> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.alpha-security.app/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.alpha-security.app/deployment/source-build.md).

# Build from Source

If you prefer to run Alpha without Docker (or want to develop on it), you can build everything from source.

## Prerequisites

* Node.js 20+
* pnpm (install with `corepack enable`)
* Go 1.22+ (for the collector)
* PostgreSQL 16 (running and accessible)

## Install dependencies

```bash
git clone https://github.com/shoamshilo/alpha-security.git
cd alpha-security
pnpm install
```

## Database

Start Postgres however you prefer. You need a database and a user. Example with Docker (just the database):

```bash
cd deploy
docker compose up -d postgres
```

Or point to your own Postgres instance.

## Start the server

The server needs a few environment variables:

```bash
ALPHA_DATABASE_URL='postgres://al:yourpassword@localhost:5432/alpha' \
ALPHA_JWT_SECRET='your-jwt-secret-here' \
ALPHA_PORT=8080 \
pnpm --filter @alpha/server dev
```

Migrations run automatically on startup.

## Start the web UI

```bash
pnpm --filter @alpha/web dev
```

Opens on `http://localhost:5173`. The Vite dev server proxies `/api` requests to the server on port 8080.

## Build the collector

```bash
cd collector
go build -o al ./cmd/al
```

The binary is at `collector/al`. Copy it to the machine where you'll run your tools.

## Running tests

```bash
pnpm test                    # all JS tests
pnpm typecheck               # typecheck all packages
pnpm lint                    # run linter
cd collector && go test ./...  # Go tests
```


---

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