Install · one command

Install AppCrane

One command on a fresh Ubuntu server installs and wires up everything, from Caddy with automatic HTTPS to your admin user.

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/gitayg/appCrane/main/install.sh | sudo bash

It prompts for two things, your domain and admin email, and is safe to re-run.

Before you start

A fresh Ubuntu server (root or sudo) and a domain whose DNS A record points at it. Caddy provisions TLS automatically on the first request.

What the installer sets up

Node.js 22 and AppCrane, with the crane CLI
Caddy, the reverse proxy that routes each app, runs the SSO check and provisions TLS
Docker and a systemd appcrane service that survives crashes and reboots
A .env with a freshly generated ENCRYPTION_KEY, and your admin user

Back up ENCRYPTION_KEY. Losing it makes every stored secret unrecoverable.

Connect your agent

Apps are created and deployed by an agent over MCP. The installer printed your admin key; point Claude Code at the instance once:

claude mcp add --transport http appcrane https://<your-domain>/api/mcp \
  --header "X-API-Key: dhk_admin_xxxxxxxxxxxxx"

Then ask for the app in a Claude Code session. The dashboard’s Add Application button hands you the same prompt, pre-filled with your instance’s URL and key. Step by step: Deploy from Claude.

The full reference

Non-interactive installs, the CLI, deploying without GitHub and the identity contract for your apps are in the AppCrane README. Treat install.sh as the source of truth for what the installer does.

Deploy from Claude Tech specs