Getting started

This guide takes a hosting company from a new server to its first customer.

What you need

You need a Linux server running Ubuntu 22.04, 24.04 or 26.04, or Debian 12 or 13, with systemd. You also need a domain name for the service and an SMTP service that can send confirmation and password-reset mail.

Download and verify the release

Download the release archive, its .sig and .sig.txt files, and verify-release.js into one directory. Verify the archive before extracting it:

node verify-release.js jdrive-0.1.0.tgz

Continue only when it prints JDrive release verified. Node 20 or newer is required.

Install

Extract the verified archive and run the installer:

tar -xzf jdrive-0.1.0.tgz
cd jdrive-0.1.0
sudo ./server/tools/install.sh

The installer creates the service account and directories, installs dependencies, starts JDrive, and then asks for the owner account.

Create the owner account

Enter the hosting company's name, the owner's email address, and a password when the installer asks. The first account becomes the hosting-company owner. The bootstrap service listens only on 127.0.0.1:9991 and refuses to create another owner after the first account exists.

Open the console

Put nginx and HTTPS in front of JDrive, set PUBLIC_BASE_URL in /etc/jdrive/jdrive.env, and restart the service. Sign in at your JDrive domain. Open the account menu and choose Console. The console opens on Overview.

Choose a licence

Open Console → Licence. A new installation has a 30-day evaluation. You can request a free licence for up to 100 GB stored in total across your servers, or install a signed key for a paid storage band. See the current bands and prices.

When an evaluation or licence ends, JDrive stops new accounts and new uploads. Existing sign-ins, downloads, public addresses, share links, deletions, and backups continue.

Set your brand

Open Console → Branding. Set the service name, the line shown under it, one accent colour, your support address and support email. You can also upload a logo, app icon, and desktop wallpaper. Save the brand before inviting customers.

Make your plans

Open Console → Plans, then choose New plan. Give the plan a name and set storage and transfer allowances. You can also control public files, share links, Trash retention, and version retention. JDrive enforces these limits; it does not set or collect your prices.

Create your first customer

Open Console → Accounts, then choose New customer. Enter a name, email address, and a first password of at least 12 characters. The customer must confirm the email address before the account works. Open the new account's sheet to assign a plan.

Add resellers

Open Console → Accounts, then choose New reseller. A reseller gets the same console for their direct customers. They can create plans and API keys within the allowance you gave them. They use the hosting company's brand.

Connect a billing system

Open Console → API keys. A billing key can create and manage accounts, plans, and limits, and can read usage, transfer, and overview figures. It never reaches a file. A portal sign-in key can only make a short-lived, one-time link that signs a customer into an account you provide for. It cannot manage accounts. Each key is shown once, so copy it into the system that will use it and keep it off web pages.

The full API reference is docs/API.md inside the download. It includes the exact requests, responses, key handling, and error behaviour.

Send notifications to your systems

Open Console → API keys → Notifications to your systems. Add a public HTTPS address and choose the account events it should receive. JDrive signs each call and shows delivery attempts in the same section. Notifications cover account changes and limit warnings; they never include a file name.

Read the overview

Open Console → Overview for account counts, storage used, the current storage band, transfer during the last 30 days, archive totals, and active plan count. The totals include customers below your resellers where the screen says they do.

All my servers is also on Overview. Once a licence key is installed and the licence server has answered, it lists totals across the servers attached to the licence and identifies this server. Fleet usage reporting must be enabled for this information to update.