**One dashboard for your whole fleet. Agentless over SSH. Self-hosted, security-first, open core.**
[](#license)
[](https://laravel.com)
[](https://livewire.laravel.com)
[](#quick-start)
[](#requirements)
[**Features**](#features) · [**Architecture**](#architecture) · [**Quick start**](#quick-start) · [**Domain & TLS**](#access-domain--tls) · [**Security**](#security--recovery) · [**License**](#license)
---
## What is Clusev
**Clusev** is the control plane for a fleet of Linux servers — a modern, security-first web UI that
administers your machines by talking to them **directly over SSH** (exec + SFTP via
[phpseclib](https://phpseclib.com)). It installs **nothing** on the target servers and never
reimplements their daemons; it orchestrates the real ones.
> **Multi-server management is free and never paywalled.** Optional Pro modules (SSO/LDAP, RBAC,
> audit export, alerting) are separate — the core stays open.
| | | |
|:--|:--|:--|
| **Agentless** | **Security-first** | **Self-hosted** |
| Pure SSH + SFTP. No daemon, no package, no push-agent on your servers. | 2FA, encrypted credential vault, tamper-evident audit log, per-device sessions. | One Docker stack on one VM. Your servers, your data, your keys. |
---
## Features
| Capability | What you get |
|:--|:--|
| **Dashboard & live metrics** | CPU, memory, load and disk per server, streamed in real time over WebSockets. |
| **systemd services** | List, start / stop / restart, and tail the live journal — per service, per server. |
| **SFTP file manager** | Browse the remote filesystem, edit text files in place, preview images. |
| **Web terminal** | A full SSH terminal in the browser — one per server, and one for the Clusev host itself. Real PTY with tab-completion; the connection's host key is pinned against MITM. |
| **Server details & hardening** | Resource gauges, volumes, interfaces and SSH keys; UFW / firewalld rules and fail2ban status with one-click controls; a guided _"generate an SSH key and disable password login, safely"_ flow. |
| **Security** | Pluggable 2FA (TOTP and/or hardware keys, or off), one-time backup codes, an encrypted SSH-credential vault, and a complete tamper-evident audit log. |
| **Multiple administrators** | Add further admin accounts — every action is attributed in the audit log; view and revoke active sessions per device, per user, or globally. |
| **Domain, TLS & e-mail** | Run on a bare IP over HTTP, set a domain for automatic Let's Encrypt HTTPS, or sit behind your own reverse proxy. In-panel SMTP for password-reset mail. |
| **WireGuard (built-in)** | Stand up a WireGuard tunnel from the dashboard, manage peers and live status, and optionally gate the panel — and even SSH — to the tunnel only. |
The interface is **German by default** (English available). Status is shown the operational way —
colour, dots and pills — never emoji.
---
## Architecture
Laravel is the **control plane**, not a re-implementation of your servers. The browser talks to it
over HTTPS and a Reverb WebSocket for live telemetry; it reaches each server over **SSH exec + SFTP**
using credentials sealed in an encrypted vault that never leaves the control plane. Everything runs as
one Docker stack — `app` (php-fpm + nginx + Vite), `reverb`, `queue`, `scheduler`, `mariadb`,
`redis` — on a single VM.
| Layer | Technology |
|:--|:--|
| Framework | **Laravel 13** |
| UI / interactivity | **Livewire 3** (class-based) |
| Styling | **Tailwind v4** (CSS-first, `@theme`) |
| Realtime | **Laravel Reverb** + Echo |
| Queue / cache | **Redis** |
| Database | **MariaDB** |
| SSH transport | **phpseclib** (exec + SFTP) |
| Reverse proxy / TLS | **Caddy** (automatic Let's Encrypt) |
| Packaging | **Docker** + Docker Compose |
---
## Quick start
```bash
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install -y git # minimal images often lack git
git clone https://github.com/clusev/clusev.git
cd clusev
sudo ./install.sh
```
The installer is **idempotent** (safe to re-run) and, in one pass:
1. Installs **Docker** (Debian/Ubuntu, from Docker's official repository) if it isn't already present.
2. Creates a dedicated **`clusev`** system user — in the `docker` group, owning and running the stack
— with a random password.
3. Installs over the server's **IP address (plain HTTP)** — no domain is asked for. Prompts only for
the **HTTP port** (default 80) and an **admin e-mail** (default **`admin@clusev.local`**), or reads
`CLUSEV_ADMIN_EMAIL` / an optional `CLUSEV_DOMAIN` from the environment for an unattended install. A
domain with automatic HTTPS is set later in the dashboard — see [Access, domain & TLS](#access-domain--tls).
4. Generates all secrets (once — never regenerated on re-run), builds the image, starts the stack,
runs the migrations, and creates the first administrator with a **random one-time password** printed
in the closing summary.
5. Installs a themed host login banner (MOTD) showing the dashboard address and live stack status.
When it finishes, the terminal prints a single summary: the **dashboard URL**, the **admin login**
(your e-mail — `admin@clusev.local` if you left it empty — plus a **random one-time password**), and
the **`clusev` host user** + its own random password. Both passwords are shown **only once** — note
them down.
### First login
Log in with your admin e-mail and the **one-time password from the installer's summary**. Setting your
own password is **recommended** — a banner keeps reminding you until you do — but no longer forced, so a
missed reminder can never lock you out of your own panel. You can change the login e-mail later under
**Settings → Profile**. 2FA is **optional but recommended** — enable TOTP and/or a security key from
**Settings → Security** whenever you like. A short **guided tour** highlights the key areas on first
login (replay it any time from Settings).
---
## Requirements
**The Clusev panel host** — the one VM that runs the dashboard:
- **OS:** Debian 12/13 or Ubuntu 22.04/24.04, with **root** access.
- **CPU / RAM:** 1 vCPU and **1 GB RAM** minimum (**2 GB recommended**) — the whole Docker stack
(app, MariaDB, Redis, Reverb, queue) runs here.
- **Disk:** ~**5 GB** free minimum (**10 GB+** recommended — image and database grow over time).
- **Network:** a **public IP**; optionally a domain whose DNS points at the server (for automatic
HTTPS — Let's Encrypt needs ports **80/443** reachable).
- **Tools:** only **git** to fetch the repo — the installer sets up Docker and everything else.
**The servers you manage** need **nothing installed** — just **SSH** reachable from the panel and a
standard Linux `/proc`. Full control (service management + hardening) additionally needs **systemd**
and one of `apt` / `dnf` / `zypper`. See [**Supported operating systems**](#supported-operating-systems).
---
## Supported operating systems
Clusev is **agentless** — it manages whatever it can reach over SSH. How much works depends on the
target's init system and package manager:
| OS family | Metrics | systemd services | Hardening
(SSH · fail2ban · firewall · auto-updates) |
|:--|:-:|:-:|:-:|
| **Debian · Ubuntu** (and derivatives) | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **RHEL · Fedora · Rocky · AlmaLinux · CentOS Stream · Amazon Linux** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **openSUSE · SLES** | ✅ | ✅ | ✅ |
| **Arch** | ✅ | ✅ | ⚠️ not yet (`pacman` not wired) |
| **Alpine** (OpenRC) | ✅ | ❌ no systemd | ❌ |
| **Other / unidentified Linux** | ✅ if `/proc` present | ❌ | ❌ |
**Metrics** (CPU, memory, disk, load) read from `/proc` and work on essentially any Linux. **Service
control** needs **systemd**. **Hardening** uses the host's firewall (`ufw` / `firewalld`) and package
manager (`apt` / `dnf` / `zypper`); where those aren't present, the action is shown as unavailable
rather than failing silently.
---
## Access, domain & TLS
- **Bare IP (no domain):** served over plain HTTP at `http://`. This address always stays
reachable as a recovery path, even after a domain is configured.
- **With a domain:** set it in the dashboard under **System → Domain & TLS** at any time (or preset
`CLUSEV_DOMAIN` at install for an unattended setup). The panel
obtains and renews a Let's Encrypt certificate automatically and serves HTTPS — just point DNS at the
server. (Let's Encrypt needs publicly reachable ports 80/443.)
- **Behind your own reverse proxy** (one that already terminates TLS): switch _TLS-Terminierung_ to
**Externer Reverse-Proxy** in System → Domain & TLS. The panel then serves HTTP only and trusts
the proxy's forwarded scheme — set `TRUSTED_PROXY_CIDR` to the proxy's address and firewall the HTTP
port so only the proxy can reach it.
Domain/TLS changes apply on a stack restart — use the **"Jetzt neu starten"** button in System (no
terminal needed; a small, scoped host service performs the restart).
---
## Updating
```bash
sudo clusev update # pulls the latest code, then rebuilds, restarts and migrates
```
`sudo clusev update` fast-forwards the repo (it never discards local changes), re-runs the idempotent
installer non-interactively, and updates itself if the script changed. Secrets and the configured
domain / e-mail are preserved. (The older two-step `git pull && sudo ./install.sh` still works.)
---
## Security & recovery
The **forgot-password** screen offers self-service recovery: an **e-mail reset link** (valid 15
minutes) when SMTP is configured, or an inline **2FA-proof reset** (e-mail + TOTP or a backup code +
new password) as a fallback.
Completely locked out (lost password and 2FA, no SMTP)? Recover from the host:
```bash
clusev reset-admin
```
This clears the second factor so you can set a new password on the next login. The bare-IP
`http://` address is also always available if a domain becomes unreachable. (This command
is documented in-panel under Settings → Security and is deliberately not shown on the public
forgot-password screen.)
---
## License
Open core, **AGPL-3.0** — multi-server fleet management is always free; optional Pro modules (SSO/LDAP,
RBAC, audit export, alerting) are separate.
**Project home — [github.com/clusev/clusev](https://github.com/clusev/clusev)**