Self-Hosted Installation

Deploy Genfeed Core on your own infrastructure. This guide covers everything from prerequisites to running your first workflow.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Requirement	Version	Notes
Node.js	18.0+	Download
Bun	1.0+	Install (recommended) or use npm
MongoDB	6.0+	Install
Redis	7.0+	Install
Git	Latest	Download

API Keys (Optional but Recommended)

To use AI generation features, you’ll need API keys from providers:

Provider	For	Get Key
OpenAI	Text generation	platform.openai.com
Replicate	Image/Video models	replicate.com
ElevenLabs	Voice synthesis	elevenlabs.io
Anthropic	Claude models	console.anthropic.com

Quick Start

1. Clone the Repository


git clone https://github.com/genfeedai/genfeed-core.git
cd genfeed-core

2. Install Dependencies


bun install

Or with npm:


npm install

3. Configure Environment

Create a .env.local file in the project root:


cp .env.example .env.local

Edit .env.local with your settings:


# Database
MONGODB_URI=mongodb://localhost:27017/genfeed
REDIS_URL=redis://localhost:6379

# API Keys (add the ones you need)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
REPLICATE_API_TOKEN=r8_...
ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=...
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=sk-ant-...

# Application
NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3001
JWT_SECRET=your-secure-random-string

# Optional: External services
# AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID=...
# AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY=...
# S3_BUCKET=your-bucket

Never Commit API Keys — Add .env.local to your .gitignore. Never commit API keys to version control.

4. Start Services

Make sure MongoDB and Redis are running:


# Start MongoDB (if not running)
mongod --dbpath /path/to/your/data
 
# Start Redis (if not running)
redis-server

5. Run Genfeed Core


bun run start:dev

Or with npm:


npm run start:dev

You should see:


[Nest] Starting...
[API] Listening on http://localhost:3001
[Queue] BullMQ connected to Redis
[DB] MongoDB connected

6. Verify Installation

Open your browser and visit:


http://localhost:3001/health

You should see:


{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "services": {
    "database": "connected",
    "redis": "connected",
    "queue": "ready"
  }
}

Running the Frontend (Optional)

Genfeed Core includes the API only. To run the full Studio interface:


# In a separate terminal
cd genfeed.ai
bun install
bun run start:dev:studio

The Studio will be available at http://localhost:3000.

Docker Deployment

For production deployments, we recommend Docker:

Using Docker Compose


# Clone with Docker config
git clone https://github.com/genfeedai/genfeed-core.git
cd genfeed-core
 
# Copy environment file
cp .env.example .env
 
# Start all services
docker-compose up -d

docker-compose.yml


version: '3.8'
 
services:
  api:
    build: .
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    environment:
      - MONGODB_URI=mongodb://mongo:27017/genfeed
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
    depends_on:
      - mongo
      - redis
 
  mongo:
    image: mongo:6
    volumes:
      - mongo_data:/data/db
    ports:
      - "27017:27017"
 
  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    ports:
      - "6379:6379"
 
volumes:
  mongo_data:
  redis_data:

Configuration Reference

Environment Variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`MONGODB_URI`	Yes	-	MongoDB connection string
`REDIS_URL`	Yes	-	Redis connection string
`PORT`	No	3001	API server port
`NODE_ENV`	No	development	Environment mode
`JWT_SECRET`	Yes	-	Secret for JWT tokens
`OPENAI_API_KEY`	No	-	OpenAI API key
`REPLICATE_API_TOKEN`	No	-	Replicate API token

Resource Requirements

Component	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 cores	4+ cores
RAM	4 GB	8+ GB
Storage	20 GB	100+ GB (for assets)

Troubleshooting

MongoDB Connection Failed


# Check if MongoDB is running
mongosh --eval "db.adminCommand('ping')"
 
# If not, start it
mongod --dbpath /your/data/path

Redis Connection Failed


# Check if Redis is running
redis-cli ping
 
# Should return: PONG

Port Already in Use


# Find what's using the port
lsof -i :3001
 
# Use a different port
PORT=3002 bun run start:dev

API Keys Not Working

Verify keys are correctly copied (no extra spaces)
Check provider dashboard for rate limits
Ensure billing is active on the provider account

Upgrading

To upgrade to a new version:


# Pull latest changes
git pull origin main
 
# Install new dependencies
bun install
 
# Run migrations (if any)
bun run migrate
 
# Restart the server
bun run start:dev

Next Steps

API Reference — Explore the REST API
Documentation — Full platform documentation

Need Help?

GitHub Issues: github.com/genfeedai/genfeed-core/issues
Discord: discord.gg/TmfHg42xVb
Documentation: You’re here!

For production support, consider Genfeed Cloud or an Enterprise License.