Remote server setup (SSH)

This page documents hstack remote server setup, a workflow to provision a remote machine (VPS, home server, dev box) over SSH:

• installs the hstack toolchain on the remote host (via the standard installer)
• runs the existing guided installer: hstack self-host install
• installs the server runtime as a managed service (default: user mode)

If you want to provision a remote machine for CLI + daemon usage (pairing/auth included), see: /docs/hstack/remote-daemon.

Quickstart

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host

Default behavior:

• uses the stable channel (set --channel preview when you want preview binaries)
• installs the self-host service in user mode
• uses the self-host defaults (SQLite, local files, PORT=3005)

Preview vs stable channel

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host --channel preview

Equivalent shortcuts:

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host --preview
hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host --stable

User vs system service

User service (default):

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host --mode user

System service:

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host --mode system

Notes:

• --mode system runs the remote install with sudo -E and may prompt for a password, depending on the host’s sudo policy.
• User mode is recommended unless you specifically need system-wide service semantics.

Override server configuration (env)

You can pass repeated --env KEY=VALUE flags. These become overrides in the generated server.env on the remote host.

Example: change the listen port:

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host \
  --env PORT=3999

Example: use Postgres instead of SQLite:

hstack remote server setup --ssh user@host \
  --env HAPPIER_DB_PROVIDER=postgres \
  --env DATABASE_URL=postgresql://user:pass@db:5432/happier

Tip: for the full server env surface, see /docs/deployment/env.

Auto-update scheduling (daily window)

Auto-update is opt-in. Remote server setup does not pick a schedule by default.

After provisioning, you can configure the remote host’s update window by running:

ssh user@host "~/.happier/bin/hstack self-host config set --auto-update --auto-update-at=03:15"

Requirements

• SSH access to the remote host (ssh user@host)
• Remote host has bash and curl
• Remote host must be a Unix-like OS (Linux/macOS). Windows hosts are not supported for this SSH flow.