Install Alta VMS

Alta VMS ships as a single Linux binary with the web UI and database embedded. The binary installs itself as a systemd service.

Requirements

• Linux x86-64 (Ubuntu 20.04+, Debian 11+, RHEL 8+, or any modern distro)
• 512 MB RAM minimum
• root access (for the one-time install)
• ffmpeg on the host if you plan to export clips
• One or more reachable Cesbo Alta servers

Install

1. Download the binary

   curl -Lo /usr/local/bin/altavms https://cdn.cesbo.com/alta-vms/latest/altavms-latest

   To pin a specific build instead of the latest stable, use its tagged name:

   curl -Lo /usr/local/bin/altavms https://cdn.cesbo.com/alta-vms/builds/altavms-26.06.08-dev1

2. Make it executable

   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/altavms

3. Install the service

   sudo altavms install

That’s it. The installer prints the URL to open and the generated admin login.

What altavms install does

The installer is idempotent — re-running it after downloading a newer binary updates the service while keeping your config and data.

• Creates a dedicated altavms system user (no login).
• Generates the encryption key, JWT secret, and a random admin password into /etc/altavms/altavms.env.
• Writes a production config to /etc/altavms/config.yaml.
• Stores the database and recordings under /var/lib/altavms/.
• Installs and starts the altavms.service systemd unit.
• Prints the access URL and admin credentials (shown once).

Path	Purpose
/usr/local/bin/altavms	The binary
/etc/altavms/config.yaml	Configuration
/etc/altavms/altavms.env	Secrets (keys, admin password)
/var/lib/altavms/	Database, clips, screenshots
/etc/systemd/system/altavms.service	Service unit

First login

Open the URL printed by the installer (by default the server listens on port 3303):

http://your-server-ip:3303

Log in with the admin email and password shown by the installer. They are also stored in /etc/altavms/altavms.env.

Caution

After installing, edit /etc/altavms/config.yaml to set your public URL in allowed_origins and to connect your Alta server, then restart:

systemctl restart altavms

Manage the service

systemctl status altavms      # service state
journalctl -u altavms -f      # follow logs
altavms version               # print version
sudo altavms uninstall        # remove (add --purge to also delete data + user)

Updating

Re-running the installer with a newer binary preserves your config and database:

curl -Lo /usr/local/bin/altavms https://cdn.cesbo.com/alta-vms/latest/altavms-latest
chmod +x /usr/local/bin/altavms
sudo altavms install

Building from source

The web UI is embedded into the binary at compile time via //go:embed — no Node.js is needed on the server.

git clone https://github.com/cesbo/alta-vms.git
cd alta-vms
make build        # builds the frontend, then the Go binary into ./bin/altavms

Copy bin/altavms to the server and run sudo altavms install.