This is the recommended way to run Local Drive. One process, a few megabytes of memory, and a start measured in milliseconds. On modest hardware it is clearly the better choice, and the Docker daemon on its own costs more than this server does.

What you give up is listed below, and it is short. Reach for Docker when you want one of those things, not by default.

Setting up

Run localdrive and take the default when it asks how to run. Setup then:

Writes an .env with local filesystem paths rather than container paths.
Sets LISTEN_ADDR to the real port, since there is no proxy in front.
Leaves MOUNT_HELPER_SOCKET and LAN_DISCOVERY_SOCKET empty.

What you get

Everything the API does: files, folders, versions, sharing, permissions, uploads, downloads, thumbnails, search, trash, activity, and the WebSocket.

What you do not get

Missing	Why	What to do instead
The browser client	Caddy is what serves the web bundle; the binary answers the API only	Use the Android, Windows, Linux or macOS app, or run Docker
Drive management from the app	`mount` and `mergerfs` are Linux tools run by a privileged helper	Mount the drive with the operating system and point `LIBRARY_PATH` at it
Network discovery	The announcer needs host networking	Type the address in the app once; it is remembered

Drive management and discovery degrade cleanly: nothing errors, the features simply do not appear. The browser client is different, and worth knowing before you deploy: opening the server's address in a browser returns 404 no such endpoint, because the API is all that is listening. That is not a broken install.

HTTPS is not on that list any more. Set LD_DOMAIN and the bare binary requests and renews its own certificate, with no proxy involved. It needs ports 80 and 443 reachable, since those are the only two Let's Encrypt will connect back on. See HTTP and HTTPS.

Running it

localdrive start

A native install runs in the foreground, on purpose. Installing a background service correctly on Windows and Linux are two very different jobs, and this tool does not pretend otherwise. Use the operating system's own mechanism:

Linux: a systemd unit calling localdrive serve.
Windows: Task Scheduler with "run whether user is logged on or not", or a service wrapper.

Set LOCALDRIVE_HOME in the unit or task so it finds its install.