Show HN: NjordDeploy – Agentless self-hosting engine with Docker and Podman

Sovereign Self-Hosting Engine & AI Component Studio

Deploy 126+ verified, privacy-first applications to any Raspberry Pi, Proxmox VM, or Linux server in minutes.

Zero cloud lock-in, transactional disaster recovery, and an AI-assisted component studio.

Website • Quick Start Guide • Fleet Health Dashboard • 126 App Catalog • Architecture • REST API • Releases

🐣 New to self-hosting? Check out our Beginner's Guide (Quick Start for Dummies) to get up and running in 5 minutes!

• 100+ Verified Sovereign Stacks : Deploy pre-tested applications spanning AI/LLMs (Ollama, Open WebUI, LiteLLM), Cloud Storage (Immich, Nextcloud, Syncthing, MinIO), Home Automation (Home Assistant, ESPHome, Zigbee2MQTT), Security (Vaultwarden, AdGuard Home, Traefik, CrowdSec), and Media (Jellyfin, Plex, Audiobookshelf) (seeSupported Services Catalog ).
• 1-Click Turnkey Bundles & Stacks : Instant, single-click deployment presets for MSPs (Modern Workplace ,Digital Archive & Compliance ,Agile Operations ,Observability ) and Homelabs (AI Studio ,Media Suite ,Smart Home ,DNS Shield ) with zero port collisions and automated companion dependency wiring.
• Zero Target Host Footprint : Connects over agentless SSH. Doesnot require or install Python, compilers, or background agent daemons on the target machine.
• Dual-Engine Architecture (Docker & Rootless Podman) : Universal container abstraction supporting standard Docker CE and unprivileged Rootless Podman with automatic low-port kernel mapping (net.ipv4.ip_unprivileged_port_start=53 ) and user session lingering.
• AI Component Studio : Convert any public or self-hosted Git repository (GitHub, GitLab, Gitea, Forgejo, Codeberg, Bitbucket ) into a validated Jinja2 Compose stack powered by local offline Ollama models, EU sovereign Loes.ai / HostYourAI, Google Gemini, or OpenAI (seeDeveloper AI Guide ).
• Transactional Disaster Recovery : Point-in-time state backups for all managed persistent volumes and databases with container-safe volume pausing, SHA-256 integrity checksums, and single-click restoration.
• Proxmox 4-Way Cross-Validation & Autonomous Autopilot : Automated hypervisor matrix testing across 4 quadrants (Docker vs Podman × LXC vs VM) with100% verified pass rate (44/44 tests) across all 11 Turnkey Packages. Includes autonomous zero-token watchdog supervision with Signal mobile alerts, local pull-through registry caching, and 1-click A4 vector PDF export with embedded visual proofs (seeTesting Strategy andSelf-Healing DevOps Case Study ).
• Headless REST API & Interactive Swagger UI : Complete OpenAPI 3.0 REST engine for CI/CD automation, homelab scripting, and AI coding agents (seeAPI Reference ).

1. Download the Release : Grab the portable package for your OS from theGitHub Releases Page :

• NjordDeploy-Linux.zip
• NjordDeploy-macOS.zip
• NjordDeploy-Windows.zip

2. Unzip & Launch :

• NjordDeployConfigurator (.exe on Windows): Guided end-user deployment wizard (runs onhttp://localhost:5001 ).
• NjordDeployEditor (.exe on Windows): Developer tool for creating and modifying component metadata (runs onhttp://localhost:5000 ).
• NjordDeployProxmoxTest (.exe on Windows): Automated Proxmox VE hypervisor test matrix suite (runs onhttp://localhost:5050 ).

3. Follow the On-Screen Wizard : Auto-discover your device on the local network, pick your software stacks, customize variables, and deploy with real-time browser log streaming.

Note

Linux Desktop Users: Grant the local scanner permission for L2 network discovery:

echo "$USER ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /usr/bin/nmap" | sudo tee /etc/sudoers.d/99-njorddeploy
sudo chmod 0440 /etc/sudoers.d/99-njorddeploy

Run NjordDeploy continuously on your server, mini-PC, or Proxmox VM:

• Via Docker Compose:

docker compose up -d
curl -s http://localhost:5001/api/health

• Via Native Linux Systemd:

sudo ./scripts/install_systemd_service.sh install
sudo ./scripts/install_systemd_service.sh status

For full persistent SSH key setup, reverse proxy integration, and environment options, see the 24/7 Self-Hosted Service Guide.

• Operating System : Windows, macOS, or Linux.

• Linux Prerequisites :sudo apt install -y nmap sshpass openssh-client

• Hardware : Raspberry Pi 4/5, Orange Pi, Rock Pi, mini PC, x86_64 server, or Proxmox LXC/VM.

• Operating System : Debian 12 (Bookworm), Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, or Raspberry Pi OS.

• Container Runtime : Docker Engine (with Compose plugin) or Rootless Podman (withpodman-compose ). NjordDeploy can automatically install and configure either during setup.

• Host Runtime Policy : No Python interpreter or compiler is installed on the target host. All operational and automation dependencies run strictly inside containers.

.
├── ansible/                  # Agentless provisioning playbooks
├── component_templates/      # 100+ modular Docker/Podman service templates
├── config/                   # Single Source of Truth (components_metadata.json)
├── docs/                     # Architectural specs, API references, and user guides
├── linux/                    # Linux desktop launcher and install scripts
├── scripts/                  # Proxmox test runners, fetch assets, daemon installers
├── src/
│   ├── configurator_app/     # End-user web wizard and OpenAPI Swagger server
│   ├── editor_app/           # Developer component studio and AI generator
│   ├── managers/             # Core orchestrators (deployment, ssh, sync, backup)
│   ├── node_scanner.py       # L2 ARP & subnet discovery engine
│   └── utils/                # AI failure diagnoser, container engines, Proxmox client
├── tests/                    # Comprehensive unit, integration, and Playwright tests
└── pyproject.toml            # Project configuration and dependency lock

• Beginner's Quick Start Guide : Visual step-by-step onboarding for Raspberry Pi newcomers.
• 100% Local AI & Deterministic IaC : Zero-cloud AI component scaffolding with Ollama.
• Self-Healing DevOps Case Study : Proxmox 4-way cross-validation and automated diff patching.
• Building a Sovereign Home Server (DEV.to) : Real-world Raspberry Pi 5 hardware benchmarks (local summary ).
• REST API Reference & Swagger UI : Programmatic automation for AI agents and CI/CD.

Contributions are welcome! Please review ARCHITECTURE.md and DATA_CONTRACTS.md to understand the core design principles and Single Source of Truth metadata contracts.

This project is licensed under the Business Source License 1.1 (BSL-1.1):

• Standalone / Community : 100% open, free, and sovereign to run on your own hardware, virtual machine, or homelab without artificial limits.
• Automatic Open Source Transition : Transitions unconditionally to the standardApache 2.0 License two years after release.
• MSP / Multi-node Fleet Management : Managing multiple deployments or offering sovereign hosting to clients? Multi-node fleet orchestration, centralized health dashboards, and automated remote updates are supported via Njord Console. Contact us for MSP pilot access viainfo@njorddeploy.com .

Copyright (c) 2025-2026 Henk van Hoek. All rights reserved.