backup and organize your photos
• Alternative to Google Photos
• Requires 4GB+ RAM for large libraries

For Productivity

OnlyOffice (Office Suite)

• Edit documents, spreadsheets, presentations
• Collaborative editing
• Moderate resource requirements

Example: Deploying Vaultwarden

Here’s a complete walk-through for Vaultwarden (our recommended first app):

1. Go to Deployments → Click Deploy New App

2. Select Vaultwarden from the app list

3. Choose your device (the one you paired earlier)

4. Keep default settings:

   • App Name: vaultwarden
   • Port: 8080
   • Database: Built-in SQLite (default)

5. Click Deploy

6. Wait for completion (usually 30-60 seconds)

7. Open http://localhost:8080

   • Create a new account
   • Start saving passwords

8. Optional: Enable Backups

   • Click the app
   • Click Settings
   • Toggle Automatic Backups

Done! You now have a self-hosted password manager running with automatic backups.

Performance Tips

• Start with lightweight apps (Vaultwarden, AdGuard Home) before heavy ones (Immich, OpenCloud)
• Monitor resource usage in the Devices view
• Configure backups early before you have important data
• Enable auto-updates so your apps stay current

Next Steps

Now that you have one app running:

1. Deploy another app - Try something new
2. Configure backups - Protect your data
3. Explore all features - Deep dives into each feature

Questions or problems? Check the troubleshooting guide or join our community chat