Standalone installation
This section describes how to install Canvus Server natively, from a single signed installer, with no container runtime.
The installer bundles everything the server needs:
- the Canvus Server daemon
- a dedicated PostgreSQL 18 cluster, listening on localhost only
- the web client and the web/auth gateway, served directly by the server process, with no separate Node.js runtime
It registers the server as native services --- systemd units on Linux, Windows Services on Windows --- that start on boot.
Platform guides
When to choose standalone
Standalone suits a deployment where the Canvus Server is the host's job:
- a single server with no existing container runtime, and no reason to add one
- an environment where introducing Docker or Podman would need separate approval
- a Windows Server estate managed with MSIs and Group Policy
- an air-gapped or tightly firewalled host, where pulling container images is awkward
If you already run a container estate and want Canvus Server to sit inside it, see Container installation instead. Both are current, supported deployment methods --- see Choosing an installation method.
Before you upgrade
Standalone upgrades follow a specific procedure: uninstall the current version, reboot, then install the new one. Do not upgrade in place.
When the bundled PostgreSQL major version changes between releases, an extra step is required first, because PostgreSQL's on-disk format is tied to its major version.
Read Updating a standalone deployment before upgrading.