Before you begin

No deep wizardry required, mortal. If you can copy, paste and edit a text file, you can raise a Haven. This page is the checklist; the Quick start does the actual setup.

What you need

1. A server (a “host”)

Anywhere you can run Docker works:

• A small VPS (e.g. a €5/month box with 1–2 GB RAM) is enough to begin.
• A spare PC, home server or NAS.
• Your own laptop, to try it locally.

You’ll mostly work in a terminal. Every command you need is written out for you.

Lumi says

A VPS is a computer that’s always on, somewhere on the internet, that you rent. Any provider’s smallest Linux box will do.

2. A TMDB API key (free)

Crimson Haven gets its posters, titles and episode info from The Movie Database (TMDB). You need a free key:

1. Make an account at themoviedb.org.
2. Go to Settings → API and request an API key (choose “Developer”; any personal, non-commercial reason is fine).
3. Copy the API Read Access Token (the long one). That is your TMDB_API_KEY.

This is the only third-party key you need to get started.

3. Docker

Docker runs the whole stack without installing Python, PostgreSQL or Node by hand. Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose for your system from the official guide. On a fresh Linux VPS:

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Confirm it works:

docker --version
docker compose version

4. A domain name (optional, for later)

To put your Haven on an address like crimsonhaven.example.com you need a domain and a way to point it at your server. We recommend Cloudflare (free); Domains, TLS & Cloudflare covers it. Skip this while testing locally.

What you do NOT need yet

• ❌ A streaming-sources repository. You can log in and browse without one; add it when you’re ready (Adding your own sources).
• ❌ The CORS proxy or the companion extension. Both are upgrades you add later.
• ❌ Any paid service. Everything required is free.

Where we’re going

1. Quick start: get the backend, database and client running on one host and open the site.
2. First login & admin: create your account, become an admin, and learn the dashboard.
3. From there, the Self-Hosting Guide covers each piece in depth, and Deployment covers production.