feat: documentation site

Docusaurus 3 docs-only site at docsite/, served statically by nginx under
/docs on the marketing host. Covers getting started (self-hosted install
through first server and first licence), the control plane, Vantage HQ,
a reference section and operations.

Wired into docker-compose.site.yml as docsite (3005:80) and into the
image build workflow, rebuilding on its own directory only. Never added
to the self-hosted compose file.
This commit is contained in:
2026-07-28 15:46:33 +01:00
parent d9945882e5
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---
id: claim-free-licence
title: Claim a Free licence
sidebar_label: Claim a Free licence
---
A self-hosted install runs unlicensed until you give it a licence. Free is a
real tier in both deployments, and you can claim one for your install from the
HQ portal.
## What a licence is
A signed file. It carries the instance UUID it belongs to, the tier, the server
allowance, feature toggles and an expiry. The control plane verifies the
signature locally — checking a licence never contacts HQ, and a running instance
does not need HQ to be reachable.
Signing happens in exactly one place, in HQ. The control plane can only verify.
## 1. Find your instance UUID
In the control plane, go to **Settings → Licence**. The instance UUID is shown
there. It is the identity your licence binds to.
## 2. Link the install to your HQ account
1. Sign in at [Vantage HQ](https://vantage-hq.hostxtra.co.uk). If you have no
account, see [Accounts and signup](../hq/accounts-and-signup.md).
2. Choose **Link an instance**.
3. Paste the instance UUID and give it a name you will recognise.
Linking claims the UUID for your account. A UUID already linked elsewhere is
refused with a conflict rather than silently moved.
## 3. Claim Free
With the instance linked, choose **Claim Free** on it. HQ issues a Free licence
bound to that UUID and hands it back.
:::info One Free per account, per deployment
The limit is enforced per account **and** deployment, so a Free cloud instance
does not stop you claiming Free on a self-hosted install. Both the friendly
pre-check and the issuer apply the same rule — deliberately, because a
pre-check stricter than the issuer would refuse something that would actually
have worked.
:::
## 4. Install the licence
Download the licence from HQ and paste it in the control plane at
**Settings → Licence**.
The instance validates the signature, checks the UUID matches its own, and
starts reporting the tier, allowance and expiry.
:::warning Cloud instances cannot paste a licence
On a cloud instance `POST /license` answers `409 cloud_managed`, and the UI
hides the form entirely. A cloud licence is written directly by HQ. This is not
a restriction the injection path has to work around — it writes to the database,
not through the endpoint.
:::
## Renewing
Free licences are renewable from HQ within a renewal window near expiry;
outside that window the renew call refuses. See [Free tier](../hq/free-tier.md).
Pasting a licence keeps working while the current one is expired — that endpoint
is exempt from the licence check, because it is the way out of degraded mode.
## Moving the install to new hardware
Rebuilding produces a new instance UUID, and a licence binds to a UUID. Use
**Relink** in HQ to move the licence across. The number of relinks per term is
capped; the portal shows how many you have left.
## Next
- [Licensing and entitlements](../hq/licensing-and-entitlements.md)
- [Buying a paid self-hosted licence](../hq/self-hosted-instances.md)
@@ -0,0 +1,73 @@
---
id: cloud-vs-self-hosted
title: Cloud or self-hosted
sidebar_label: Cloud or self-hosted
---
Vantage runs in two deployments. They are the same software; what differs is
who operates it and how licensing, users and data lifecycle work.
## At a glance
| | Cloud | Self-hosted |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Who runs it | We do | You do |
| Where you sign in | `<your-slug>.vantage.hostxtra.co.uk` | Your own hostname |
| Database and backups | Ours | Yours |
| Licence | Written for you when you buy or create the instance | Pasted in, or claimed from HQ |
| Team members | Granted from HQ; the instance holds a projection | Created in the instance itself |
| Free tier | Yes, one per account | Yes, one per account |
| Expired Free instance | Eventually deleted, after warning | Never deleted |
## Cloud
You create an instance from the HQ portal and it exists a few seconds later,
already licensed. People you grant access to get a real user inside that
instance — see [People and roles](../hq/people-and-roles.md) — but HQ owns their
password, role and existence.
:::info The instance does not phone home
A grant writes a user row into the control plane once. After that the instance
authenticates that person entirely on its own. HQ being down does not stop
anyone signing in to a running instance.
:::
Cloud instances on the Free tier are reaped after their licence expires, with
warning emails first. See [Free tier](../hq/free-tier.md).
## Self-hosted
You run the Docker Compose stack on your own infrastructure. Nothing about the
control plane requires an internet connection to HQ at runtime — a licence is a
signed file, verified locally.
Two ways to get one:
1. **Free** — link the install to an HQ account and claim it
([Claim a Free licence](./claim-free-licence.md)).
2. **Paid** — buy from HQ, which creates a placeholder, then paste the install's
real instance UUID to bind and issue
([Self-hosted instances](../hq/self-hosted-instances.md)).
Self-hosted users are local (or OIDC). There is no projection from HQ, and the
three member endpoints in HQ refuse to touch a self-hosted instance at all.
:::warning Self-hosted instances are never deleted by us
The reaper that removes expired Free cloud instances is disabled by default and
must stay that way on a self-hosted install. See `FREE_INSTANCE_REAP_AFTER` in
[Environment variables](../reference/environment-variables.md).
:::
## Which should you pick
Pick cloud if you want the thing running now and do not want to own a MongoDB.
Pick self-hosted if your policy requires the control plane inside your own
network, or the servers you manage cannot reach the public internet.
Moving between them is a migration, not a switch — instances are bound to a
deployment at creation, and a licence binds to an instance UUID.
## Next
- [Self-hosted install](./self-hosted-install.md)
- [Accounts and signup](../hq/accounts-and-signup.md) if you are going cloud
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
---
id: first-login
title: First login
sidebar_label: First login
---
A fresh install has no users and no organisation. The first visit creates both.
## 1. Bootstrap
Open the control plane in a browser. Because no user exists, you land on
`/setup`.
Fill in:
| Field | Notes |
| --- | --- |
| Organisation name | Display name. Shown throughout the UI |
| Slug | Lowercase, used in the hostname on cloud. Some names are reserved |
| Your name | |
| Email | Becomes your sign-in identity |
| Password | Stored bcrypt-hashed |
Submitting creates the organisation and its **owner** — you.
:::warning Bootstrap works exactly once
The endpoint is open only while the database has no users. As soon as the first
one exists, `/setup` redirects to the login page and the bootstrap endpoint
refuses. There is no second chance to create the first owner, so record the
credentials before you close the tab.
:::
## 2. Sign in
You are taken to `/login`. Sign in with the email and password you just set.
Sessions are an opaque 32-byte token in the `km_session` cookie, with the body
held in Redis for 24 hours. Restarting Redis signs everyone out and loses
nothing else.
## 3. Look around
You land on the fleet dashboard, which is empty. The sidebar is the whole
product:
| Section | What it does |
| --- | --- |
| Servers | The fleet — enrol, inspect, console, update |
| Keys | SSH public keys and their assignments |
| Workflows | Compose and run scripted work |
| Steps | The reusable step library |
| Monitors | HTTP, TCP, ICMP and TLS checks |
| Secrets | The encrypted vault |
| Audit | Every mutating action |
| Settings | Members, SSO, alerts, retention, licence |
## 4. Add the rest of your team
Go to **Settings → Access**. Add members with a role:
| Role | Can |
| --- | --- |
| `owner` | Everything, including billing-adjacent settings |
| `admin` | Everything except owner-only settings |
| `member` | Day-to-day work — servers, keys, workflows, monitors |
Settings and organisation management require `owner` or `admin`.
If you would rather not manage passwords, configure OIDC instead — see
[Settings](../vantage/settings.md#single-sign-on-oidc). OIDC is configured per
organisation, and the client secret is stored encrypted.
## Next
[Add your first server](./first-server.md).
@@ -0,0 +1,111 @@
---
id: first-server
title: Add your first server
sidebar_label: Add your first server
---
Enrolling a machine means running one command on it. The control plane issues a
short-lived token, the install script fetches the agent and writes a config, and
the machine registers itself.
## 1. Create the enrolment
In the UI, go to **Servers → Add server**. That calls `POST /api/servers/new`,
which generates a server ID and a pre-registration token and hands back a ready
one-liner.
:::warning The token is single-use and lives one hour
It is the only credential in the flow, and it is spent the moment the agent
calls `Register`. If you paste it somewhere and come back tomorrow, create a new
enrolment instead — nothing is lost by doing so.
:::
## 2. Run the one-liner
### Linux
```bash
curl -fsSL "https://vantage.example.com/install?server_id=<id>&token=<token>" | bash
```
Run it as root. The script:
1. Detects architecture — `x86_64` and `aarch64` only; anything else exits.
2. Asks the Gitea API for the newest `agent/v*` release.
3. Downloads the binary and `checksums.txt`, and **verifies the SHA-256**,
aborting on a mismatch.
4. Installs to `/usr/local/bin/vantage-agent`, mode `0755`.
5. Writes `/etc/vantage/config.yaml` (directory `0700`, file `0600`) containing
the server ID, the pre-registration token and the gRPC host.
6. Writes `/etc/systemd/system/vantage-agent.service` with `Restart=always`, and
runs `systemctl enable --now vantage-agent`.
### Windows
```powershell
irm "https://vantage.example.com/install.ps1?server_id=<id>&token=<token>" | iex
```
Run from an elevated PowerShell. The agent is registered as a service through
NSSM, with the config at `%ProgramData%\vantage\config.yaml`. There is also an
MSI built by CI if you would rather deploy that.
:::info Windows agents are second-class on purpose
They register, heartbeat, run workflow steps and report inventory. They do
**not** manage `authorized_keys` — the key subsystem is Linux-only, and a
Windows agent stops after the heartbeat portion of the poll.
:::
## 3. Watch it come up
The server appears immediately as `pending`. Within one poll interval — 30
seconds — it flips to `active`.
On the machine:
```bash
systemctl status vantage-agent
journalctl -u vantage-agent -f
```
What happens on that first run:
```
1. Load /etc/vantage/config.yaml
2. pre_reg_token present → Register() → save agent_token, clear pre_reg_token
3. Reconnect with the permanent token
4. Start: command stream · hourly update check · inventory · monitors
5. Enter the SyncKeys poll loop
```
After registration the config no longer contains the pre-registration token; it
contains a permanent agent token instead. The control plane stores only the
SHA-256 of that token, never the token itself.
## 4. Confirm it works
Open the server's detail page. Within a minute or two you should see:
- Status `active`, with a recent last-seen timestamp.
- Inventory — CPU, memory, swap, partitions, kernel. Metrics refresh every 30
seconds; the full static snapshot every 15 minutes.
- Pending OS updates, checked hourly.
## If it does not appear
| Symptom | Cause |
| --- | --- |
| Script exits at "Unsupported architecture" | Not amd64 or arm64 |
| "Checksum mismatch!" | Interrupted download, or a proxy rewriting the body. Re-run |
| "Could not determine latest agent version" | The host cannot reach `gitea.hostxtra.co.uk`, or no `agent/v*` release exists |
| Service runs, server stays `pending` | The machine cannot reach `GRPC_HOST`. Test it from that machine |
| Registers once then goes `offline` | Reachable for `Register` but not for the poll — usually a firewall that permits the initial connection but drops the long-lived one |
A server is marked `offline` when its last-seen time passes the threshold; that
sweep runs every two minutes, so allow for it before concluding anything.
## Next
- [Assign an SSH key](../vantage/ssh-keys.md)
- [Run a workflow](../vantage/workflows.md)
- [Claim a Free licence](./claim-free-licence.md)
@@ -0,0 +1,137 @@
---
id: self-hosted-install
title: Install Vantage (self-hosted)
sidebar_label: Self-hosted install
---
This installs the control plane on a host you own. Budget about fifteen minutes.
## Before you start
You need:
- A Linux host with **Docker** and the **Compose plugin**.
- A DNS name pointing at it. You will use it for both the web UI and, with a
port, for agents.
- A reverse proxy terminating TLS in front of the web UI. gRPC on `:9090` is
reached directly by agents.
- Two ports reachable from every machine you intend to manage: the web port for
people, and **9090** for agents.
- Outbound access from the control plane, and from every managed machine, to
`gitea.hostxtra.co.uk`, which serves the agent releases.
The stack itself brings MongoDB, Redis and guacd with it. You do not need to
provide a database.
## 1. Get the compose file
Put `deploy/docker-compose.yml` from the repository in a working directory, for
example `/opt/vantage`.
```bash
mkdir -p /opt/vantage/data && cd /opt/vantage
# copy docker-compose.yml here
```
The `server` service bind-mounts `./data`, which is where workflow run logs are
written. Create it before first boot so it is not owned by root-in-container in
a way you did not intend.
## 2. Write the environment file
Create `/opt/vantage/.env`:
```bash
# The host:port agents dial. NOT the web URL — this port speaks gRPC.
GRPC_HOST=vantage.example.com:9090
# 32 bytes as 64 hex characters. Generate with the command below.
KEY_ENCRYPTION_KEY=
# Optional: where workflow run logs are written inside the container.
VANTAGE_WORKFLOW_LOG_DIR=/data/workflow-logs
```
Generate the encryption key:
```bash
openssl rand -hex 32
```
:::danger Keep the encryption key
`KEY_ENCRYPTION_KEY` encrypts SSH private keys, vault secrets, OIDC client
secrets and console credentials with AES-256-GCM. Lose it and every one of those
becomes unreadable — there is no recovery path. Back it up somewhere other than
the server it protects, and never rotate it without a planned re-encryption.
:::
:::warning `GRPC_HOST` has no default
The server refuses to boot without it. There is deliberately no fallback to the
web host: that would hand every agent a port that does not speak gRPC, and the
failure would only surface later, on each agent, as a connection error.
:::
## 3. Start the stack
```bash
docker compose up -d
docker compose ps
```
Five services come up: `mongo`, `redis`, `guacd`, `server` and `web`.
Check the server got through boot:
```bash
docker compose logs -f server
```
Boot runs database migrations, builds indexes and seeds the default workflow
step library. Index builders for auth and settings are **fatal on failure**
they enforce tenant isolation, so the server would rather not start than start
without them.
## 4. Put a proxy in front
Point your reverse proxy at `web` on port `3000` and terminate TLS there. The
web app calls the REST API through a Next rewrite, so you do not need to expose
`8080` publicly.
Do **not** proxy `9090`. Agents connect to it directly over TLS.
## 5. First sign-in
Open your hostname in a browser. With no users in the database, you are sent to
`/setup`.
Continue with [First login](./first-login.md).
## Verifying the install
| Check | Expected |
| --- | --- |
| `docker compose ps` | five services `running` |
| `curl -s localhost:8080/auth/bootstrap-status` | JSON saying bootstrap is needed |
| `nc -z your-host 9090` | open |
| `docker compose logs server \| grep -i fatal` | nothing |
## Common install problems
**Server exits immediately.** Almost always a missing `GRPC_HOST`. The log line
names it.
**Agents register but never go active.** They reached `:9090` for `Register` but
cannot sustain the poll, or `GRPC_HOST` names a host they resolve differently.
Check from the managed machine, not from the control plane host.
**Secrets pages error.** `KEY_ENCRYPTION_KEY` is empty or not 64 hex characters.
More in [Troubleshooting](../reference/troubleshooting.md).
## What this install does not include
The marketing site, the public form service, the HQ portal and this
documentation site are separate services in `deploy/docker-compose.site.yml`.
A self-hosted install deliberately runs none of them, and in particular never
holds the licence signing key.
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---
id: what-is-vantage
title: What is Vantage
sidebar_label: What is Vantage
---
Vantage manages a fleet of servers from one place. It began as SSH key
management and grew outwards: key assignment, scripted workflow execution,
service monitoring, a secrets vault, a browser-based console and OS update
management.
## The pieces
```mermaid
flowchart TD
W["Web UI<br/>servers · keys · workflows · monitors<br/>secrets · audit · console · settings"]
S["Server<br/>REST :8080 · gRPC :9090<br/>MongoDB · Redis · guacd"]
A["Agent<br/>one per managed server<br/>Linux and Windows"]
W -->|REST, cookie session| S
S -->|gRPC over TLS| A
A -.->|outbound only| S
```
**The server** holds all state and does all decision-making. It exposes a REST
API on `:8080` for the web UI and a gRPC API on `:9090` for agents. MongoDB
stores everything durable; Redis stores sessions and nothing else.
**The agent** is a single Go binary running as root on each managed server. It
polls the control plane every 30 seconds for desired key state, and holds a
bidirectional command stream so the server can push work — run a workflow step,
generate a key, apply updates — without waiting for the next poll.
**The web UI** is the operator interface. Everything it does goes through the
REST API, which is the actual security boundary; the UI only ever makes things
convenient.
## How agents connect
The agent dials **out** to the control plane. There is no inbound listener on a
managed server, no port to open and no NAT traversal to arrange. If the machine
can reach your Vantage host on the gRPC port, it can be managed.
That direction is why `GRPC_HOST` exists as an explicit setting: the agent has
to be told a `host:port` it can reach, and there is no safe default the server
could guess on its behalf.
## Two request patterns
| Pattern | Used for | Why |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Poll (`SyncKeys`, every 30s) | desired SSH key state | Key changes are not urgent, and polling survives a dropped connection with no reconnection logic |
| Push (`CommandStream`) | workflow steps, key generation, updates, agent self-update | Clicking Run should not wait up to 30 seconds |
## Multi-tenancy
Every document in the database carries an instance ID, and every query is scoped
by it. One deployment can therefore host many independent tenants. On a
self-hosted install that mechanism is still there — you simply have one tenant.
## Next
- [Cloud or self-hosted](./cloud-vs-self-hosted.md) — which one you want
- [Self-hosted install](./self-hosted-install.md) — stand it up