Manual Hub Setup

Step-by-step guide for installing SeaClip hub manually

When to use manual setup:

You need custom configuration before installation
You're installing in an air-gapped environment
You want to understand each step of the process

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 cores	4+ cores
RAM	2 GB	8 GB
Disk	10 GB	50 GB SSD
OS	Ubuntu 22.04+, Debian 12+, or macOS 13+

Software Requirements

bash — Check versions

node -v   # Must be 20.x or higher
pnpm -v   # Must be 8.x or higher
git --version

Install Node.js 20

bash — Ubuntu/Debian

# Using NodeSource
curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt-get install -y nodejs

# Verify
node -v

Install pnpm

bash

npm install -g pnpm

# Verify
pnpm -v

Step 1: Clone the Repository

bash

git clone https://github.com/t4tarzan/seaclip.git
cd seaclip

Step 2: Install Dependencies

bash

pnpm install

This installs dependencies for all workspace packages:

@seaclip/server — Express API server
@seaclip/ui — React dashboard
@seaclip/cli — Command-line tool
@seaclip/shared — Shared types and utilities

Step 3: Configure Environment

bash

# Copy example environment file
cp .env.example .env

# Edit with your settings
nano .env

Essential Environment Variables

.env

# Server
PORT=51842
SEACLIP_DEPLOYMENT_MODE=local_trusted
SEACLIP_EDITION=simple  # or "enhanced"

# Database (SQLite by default, or PostgreSQL)
# DATABASE_URL=postgres://user:pass@localhost:5432/seaclip

# Ollama (local LLM)
OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://localhost:11434

# Optional: Telegram notifications
# TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN=your-bot-token
# TELEGRAM_CHAT_ID=your-chat-id

Step 4: Initialize Database

Option A: SQLite (Default)

No setup needed — SQLite database is created automatically on first run.

Option B: PostgreSQL

bash

# Create database
sudo -u postgres createdb seaclip

# Set DATABASE_URL in .env
echo 'DATABASE_URL=postgres://postgres:password@localhost:5432/seaclip' >> .env

# Run migrations
pnpm --filter @seaclip/server db:migrate

Step 5: Build the Project

bash

pnpm build

Step 6: Start the Server

Development Mode

bash

pnpm dev

Production Mode

bash

pnpm start

Step 7: Set Up Systemd Service (Production)

bash — Create service file

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/seaclip.service > /dev/null << 'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=SeaClip Hub Server
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=seaclip
WorkingDirectory=/opt/seaclip
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node /opt/seaclip/server/dist/index.js
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
Environment=NODE_ENV=production
EnvironmentFile=/opt/seaclip/.env

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

bash — Enable and start

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable seaclip
sudo systemctl start seaclip

# Check status
sudo systemctl status seaclip

Step 8: Verify Installation

bash

# Health check
curl http://localhost:51842/api/health

# Run diagnostics
pnpm cli doctor

Next Steps

→

Configure Adapters

Set up Ollama, Telegram, and other integrations

→

Connect Edge Devices

Add Raspberry Pi, Jetson, or other spokes