ARI Software | ARI Software

Automated Install

To start the ARI installation, open your terminal and paste this command:

/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://ari.software/install)"

The installer will check your system, install any missing tools (Git, Node.js, pnpm, etc.) via your distribution's package manager (apt, dnf, pacman, etc.), clone the ARI repository, and guide you through database setup.

What the Installer Does

Installs required tools (Git, Node.js, pnpm) via your system package manager
Clones the ARI repository
Runs pnpm install to install dependencies
Asks you to choose a database option (see below)
Configures environment variables based on your choice
Initializes the database schema
Creates the ./ari CLI for daily use

After installation, the installer will display your admin credentials and instructions.

Database

The ARI installer offers three database options:

PostgreSQL (default)

The simplest option. Uses a local PostgreSQL server directly — no Docker or Supabase required. The installer will check that PostgreSQL is running, create an ari database, and configure the connection automatically. A pgweb database UI is available at http://localhost:5050 for browsing your database.

If you don't already have PostgreSQL installed, the installer will offer to install it for you via your system package manager (apt, dnf, pacman, etc.).
Supabase Local

Runs a full Supabase stack locally inside Docker containers. This gives you access to the Supabase Studio UI at http://127.0.0.1:54323 for browsing your database.

Supabase local requires Docker Engine (or Docker Desktop) to be installed and running. The first start will download the Supabase Docker images, which may take a few minutes. Make sure your user is in the docker group so you can run Docker without sudo.
Supabase Cloud

Connect to a hosted Supabase project at supabase.com. Choose this if you want your database hosted online or plan to deploy ARI to production.

During installation, the database connection is deferred — you will configure your Supabase project URL, anon key, service role key, and connection string through the Welcome Setup Wizard on first launch.

Welcome Setup Wizard

When you first open ARI in your browser, you will land on the /welcome page — an interactive setup wizard that walks you through:

Account — Create your admin email and password (this is the only account — public sign-up is disabled by default)
Personal — Set up your profile (name, title, company, location, timezone)
Download — Download your generated .env configuration file

For Supabase Cloud installations, there is an additional step to configure your Supabase project URL, keys, and connection string.

The setup wizard runs once on first launch. After completing it, you will be taken to your ARI dashboard.

Starting ARI

To start ARI, open your terminal, navigate to the project directory, and run:

./ari start

Or if you prefer to see full server logs, run it in verbose mode:

./ari start --verbose

What happens depends on your database mode:

	PostgreSQL	Supabase Local	Supabase Cloud
Database	Checks PostgreSQL is running	Starts Docker containers	Nothing (hosted)
Extras	Launches pgweb UI on port 5050	Generates `.env.supabase.local`	—
Dev server	Starts Next.js	Starts Next.js	Starts Next.js

Then open http://localhost:3000 in your browser.

Stopping ARI

Press Ctrl+C in the terminal to stop the development server.

If you are using Supabase Local, the database containers will continue running in the background. You can stop them with docker ps and docker stop <container>, or via Docker Desktop if installed.

CLI Reference

Command	Description
`./ari start`	Start the database (if local) and development server
`./ari start --verbose`	Start the database (if local) and development server and will display server logs
`./ari status`	Show database connection status
`./ari update`	Pull latest ARI updates and install dependencies

Requirements

Always required:

Node.js v18+
pnpm (package manager)
Git (version control)
curl (for the install script)

Additional requirements by database mode:

	PostgreSQL	Supabase Local	Supabase Cloud
PostgreSQL	Yes	—	—
Docker	—	Yes	—
Supabase CLI	—	Yes	—

The automated installer handles all of these. If any are missing, the installer will offer to install them for you via your distribution's package manager.

Distribution Notes

The installer auto-detects your package manager. Tested on:

Debian / Ubuntu — uses apt
Fedora / RHEL — uses dnf
Arch / Manjaro — uses pacman

If your distribution uses a different package manager, you can install the prerequisites manually and re-run the script.

Managed Setup

Prefer not to deal with infrastructure? The Managed Setup plan includes full hosting on your own custom domain, daily backups, and professional setup. Contact hello@ari.software for details.

Next Steps

Authentication — Secure your instance
Settings — Customize your ARI instance
Security — Harden your deployment

Installation — Linux