Choose where Mandala runs
Mandala is self-hosted only. There is no hosted Mandala: you run it on a machine you control, and your other devices join that home. You can start on one machine and add others later; they sync.
| Home | Best for | Always on | Who can read the data at rest |
|---|---|---|---|
| A Linux home server (mini PC, NAS-class box) | Most people who want it always available | Yes | You |
| A VPS (Hetzner, DigitalOcean, OVH…) | Reaching it from anywhere without hardware at home | Yes | You, and in principle the provider |
| A Mac | Trying Mandala, or a laptop-first life | While the Mac is awake | You |
Recommendations
- Start on an always-on machine if your accomplice should triage mail at night, send the morning briefing and follow up on tasks while your laptop sleeps.
- Keep the most private things on hardware you hold. On a rented VPS, the provider controls the machine. Mandala's rules still apply, but someone with the hypervisor can read a disk.
- Add a Mac later as a second node. It keeps a copy, works offline, and becomes the place where your accomplice can use your Mac's apps when you ask Coming soon.
Combining machines
Every node is a full Mandala. Paired nodes exchange what the other lacks every 20 seconds and converge on the same records and vaults. A typical setup:
VPS or home server (home, always on) ◄──── sync ────► Mac (copy, offline work)
▲
└── iPhone and browsers use the home over Tailscale
See Pair two nodes and Sync and conflicts.
Next
- Linux server or VPS: Install on Linux
- VPS, step by step: Install on a VPS
- Mac: Install on a Mac