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Get NexCMP free
Applies to NexCMP 1.6.1·Updated ·View as Markdown

Install NexCMP ​

The installer is a single script served by your license server. It checks the machine, activates your license, downloads and verifies the program, installs the services and (optionally) sets up nginx with a Let's Encrypt certificate.

Before you start ​

Install ​

  1. Log in to the server and become root (or prefix with sudo).
  2. Run the command from your license page. It looks like this:
bash
curl -fsSL https://nexcmp.com/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --license NXC-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX \
  --domain cloud.example.com \
  --email admin@example.com
  1. Wait for the checkmarks. A fresh install takes a few minutes; the first start creates the database schema and can take up to a minute on slow disks.
  2. Read the summary at the end. It prints the portal and admin URLs, the setup code, and the next step.

The installer finishing with the portal URL, admin URL and one-time setup code

Parameters ​

ParameterDefaultMeaning
--license KEYrequired on first installThe license key.
--domain NAMErequired on first installMain domain. Must match the license. https:// and trailing paths are stripped.
--email ADDRESSnoneContact e-mail for Let's Encrypt expiry notices. Without it the certificate is registered without e-mail.
--port N3000Local port of the panel (1–65535).
--no-nginxoffDo not install or configure nginx / TLS. Use this when you run your own reverse proxy or want to look at NexCMP first.
--behind-cloudflareauto-detectedForce "the domain is proxied by Cloudflare" mode. Normally detected from DNS.
--channel NAMEstableRelease channel.

Running the installer again without parameters reuses the saved ones (/etc/nexcmp/install.conf) and upgrades safely, keeping data, configuration and accounts. That is exactly what sudo nexcmp update does.

What the installer does ​

  1. Checks the machine — Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, x86_64, at least 2 GB RAM, 8 GB free disk.
  2. Installs packages it needs (curl, zstd, openssl, python3, openssh-client …).
  3. Creates the service user nexcmp and the directories: /opt/nexcmp (program, owned by root, read-only to the service), /etc/nexcmp (configuration), /var/lib/nexcmp (data), /var/log/nexcmp.
  4. Activates the license for the domain and stores a fixed instance ID for this machine.
  5. Downloads the newest release you are entitled to, then verifies its SHA-256 and its Ed25519 signature. A release without a valid signature is refused. It never downgrades a newer running version.
  6. Writes configuration and systemd units (nexcmp, nexcmp-vmd, nexcmp-update) and starts the services; it waits for /healthz to answer.
  7. Sets up nginx and TLS (unless --no-nginx): obtains a Let's Encrypt certificate with certbot (webroot challenge) for the domain and for admin.<domain> / partner.<domain> when those names also resolve. If DNS does not point to this server (or Cloudflare) yet, it skips this step and says so.
  8. Prints a summary with URLs and, if no administrator exists yet, the setup code.

The panel port (3000) ​

  • During first install the panel listens on 0.0.0.0:3000 so you can open the setup wizard at http://<server-IP>:3000/setup.
  • Once the wizard is finished and TLS is active, the panel listens on 127.0.0.1 only; nginx proxies https://<domain> to it.
  • For emergencies (nginx broken, DNS wrong) you can open the port for a limited time: sudo nexcmp open-port 30 (30 minutes, then it closes itself) — or use an SSH tunnel: ssh -L 3000:127.0.0.1:3000 <server> and browse http://127.0.0.1:3000/.

Plain HTTP

Port 3000 is plain HTTP. Use it only for the setup wizard on a trusted network, or through an SSH tunnel. Do not leave it open.

Installing without a public domain (lab or test) ​

You can install on a machine with no DNS yet:

bash
curl -fsSL https://nexcmp.com/install.sh | sudo bash -s -- \
  --license NXC-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX-XXXXX --domain lab.example.com --no-nginx

Then open the wizard through an SSH tunnel (ssh -L 3000:127.0.0.1:3000 <server>, browse http://127.0.0.1:3000/setup). Re-run the installer without --no-nginx once DNS exists.

Docker and Kubernetes ​

There is no published container image. The installer (a native systemd installation) is the supported installation method.

Verify ​

bash
sudo nexcmp status

You should see the version, nexcmp: active, nexcmp-vmd: active, healthz: ok, and — until the wizard is done — the setup code. Continue with the setup wizard.

If something fails, see Installation errors.