Self-hosting quickstart

You can run the whole LangAlpha stack (Postgres, Redis, the backend and the web app) on your own machine with Docker in two commands: make config writes your settings, and make up starts everything. With no data keys at all you still get Yahoo Finance prices, fundamentals, analyst data and screening, SEC EDGAR filings, and sandboxes in local Docker.

Requirements

Docker with Docker Compose, running.
git and make.
Free ports 8000 (backend), 5173 (web app), 5432 (Postgres) and 6379 (Redis). The wizard checks these for you.
A way to reach a model: a Claude, ChatGPT or Grok subscription, a coding plan, an API key, or a local model server.

1. Get the code

git clone https://github.com/ginlix-ai/langalpha.git
cd langalpha

2. Run the setup wizard

make config

The wizard asks seven questions and writes your answers to .env (keys and service settings) and agent_config.yaml (models, MCP servers, search provider). Press Enter to take the default on any step.

Step	Choices	Default
LLM provider	Connect a subscription or coding plan in the web app, enter an API key and pick main and background models, or skip and choose in the web app	Subscription or coding plan
Financial data	Yahoo Finance (no key), FMP (`FMP_API_KEY`, free tier available), or both	Yahoo Finance
Sandbox	Docker (local containers), Daytona (`DAYTONA_API_KEY`), or E2B (`E2B_API_KEY`)	Docker
Web search	None, or one of the supported search providers with its key	None
Web fetch	The built-in crawler, or a provider that upgrades extraction on JavaScript-heavy pages	Built-in
Cloud storage	None, AWS S3, Cloudflare R2 or Alibaba Cloud OSS	None
Infrastructure	Postgres and Redis in Docker Compose, or your own instances	Docker Compose

It then checks that Docker is running and the ports are free, and generates the key that encrypts the API keys and sign-in tokens you save in the app.

3. Start the stack

make up

The first run builds the backend image and installs the web app, which takes a few minutes. The backend applies database migrations each time it starts. When the logs settle, open http://localhost:5173.

The sandbox step of the wizard writes your choice to SANDBOX_PROVIDER in .env. To change it later, edit that line, or pass it for one run, for example make up PROVIDER=docker, which also builds the Docker sandbox image before starting.

4. Finish in the web app

If you skipped the model step or chose a subscription, the web app opens a setup wizard: choose how to connect (a subscription, an API key, or a model server you run locally), connect a provider, and pick your default models. You can leave it with Exit setup and come back from Settings later.

Then create a workspace and ask a question. The first workspace on a Docker computer builds the sandbox image, so the first answer takes longer than the rest.

The API listens on port 8000, with interactive API docs at http://localhost:8000/docs.

Optional keys and what they add

Add these to .env and restart with make up.

Key or setting	Adds
`FMP_API_KEY`	Fundamentals, financial statements, macro and analyst data.
`DAYTONA_API_KEY` or `E2B_API_KEY`	Cloud sandboxes instead of local Docker. `make daytona-snapshots` and `make e2b-templates` prebuild them for every resource tier.
`sandbox.offered_providers` in `agent_config.yaml` including `ssh`	Computers on your own Linux machines and Macs over SSH. See Sandboxes and SSH computers.
`TAVILY_API_KEY`, `SERPER_API_KEY`, `EXA_API_KEY`, `PARALLEL_API_KEY` or `BOCHA_API_KEY`	Web search. `search_api` in `agent_config.yaml` picks the default engine, and each user can change it in Settings.
`FIRECRAWL_API_KEY`	Upgraded web fetch and site crawling.
`R2_`, `S3_` or `OSS_*`, with `storage.provider` in `agent_config.yaml`	Object storage for workspace file backups, memos, attachments and downloads. Without it these stay in Postgres.
`AUTOMATION_WEBHOOK_URL` and `AUTOMATION_WEBHOOK_SECRET`	Where automation results are posted when an automation picks a delivery method. See Chat apps.

Stop, restart and upgrade

make down stops the stack. Your data stays in Docker volumes.
make up starts it again.
To upgrade, pull the latest code and run make up. The images rebuild and the backend migrates the database on start.
make clean stops the stack and removes leftover Docker sandbox containers.
make help lists every target.

To run the backend and web app directly on your host for development, see CONTRIBUTING.md.