System Requirements

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System Requirements

Before installing UnboundBytes, make sure your server meets these requirements.

Server Specifications

Minimum Requirements

For light workloads (1-3 small apps):

Component	Requirement
CPU	2 cores (x86_64 or ARM64)
RAM	2 GB
Storage	20 GB (SSD preferred)
Network	Stable internet connection

Recommended for Most Users

For typical self-hosting (5-10 apps):

Component	Requirement
CPU	4+ cores
RAM	4-8 GB
Storage	100+ GB (SSD recommended)
Network	Stable internet connection, 10+ Mbps

For Heavy Workloads

If running resource-intensive apps (OpenCloud with 100+ users, photo libraries, etc.):

Component	Requirement
CPU	8+ cores
RAM	16+ GB
Storage	500+ GB (SSD required)
Network	Stable internet connection, 50+ Mbps

The apps you run determine your actual needs. A password manager (Vaultwarden) needs ~512MB. A photo library (Immich) with 50,000 photos might need 8GB+ of RAM.

Operating System

UnboundBytes supports modern Linux distributions:

Officially Supported

• Ubuntu 22.04 LTS, 24.04 LTS (recommended)
• Debian 12+ (Bookworm and newer)
• RHEL/CentOS 9+
• Rocky Linux 9+
• AlmaLinux 9+

Should Work But Not Officially Tested

• Other Debian-based distributions (Linux Mint, Pop!_OS, etc.)
• Other RHEL-based distributions
• Fedora (recent versions)

Alpine Linux is **not supported**. Alpine uses musl libc instead of glibc, which causes compatibility issues with the agent and Docker.

Container Runtime

UnboundBytes apps run in Docker or Podman containers. You need one of:

Docker

• Docker Engine 20.10+ or Docker Desktop (includes Docker Engine)
• Docker daemon should be running and accessible
• The agent runs as root to manage containers and system resources

Podman

• Podman 4.0+ (with socket activation enabled)
• Rootless Podman support included

**Docker is recommended** for most users. Podman works well if you're already using it, but Docker is simpler to set up.

Networking

Required

• Outbound HTTPS (port 443) to orchestrator.unboundbytes.com - Agent communicates with control plane
• Stable internet connection - Apps can’t start or update if offline

Recommended

• Static IP address - Makes management easier, though not strictly required
• DNS - If you want to access apps via domain names (optional)

Not Required

• Port forwarding - Apps are accessed locally; secure tunnels for remote access coming soon
• Public IP address - Works behind NAT and firewalls
• Inbound ports - Agent initiates outbound connections only, no listening ports required

Storage Considerations

Minimum 20 GB for the OS and agent. 50+ GB recommended. Varies by app. Plan 10-100 GB per major app. Keep 1.5x to 2x the size of app data for backups.

Storage calculation example:

• OS + agent: 10 GB
• OpenCloud with 100 GB files: 150 GB backup
• Immich with 200 GB photos: 300 GB backup
• Total needed: ~600 GB SSD

Pre-Installation Checklist

Before you install, verify:

• Server is running a supported Linux distribution
• Docker or Podman is installed and running
• You have SSH access and sudo privileges
• Server has stable internet connectivity
• You have adequate storage space
• You have an UnboundBytes account (or are joining the beta)

Network Architecture

UnboundBytes uses outbound connections only. Your server:

1. Connects to orchestrator.unboundbytes.com on port 443
2. Establishes a WebSocket tunnel for commands
3. Accepts app connections from your local network

No inbound ports need to be open. This means:

• ✅ Works behind firewalls and NAT
• ✅ Works on home networks
• ✅ Works in cloud VPCs with restrictive security groups
• ✅ No need to expose your server to the internet

Firewall Rules

Outbound (Required)

Allow your server to make outbound HTTPS connections:

# Allow outbound HTTPS (usually allowed by default)
sudo ufw allow out 443/tcp

# Verify DNS resolution works
nslookup orchestrator.unboundbytes.com

Most default firewall configurations already allow outbound HTTPS. If you have a restrictive firewall, ensure port 443 outbound is allowed.

Inbound (Not Required)

The agent doesn’t listen on any ports. Apps expose ports for local access only:

# Example: If running OpenCloud, allow local network access
# Replace with your actual local network range
sudo ufw allow from 192.168.0.0/16 to any port 8080

Environment Variables

The agent respects these configuration options:

Variable	Description	Default
UB_ORCHESTRATOR_URL	Override orchestrator endpoint	https://orchestrator.unboundbytes.com
RUST_LOG	Log level (debug, info, warn, error)	info
DOCKER_HOST	Docker socket path	/var/run/docker.sock

Virtual Machine / Cloud Hosting

UnboundBytes works great on VMs and cloud instances:

Recommended Providers

• DigitalOcean - Droplets (4GB recommended)
• Linode/Akamai - Linodes (4GB recommended)
• Vultr - Cloud Compute
• Hetzner - Cloud instances
• AWS EC2 - t3.medium or larger
• Google Cloud - e2-medium or larger
• Home Lab - Proxmox, ESXi, etc.

Datacenter Considerations

For backups and app performance:

• Choose a region close to where you’ll use the apps
• Single region is fine—UnboundBytes doesn’t require multi-region setup

Troubleshooting Requirements Issues

”Not enough space"

# Check available storage
df -h /

# Free up space (delete old backups, clean Docker images)
docker system prune -a

"Docker not found"

# Check if Docker is installed
docker --version

# Check if Docker daemon is running
systemctl status docker

# Start Docker if needed
sudo systemctl start docker

"Permission denied”

# Add your user to the docker group (if not running as root)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

Next Steps

Once your server meets these requirements:

1. Install the agent - Connect your server
2. Quick start guide - Deploy your first app
3. Troubleshooting - If something doesn’t work