#guide
SilverBullet Server hosts spaces that people open in a (desktop or mobile) browser. It can also synchronize with Desktop installations. Use this guide when you operate the Server yourself. People joining an existing Server only need its address and an account.
Choose Docker or the standalone binary. Start with an empty data folder and open the Server’s address in a browser. The setup wizard creates your first administrator account and space. Dashboard explains how to manage additional spaces afterward.
The data folder holds Server configuration and, by default, space folders. Keep it on persistent storage so restarting or replacing a container does not discard it.
To reach the Server from another device, follow Install/Network and Internet. Configure Authentication and TLS before exposing a private space over the internet. Deployments/Caddy gives a reverse-proxy deployment example.
Open the address from the other device and verify that the intended account can access the intended space. For a team, Collaboration covers shared editing and access. To let visitors read a space without editing it, use Publishing.
Manage spaces and accounts through the Dashboard. Use Install/Configuration for process settings such as the listening address and port. Install/Server Modes distinguishes current multi-space setup from legacy single-space deployments.
Editor preferences and space behavior are configured separately through Workbench/Configuration. Server administrators should also understand Security before granting write access or enabling capabilities for a space.
Follow the upgrade instructions for your installation: Docker Compose, plain Docker or the binary. Back up the data you need before upgrading and check that your spaces open afterward.
Back up your space files and test restoration. For a full Server restore, preserve configuration and authentication state as well as page and attachment files.
If a space will not open or save, check Log and Troubleshooting. Distinguish a Server problem from a browser’s offline copy before resetting client storage: a reset can discard edits that have not reached the Server.