Self-Hosting
Run your own Boxli instance. MIT licensed — no tile limits, no branding requirements.
1. Clone & install
git clone https://github.com/joe-josue/boxli-me.git
cd boxli-me
pnpm install
2. Set up environment variables
cp .env.example .env.local
# Edit .env.local with your values
Required variables:
| Variable | Description |
|---|---|
| DATABASE_URL | PostgreSQL connection string |
| DATABASE_URL_UNPOOLED | Direct connection for migrations |
| AUTH_SECRET | 32-char random secret (openssl rand -base64 32) |
| AUTH_GITHUB_ID / SECRET | GitHub OAuth App credentials |
| AUTH_GOOGLE_ID / SECRET | Google OAuth credentials |
| AUTH_URL | Your base URL (e.g. https://yourdomain.com) |
| NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL | Same as AUTH_URL |
| ANTHROPIC_API_KEY | For AI profile generation |
3. Set up the database
Boxli uses PostgreSQL. We recommend Neon (serverless, free tier) for Vercel deployments.
# Push schema to database
npx prisma db push
# Or generate a migration file
npx prisma migrate dev --name initial
4. Run locally
pnpm dev
Opens at http://localhost:3000
5. Deploy to Vercel
The easiest way to deploy. Click below and fill in your env vars in the Vercel dashboard.
Deploy with VercelAfter deploy, add all env vars under Settings → Environment Variables in the Vercel dashboard. Make sure AUTH_URL matches your Vercel domain.
Other hosts
Boxli is a standard Next.js app and runs anywhere Node.js is supported: Railway, Fly.io, Render, DigitalOcean App Platform, or your own VPS. Build with pnpm build and start with pnpm start.