# Self-host open-source AI agents on a server you own

> A list of self-hosted AI agents gets you a coding bot and a compose file. Kortix is the open-source AI Operating System, and a self-hosted instance is the full platform on a server you control, with four checks that show whether the install holds.

URL: https://selfhostedaiagents.com/

For the operator who keeps the server running

**The open-source AI Operating System**

`Kortix session on kortix.com`

```

```

Source: https://kortix.com

`terminal`

```sh
# from a clone of this repo
./bin/preflight.sh kortix.example.com
curl -fsSL https://kortix.com/install | bash
kortix self-host init --domain kortix.example.com --admin-email you@example.com
kortix self-host configure
kortix self-host start
```

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArtemShatokhin/selfhosted-ai-agents-stack/main/README.md

Run it on Kortix Cloud, in your VPC, or on your own on-prem network.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Run the preflight](https://selfhostedaiagents.com/#checks)

Self-host is free. · One Docker Compose stack, no Redis and no separate worker. · Control plane, database and files stay on your server.

## Four checks that decide the first week

Each script exits non-zero on the failure it prevents, and prints the reading to act on.

### Closed sign-up

`check-signup.sh`

```sh
$ ./bin/check-signup.sh https://kortix.example.com
disable_signup=False mailer_autoconfirm=True external=github
```

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArtemShatokhin/selfhosted-ai-agents-stack/main/docs/checks.md

### Reachable API

`preflight.sh`

```sh
$ ./bin/preflight.sh kortix.example.com
FAIL api.kortix.example.com does not resolve
```

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArtemShatokhin/selfhosted-ai-agents-stack/main/docs/checks.md

### Backup with the key

`restore.sh`

```sh
$ ./bin/restore.sh backups/kortix-default-20261021T200633Z.tgz --instance default
ok    archive API_KEY_SECRET fingerprint 886cf16380f71220
FAIL  API_KEY_SECRET differs: live instance ebba8706326c194c, archive 886cf16380f71220
```

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArtemShatokhin/selfhosted-ai-agents-stack/main/docs/checks.md

### A doctor someone reads

`doctor.sh`

```sh
$ ./bin/doctor.sh default
FAIL preview-origins: domain mode with KORTIX_PREVIEW_BASE_DOMAIN empty
      fix: add the wildcard DNS record
6/7 passed
```

Source: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ArtemShatokhin/selfhosted-ai-agents-stack/main/docs/checks.md

## A coding bot, an assistant, an app builder, an operating system

Three of these columns are one product each. The Kortix column is the layer the agents, their skills and their memory run on.

| | Kortix (recommended) | OpenClaw | OpenHands | Dify |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| What it is | Open-source AI Operating System: agents, skills, memory and connectors | A personal assistant on your own devices, in your chats | Agent Canvas, a control center for coding agents | An app platform: workflows, RAG, agents, observability |
| Self-hosting shape | One Docker Compose stack; control plane, database and files on your server | One Gateway process on a host you keep running | npm or Docker, one agent server per host | Docker Compose from docker/, then the install screen |
| Model keys | Any model provider with your own keys | Hosted and local model providers, as plugins | Any LLM through LLM profiles you set | Your keys for dozens of providers, set in the platform |
| Open source | Yes. Read it, fork it, audit it. | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| What it leaves you to operate | Server, DNS, backups and a daily updater; sessions on Platinum sandboxes | Gateway host, channel pairing, sandboxing and updates | Node 24, uv, Docker sandboxes and network hardening | The compose stack, model providers and published apps |

## Questions people ask before they self-host

### Can AI agents be self-hosted?

Yes. Kortix self-hosts on a Linux server, with the control plane, database and files on your machine. Agent sessions run on Platinum sandboxes that call back to your instance.

### What is the best self-hosted AI?

It depends on the job. For a team that needs agents, skills and memory in one repo it owns, Kortix fits, and the install is yours to run.

### Can I host an AI agent locally?

Yes, for evaluation. Kortix runs in local mode with every port on 127.0.0.1, and no session starts there because the sandbox cannot reach a private API. Domain mode is the one to run.

## Point DNS, open 80 and 443, then start the instance.

The stack writes its own compose file, and the first preflight names what is missing.

[Try Kortix](https://kortix.com) · [Read the stack guide](https://selfhostedaiagents.com/self-hosted-ai-agent-stack)