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Install the Open-Source Stack

Preloop, the open-source edition, is the full control plane — API, console, MCP firewall, and model gateway — running on your own machine or infrastructure under the Apache 2.0 license. Your data never leaves your environment.

Prefer not to run anything?

Preloop Cloud is the hosted service with the same core features — see the Quick Start. Both paths use the same CLI and console.

Prerequisites

  • Docker with the Compose plugin
  • macOS or Linux (for the install script)

1. Install and start the stack

curl -fsSL https://preloop.ai/install/oss | sh

The installer downloads the release Docker Compose file into ~/.preloop-oss, generates a .env with a SECRET_KEY and database password, and starts the stack:

  • Console: http://localhost:3000
  • API: http://localhost:8000
  • Model gateway: http://localhost:8001

Open the console at http://localhost:3000 and create the first user.

2. Connect the CLI to your instance

Install the Preloop CLI and point it at your instance instead of Preloop Cloud:

curl -fsSL https://preloop.ai/install/cli | sh
preloop login --url http://localhost:8000
preloop agents discover

The CLI stores the instance URL in ~/.preloop/config.yaml, so every later command targets your deployment. You can also set it via the environment: PRELOOP_URL=http://localhost:8000 preloop login.

Managing the stack

cd ~/.preloop-oss

docker compose ps       # status
docker compose logs -f  # logs
docker compose down     # stop
docker compose up -d    # start again

To pin a version, set PRELOOP_VERSION before running the installer, or edit ~/.preloop-oss/.env and run docker compose up -d again to upgrade.

Next steps

Editions

Preloop (open source, this page) is free forever. Preloop Cloud is the hosted service at preloop.ai. Preloop Enterprise adds RBAC, team approvals, and advanced session optimization for self-hosted deployments — contact sales@preloop.ai.