Self-host runtime (installer vs runner)

Happier currently supports two different self-host “shapes”:

1. a managed install (service + config + rollback) driven by hstack self-host …
2. a runner that simply downloads/verifies artifacts and starts the server process (@happier-dev/relay-server)

They are complementary, but they are not the same thing.

Option A: Managed self-host install (recommended when you want a service)

Use the self-host installer (or hstack self-host install) when you want:

• the server installed as a managed service (user/system mode)
• an on-disk env file (server.env) you can edit/override
• a local state file (self-host-state.json)
• platform-native auto-update scheduling (opt-in)
• hstack self-host rollback for recovery

What it installs

When you run:

curl -fsSL https://happier.dev/self-host | bash

the installer:

• downloads and installs the hstack binary on the machine
• then runs the guided flow: hstack self-host install …

After install, you manage it with:

hstack self-host status
hstack self-host update
hstack self-host rollback --to <version>

Auto-update scheduling (daily window)

Auto-update is opt-in:

hstack self-host install --auto-update --auto-update-at=03:15

Update the schedule later:

hstack self-host config set --auto-update --auto-update-at=03:15

Inspect effective config:

hstack self-host config view

Option B: Runner (@happier-dev/relay-server) (recommended for Docker / “just run it”)

The relay server package is a server runner:

• it fetches the server runtime by rolling tag (server-stable / server-preview)
• verifies and extracts it into a cache
• optionally fetches the UI web bundle (ui-web-stable / ui-web-preview)
• sets HAPPIER_SERVER_UI_DIR (if UI is enabled)
• then starts the extracted happier-server binary

This is ideal when:

• you run the server in Docker (or any process supervisor you already have)
• you want updates to happen on restart (no managed install / no scheduler)
• you do not want hstack installing services/timers/tasks on the host

Example (local runner):

npx --yes --package @happier-dev/relay-server happier-server --help

Important: because this is a runner, hstack self-host config / hstack self-host rollback do not apply to it.

Choosing between them

• If you want a service and hstack-managed lifecycle → use Option A.
• If you already have a process manager (Docker/Compose/systemd/nomad/k8s) and just want a runner → use Option B.

If you’re unsure, start with Docker (runner) and switch to a managed install later.