Installation Overview
Open Astra can be installed in three ways depending on your use case — zero-config via npx, as a full Docker Compose stack, or as a standalone CLI. All methods share the same core runtime; they differ in what infrastructure they bring up alongside it.
System requirements
| Requirement | Minimum | Recommended |
|---|---|---|
| Node.js | 18.x | 20.x LTS |
| PostgreSQL | 14 + pgvector | 16 + pgvector 0.7+ |
| RAM | 1 GB | 4 GB (with knowledge graph) |
| Docker | — | 24.x (for Compose method) |
Installation methods
| Method | Best for | Brings up |
|---|---|---|
| npx astra | Trying it out, local dev | Gateway + PostgreSQL (SQLite fallback) |
| Docker Compose | Production, self-hosted teams | Gateway + PostgreSQL + Typesense + Redis |
| Standalone CLI | Scripting, CI pipelines | Agent REPL only (no HTTP gateway) |
Quick start
The fastest way to get running is npx. It handles database setup and starts the gateway on localhost:3000.
bash
npx astra@latestFor a production-ready setup with full search and caching, use the Docker Compose method:
bash
npx astra@latest init
cd astra
cp .env.example .env # fill in your API keys
docker compose up -dConfiguration
After installation, Open Astra is configured through two sources:
astra.yml— agents, skills, tools, channels, and workspace settings- Environment variables — secrets, API keys, and infrastructure connection strings