This guide covers installing the Bedrud server (API, web UI, WebRTC media server) on a Linux server. For desktop and mobile client apps, see Client Installation.

Prerequisites

No domain? Bedrud works with an IP address using self-signed TLS. Browsers will show a certificate warning but video and audio work. For trusted certificates on internal networks, see the Internal TLS Guide.

1. One-Command Install (Recommended)

Downloads and installs the Bedrud CLI binary to your PATH. Works on Linux, macOS, and Windows.

curl -fsSL https://get.bedrud.org | bash

source ~/.bashrc  # or ~/.zshrc

irm https://get.bedrud.org/install.ps1 | iex

Verify:

bedrud --version

2. Package Manager Install

Install via your distribution’s package manager.

curl -fsSL https://bedrud-ir.github.io/bedrud/bedrud.gpg.key \
  | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/bedrud.gpg
 
echo "deb https://bedrud-ir.github.io/bedrud stable main" \
  | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/bedrud.list
 
sudo apt update && sudo apt install bedrud

sudo bedrud install

yay -S bedrud-bin
sudo bedrud install

sudo curl -fsSL https://bedrud-ir.github.io/bedrud/dnf/bedrud.gpg.key \
  -o /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-bedrud
 
sudo curl -fsSL https://bedrud-ir.github.io/bedrud/dnf/bedrud.repo \
  -o /etc/yum.repos.d/bedrud.repo
 
sudo dnf install bedrud
sudo bedrud install

3. Docker

Run Bedrud in a container - no Linux server setup, no systemd, no binary download.

Pre-built Image (fastest)

docker pull ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest
 
docker run -d --name bedrud \
  -p 8090:8090 \
  -p 7880:7880 \
  -p 50000-60000:50000-60000/udp \
  -v bedrud-data:/var/lib/bedrud \
  ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest

Docker Compose

services:
  bedrud:
    image: ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest
    ports:
      - "8090:8090"
      - "7880:7880"
      - "50000-60000:50000-60000/udp"
    volumes:
      - bedrud-data:/var/lib/bedrud
    restart: unless-stopped
 
volumes:
  bedrud-data:

Ports

Configuration

Pass a config file or use environment variables:

docker run -d --name bedrud \
  -p 8090:8090 \
  -p 7880:7880 \
  -e JWT_SECRET=change-this-to-a-random-string \
  -e LIVEKIT_API_KEY=prodkey \
  -e LIVEKIT_API_SECRET=prodsecret \
  -v bedrud-data:/var/lib/bedrud \
  ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest

Full Docker documentation including volumes, reverse proxy, and TLS setup: Docker Guide.

4. Interactive Install

If you already have the bedrud binary on the server:

sudo ./bedrud install

The installer auto-detects your server’s IP and prompts for:

All prompts are skipped when stdin is piped (non-interactive mode) - flags and defaults are used instead.

5. Non-Interactive (Flag-Based)

Skip all prompts by passing flags.

Let’s Encrypt (domain required)

Requires: DNS A record for your domain already pointing to this server’s IP.

sudo ./bedrud install --tls --domain meet.example.com --email webmaster@example.com

Self-Signed TLS (IP-based)

Requires: Nothing extra. Works immediately.

sudo ./bedrud install --tls --ip 1.2.3.4

Plain HTTP (dev / internal only)

Requires: localhost or 127.0.0.1. Browsers block camera/mic on non-HTTPS except localhost.

sudo ./bedrud install --ip 1.2.3.4

Self-Signed for a Domain (pre-DNS testing)

Requires: Domain name (DNS does not need to resolve yet).

sudo ./bedrud install --tls --domain meet.example.com

Custom Port

Requires: Port not already in use.

sudo ./bedrud install --tls --port 8443 --domain meet.example.com

External Certificates

Requires: PEM-formatted fullchain and private key files.

sudo ./bedrud install --tls --cert /path/to/fullchain.pem --key /path/to/privkey.pem

Custom LiveKit Ports

Requires: All three ports open on your firewall.

sudo ./bedrud install --lk-port 9000 --lk-tcp-port 9001 --lk-udp-port 9002

Behind a Reverse Proxy

Requires: A reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy, Traefik, Cloudflare) terminating TLS in front of Bedrud.

sudo ./bedrud install --behind-proxy --domain meet.example.com

Sets behindProxy: true in the config and configures trusted proxy headers.

External LiveKit Server

Requires: A separate LiveKit server already running, accessible from this machine.

sudo ./bedrud install --external-livekit https://livekit.example.com

Skips embedded LiveKit installation. API key and secret must match in both configs.

Separate LiveKit Domain

Requires: A domain that resolves directly to this server, bypassing any CDN.

sudo ./bedrud install --livekit-domain lk.example.com --domain meet.example.com

Useful when the main domain is behind Cloudflare but WebRTC media needs a direct connection.

All Flags Reference

6. Fully Automated (Python CLI)

Build, upload, and configure your server from your local machine.

Requires: Python 3.12+, uv (Python package runner), SSH key access to the target server, Go 1.24+ and Bun installed locally.

cd tools/cli
uv run python bedrud.py --auto-config \
  --ip <your-server-ip> \
  --user root \
  --auth-key ~/.ssh/id_rsa \
  --domain meet.example.com \
  --acme-email admin@example.com

What it does:

1. Builds the backend binary (dist/bedrud)
2. Compresses it into bedrud.tar.xz
3. Uploads it to the server via rsync
4. Clears conflicting services (Nginx, Apache, Caddy)
5. Configures the firewall (UFW)
6. Runs the internal install logic on the server

Service Entrypoints

bedrud --run --config /etc/bedrud/config.yaml       # API + web server
bedrud --livekit --config /etc/bedrud/livekit.yaml   # Media server

Post-Installation

			
sudo ./bedrud user promote --email admin@example.com
		

Verify Services

systemctl status bedrud livekit

Verify the API

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}" http://localhost:8090

Expect: 200

Check the Firewall

sudo ufw status

Ensure ports 8090/tcp, 7880/tcp, and 50000:60000/udp are allowed:

sudo ufw allow 8090/tcp
sudo ufw allow 7880/tcp
sudo ufw allow 50000:60000/udp

View Logs

tail -f /var/log/bedrud/bedrud.log

Or via journalctl:

journalctl -u bedrud -u livekit -f

Upgrading

Package Manager

# Ubuntu / Debian
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade bedrud
 
# Arch Linux
yay -Syu bedrud-bin
 
# Fedora / RHEL
sudo dnf upgrade bedrud

Services restart automatically after package upgrade.

Binary Download

Download the latest release and re-run install. The installer is safe to re-run - it overwrites the binary and config while preserving the database:

curl -fsSL -o bedrud.tar.xz https://github.com/bedrud-ir/bedrud/releases/latest/download/bedrud_linux_amd64.tar.xz
tar -xJf bedrud.tar.xz && chmod +x bedrud
sudo ./bedrud install --fresh

Docker

docker pull ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest
docker stop bedrud && docker rm bedrud
docker run -d --name bedrud \
  -p 8090:8090 \
  -p 7880:7880 \
  -p 50000-60000:50000-60000/udp \
  -v bedrud-data:/var/lib/bedrud \
  ghcr.io/bedrud-ir/bedrud:latest

With Docker Compose:

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Uninstallation

To completely remove Bedrud:

sudo bedrud uninstall

This stops services, removes systemd units, deletes the binary from /usr/local/bin, and cleans up /etc/bedrud, /var/lib/bedrud, and /var/log/bedrud.

Troubleshooting