orama/docs/DEV_DEPLOY.md

Development Guide

Prerequisites

• Go 1.21+
• Node.js 18+ (for anyone-client in dev mode)
• macOS or Linux

Building

# Build all binaries
make build

# Outputs:
#   bin/orama-node   — the node binary
#   bin/orama        — the CLI
#   bin/gateway      — standalone gateway (optional)
#   bin/identity     — identity tool

Running Tests

make test

Deploying to VPS

All binaries are pre-compiled locally and shipped as a binary archive. Zero compilation on the VPS.

Deploy Workflow

# One-command: build + push + rolling upgrade
orama node rollout --env testnet

# Or step by step:

# 1. Build binary archive (cross-compiles all binaries for linux/amd64)
orama build
# Creates: /tmp/orama-<version>-linux-amd64.tar.gz

# 2. Push archive to all nodes (fanout via hub node)
orama node push --env testnet

# 3. Rolling upgrade (one node at a time, followers first, leader last)
orama node upgrade --env testnet

Fresh Node Install

# Build the archive first (if not already built)
orama build

# Install on a new VPS (auto-uploads binary archive, zero compilation)
orama node install --vps-ip <ip> --nameserver --domain <domain> --base-domain <domain>

The installer auto-detects the binary archive at /opt/orama/manifest.json and copies pre-built binaries instead of compiling from source.

Upgrading a Multi-Node Cluster (CRITICAL)

NEVER restart all nodes simultaneously. RQLite uses Raft consensus and requires a majority (quorum) to function.

Safe Upgrade Procedure

# Full rollout (build + push + rolling upgrade, one command)
orama node rollout --env testnet

# Or with more control:
orama node push --env testnet                     # Push archive to all nodes
orama node upgrade --env testnet                  # Rolling upgrade (auto-detects leader)
orama node upgrade --env testnet --node 1.2.3.4   # Single node only
orama node upgrade --env testnet --delay 60       # 60s between nodes

The rolling upgrade automatically:

1. Upgrades follower nodes first
2. Upgrades the leader last
3. Waits a configurable delay between nodes (default: 30s)

After each node, verify health:

orama monitor report --env testnet

What NOT to Do

• DON'T stop all nodes, replace binaries, then start all nodes
• DON'T run orama node upgrade --restart on multiple nodes in parallel
• DON'T clear RQLite data directories unless doing a full cluster rebuild
• DON'T use systemctl stop orama-node on multiple nodes simultaneously

Recovery from Cluster Split

If nodes get stuck in "Candidate" state or show "leader not found" errors:

# Recover the Raft cluster (specify the node with highest commit index as leader)
orama node recover-raft --env testnet --leader 1.2.3.4

This will:

1. Stop orama-node on ALL nodes
2. Backup + delete raft/ on non-leader nodes
3. Start the leader, wait for Leader state
4. Start remaining nodes in batches
5. Verify cluster health

Cleaning Nodes for Reinstallation

# Wipe all data and services (preserves Anyone relay keys)
orama node clean --env testnet --force

# Also remove shared binaries (rqlited, ipfs, caddy, etc.)
orama node clean --env testnet --nuclear --force

# Single node only
orama node clean --env testnet --node 1.2.3.4 --force

Push Options

orama node push --env devnet                     # Fanout via hub (default, fastest)
orama node push --env testnet --node 1.2.3.4     # Single node
orama node push --env testnet --direct            # Sequential, no fanout

CLI Flags Reference

orama node install

Flag	Description
--vps-ip <ip>	VPS public IP address (required)
--domain <domain>	Domain for HTTPS certificates. Required for nameserver nodes (use the base domain, e.g., example.com). Auto-generated for non-nameserver nodes if omitted (e.g., node-a3f8k2.example.com)
--base-domain <domain>	Base domain for deployment routing (e.g., example.com)
--nameserver	Configure this node as a nameserver (CoreDNS + Caddy)
--join <url>	Join existing cluster via HTTPS URL (e.g., https://node1.example.com)
--token <token>	Invite token for joining (from orama node invite on existing node)
--force	Force reconfiguration even if already installed
--skip-firewall	Skip UFW firewall setup
--skip-checks	Skip minimum resource checks (RAM/CPU)
--anyone-relay	Install and configure an Anyone relay on this node
--anyone-migrate	Migrate existing Anyone relay installation (preserves keys/fingerprint)
--anyone-nickname <name>	Relay nickname (required for relay mode)
--anyone-wallet <addr>	Ethereum wallet for relay rewards (required for relay mode)
--anyone-contact <info>	Contact info for relay (required for relay mode)
--anyone-family <fps>	Comma-separated fingerprints of related relays (MyFamily)
--anyone-orport <port>	ORPort for relay (default: 9001)
--anyone-exit	Configure as an exit relay (default: non-exit)
--anyone-bandwidth <pct>	Limit relay to N% of VPS bandwidth (default: 30, 0=unlimited). Runs a speedtest during install to measure available bandwidth
--anyone-accounting <GB>	Monthly data cap for relay in GB (0=unlimited)

orama node invite

Flag	Description
--expiry <duration>	Token expiry duration (default: 1h, e.g. --expiry 24h)

Important notes about invite tokens:

• Tokens are single-use. Once a node consumes a token during the join handshake, it cannot be reused. Generate a separate token for each node you want to join.
• Expiry is checked in UTC. RQLite uses datetime('now') which is always UTC. If your local timezone differs, account for the offset when choosing expiry durations.
• Use longer expiry for multi-node deployments. When deploying multiple nodes, use --expiry 24h to avoid tokens expiring mid-deployment.

orama node upgrade

Flag	Description
--restart	Restart all services after upgrade (local mode)
--env <env>	Target environment for remote rolling upgrade
--node <ip>	Upgrade a single node only
--delay <seconds>	Delay between nodes during rolling upgrade (default: 30)
--anyone-relay	Enable Anyone relay (same flags as install)
--anyone-bandwidth <pct>	Limit relay to N% of VPS bandwidth (default: 30, 0=unlimited)
--anyone-accounting <GB>	Monthly data cap for relay in GB (0=unlimited)

orama build

Flag	Description
--arch <arch>	Target architecture (default: amd64)
--output <path>	Output archive path
--verbose	Verbose build output

orama node push

Flag	Description
--env <env>	Target environment (required)
--node <ip>	Push to a single node only
--direct	Sequential upload (no hub fanout)

orama node rollout

Flag	Description
--env <env>	Target environment (required)
--no-build	Skip the build step
--yes	Skip confirmation
--delay <seconds>	Delay between nodes (default: 30)

orama node clean

Flag	Description
--env <env>	Target environment (required)
--node <ip>	Clean a single node only
--nuclear	Also remove shared binaries
--force	Skip confirmation (DESTRUCTIVE)

orama node recover-raft

Flag	Description
--env <env>	Target environment (required)
--leader <ip>	Leader node IP — highest commit index (required)
--force	Skip confirmation (DESTRUCTIVE)

orama node (Service Management)

Use these commands to manage services on production nodes:

# Stop all services (orama-node, coredns, caddy)
sudo orama node stop

# Start all services
sudo orama node start

# Restart all services
sudo orama node restart

# Check service status
sudo orama node status

# Diagnose common issues
sudo orama node doctor

Note: Always use orama node stop instead of manually running systemctl stop. The CLI ensures all related services (including CoreDNS and Caddy on nameserver nodes) are handled correctly.

orama node report

Outputs comprehensive health data as JSON. Used by orama monitor over SSH:

sudo orama node report --json

See MONITORING.md for full details.

orama monitor

Real-time cluster monitoring from your local machine:

# Interactive TUI
orama monitor --env testnet

# Cluster overview
orama monitor cluster --env testnet

# Alerts only
orama monitor alerts --env testnet

# Full JSON for LLM analysis
orama monitor report --env testnet

See MONITORING.md for all subcommands and flags.

Node Join Flow

# 1. Genesis node (first node, creates cluster)
# Nameserver nodes use the base domain as --domain
sudo orama node install --vps-ip 1.2.3.4 --domain example.com \
    --base-domain example.com --nameserver

# 2. On genesis node, generate an invite
orama node invite --expiry 24h
# Output: sudo orama node install --join https://example.com --token <TOKEN> --vps-ip <IP>

# 3a. Join as nameserver (requires --domain set to base domain)
sudo orama node install --join http://1.2.3.4 --token abc123... \
    --vps-ip 5.6.7.8 --domain example.com --base-domain example.com --nameserver

# 3b. Join as regular node (domain auto-generated, no --domain needed)
sudo orama node install --join http://1.2.3.4 --token abc123... \
    --vps-ip 5.6.7.8 --base-domain example.com

The join flow establishes a WireGuard VPN tunnel before starting cluster services. All inter-node communication (RQLite, IPFS, Olric) uses WireGuard IPs (10.0.0.x). No cluster ports are ever exposed publicly.

DNS Prerequisite

The --join URL should use the HTTPS domain of the genesis node (e.g., https://node1.example.com). For this to work, the domain registrar for example.com must have NS records pointing to the genesis node's IP so that node1.example.com resolves publicly.

If DNS is not yet configured, you can use the genesis node's public IP with HTTP as a fallback:

sudo orama node install --join http://1.2.3.4 --vps-ip 5.6.7.8 --token abc123... --nameserver

This works because Caddy's :80 block proxies all HTTP traffic to the gateway. However, once DNS is properly configured, always use the HTTPS domain URL.

Important: Never use http://<ip>:6001 — port 6001 is the internal gateway and is blocked by UFW from external access. The join request goes through Caddy on port 80 (HTTP) or 443 (HTTPS), which proxies to the gateway internally.

Pre-Install Checklist

Before running orama node install on a VPS, ensure:

1. Stop Docker if running. Docker commonly binds ports 4001 and 8080 which conflict with IPFS. The installer checks for port conflicts and shows which process is using each port, but it's easier to stop Docker first:

   sudo systemctl stop docker docker.socket
   sudo systemctl disable docker docker.socket
   

2. Stop any existing IPFS instance.

   sudo systemctl stop ipfs
   

3. Stop any service on port 53 (for nameserver nodes). The installer handles systemd-resolved automatically, but other DNS services (like bind9 or dnsmasq) must be stopped manually.

Recovering from Failed Joins

If a node partially joins the cluster (registers in RQLite's Raft but then fails or gets cleaned), the remaining cluster can lose quorum permanently. This happens because RQLite thinks there are N voters but only N-1 are reachable.

Symptoms: RQLite stuck in "Candidate" state, no leader elected, all writes fail.

Solution: Do a full clean reinstall of all affected nodes. Use CLEAN_NODE.md to reset each node, then reinstall starting from the genesis node.

Prevention: Always ensure a joining node can complete the full installation before it joins. The installer validates port availability upfront to catch conflicts early.

Debugging Production Issues

Always follow the local-first approach:

1. Reproduce locally — set up the same conditions on your machine
2. Find the root cause — understand why it's happening
3. Fix in the codebase — make changes to the source code
4. Test locally — run make test and verify
5. Deploy — only then deploy the fix to production

Never fix issues directly on the server — those fixes are lost on next deployment.

Trusting the Self-Signed TLS Certificate

When Let's Encrypt is rate-limited, Caddy falls back to its internal CA (self-signed certificates). Browsers will show security warnings unless you install the root CA certificate.

Downloading the Root CA Certificate

From VPS 1 (or any node), copy the certificate:

# Copy the cert to an accessible location on the VPS
ssh ubuntu@<VPS_IP> "sudo cp /var/lib/caddy/.local/share/caddy/pki/authorities/local/root.crt /tmp/caddy-root-ca.crt && sudo chmod 644 /tmp/caddy-root-ca.crt"

# Download to your local machine
scp ubuntu@<VPS_IP>:/tmp/caddy-root-ca.crt ~/Downloads/caddy-root-ca.crt

macOS

sudo security add-trusted-cert -d -r trustRoot -k /Library/Keychains/System.keychain ~/Downloads/caddy-root-ca.crt

This adds the cert system-wide. All browsers (Safari, Chrome, Arc, etc.) will trust it immediately. Firefox uses its own certificate store — go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Certificates > View Certificates > Import and import the .crt file there.

To remove it later:

sudo security remove-trusted-cert -d ~/Downloads/caddy-root-ca.crt

iOS (iPhone/iPad)

1. Transfer caddy-root-ca.crt to your device (AirDrop, email attachment, or host it on a URL)
2. Open the file — iOS will show "Profile Downloaded"
3. Go to Settings > General > VPN & Device Management (or "Profiles" on older iOS)
4. Tap the "Caddy Local Authority" profile and tap Install
5. Go to Settings > General > About > Certificate Trust Settings
6. Enable full trust for "Caddy Local Authority - 2026 ECC Root"

Android

1. Transfer caddy-root-ca.crt to your device
2. Go to Settings > Security > Encryption & Credentials > Install a certificate > CA certificate
3. Select the caddy-root-ca.crt file
4. Confirm the installation

Note: On Android 7+, user-installed CA certificates are only trusted by apps that explicitly opt in. Chrome will trust it, but some apps may not.

Windows

certutil -addstore -f "ROOT" caddy-root-ca.crt

Or double-click the .crt file > Install Certificate > Local Machine > Place in "Trusted Root Certification Authorities".

Linux

sudo cp caddy-root-ca.crt /usr/local/share/ca-certificates/caddy-root-ca.crt
sudo update-ca-certificates

Project Structure

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the full architecture overview.

Key directories:

cmd/
  cli/          — CLI entry point (orama command)
  node/         — Node entry point (orama-node)
  gateway/      — Standalone gateway entry point
pkg/
  cli/          — CLI command implementations
  gateway/      — HTTP gateway, routes, middleware
  deployments/  — Deployment types, service, storage
  environments/ — Production (systemd) and development (direct) modes
  rqlite/       — Distributed SQLite via RQLite