A VPS
An inexpensive plan is enough for a family or a small team, usually $3–7 a month. A VPS you already have works too.
Your own server
Circlus on your own server.
The Circlus server is open source and runs on an ordinary rented server. This page covers what you need and how the installation goes. The commands themselves are in the guide on GitHub.
What you need
The Circlus server runs on a rented Linux server (VPS) from any provider.
A domain
This is your Circle’s address, for example family.example.com. At your domain registrar you add one record pointing to your VPS.
About an hour and a terminal
No programming is needed, but you will type the guide’s commands at a command line. HTTPS and the calling server are set up together with Circlus.
Rather not do this yourself?
There are two other options. For now we handle them personally, on request.
You rent the VPS, we set it up
You take a VPS from any provider, and we install Circlus on it and create the first Circle. The server stays yours: our access is closed once setup is done.
A Circle on our server
Your Circle runs on a server we manage, a VPS in the EU. There is nothing to install or maintain.
What the administrator sees
Messages, files, and calls are encrypted, and the administrator cannot read them. They do see who is in the Circle, when people connect, and how much data they transfer. In the first option the administrator is you; in the second, it is us.
You can take your Circle elsewhere
A Circle is not tied to its server: the owner can move it to another one at any time, without the previous administrator’s consent.
To arrange either, write to us. For what the server stores, see what the server knows.
How installation goes
Four steps. The detailed commands for each are in the guide on GitHub.
Rent a VPS and point your domain at it
Ubuntu or Debian from any provider will do.
Install the server following the guide
A few commands download and start Circlus, and a separate script sets up HTTPS for your domain.
Connect the server in the app
The guide shows how to get a one-time key. Open Circlus and enter the server address and this key, so the app knows the server is yours.
Create a Circle and invite people
From here on, everything happens in the app. Further Circles on the same server are created there too.
Notifications while the app is closed
Messages, calls, and files work right after installation. For phones to receive notifications while the app is closed, the server needs to be connected to our notification service.
Request it from the app
Open “Settings → Server management → Push notifications” and send a request. Once approved, everything is configured automatically; you do not need to add anything on the server.
What our service sees
Each notification is encrypted for a specific phone on your server. Our service only delivers it and cannot read it.
Server ready. What next?
The Circle owner’s guide covers invitations and everyday management. If the new server should take over an existing Circle, go to the migration guide.