Self-hosting

You can run Drafter’s web app from your own computer or server, so nothing loads from drafter.dev at all.

Most people don’t need this. Your scripts already stay in your browser at drafter.dev, and the desktop app is the simplest private choice. Self-hosting is for people who want the browser version on their own terms. It serves the same app, with the same security rules, and it has no analytics.

Running it

You need Docker and a copy of Drafter’s code. In the code’s folder, run:

docker compose up -d

The first run builds the app, which takes a few minutes. Then open http://localhost:8080.

To stop it, run:

docker compose down

What it holds

The container is a small web server handing the app’s files to your browser. It has no database and keeps no scripts: your work stays in your browser and in the files you choose, as it does on drafter.dev. Stopping or deleting the container loses nothing you’ve written. A browser keeps work separately for each address, though, so scripts kept in the browser at drafter.dev don’t appear at localhost. Save them to files and open them there.

Updating

Nothing updates by itself. To move to a newer version, get the latest code, then run:

docker compose up -d --build

Reaching it from other devices

It listens only on the computer it runs on. To reach it from another device, put your own HTTPS proxy in front of port 8080. Use HTTPS: browsers give Drafter its offline mode, its install button, and saving in place only on localhost or HTTPS. Drafter has no sign-in, so anyone who can reach the address can use the app, though they’d see only what’s in their own browser.