Zela

Turn your Linux servers into one Docker cluster, managed from a browser or an AI assistant.

Zela brings your Linux servers together so you can deploy applications, see how they are doing, and manage them in a browser. You can also connect an AI assistant to help operate the cluster.

You provide the servers and a container image for each application. Zela can install Docker on supported servers, start application copies, monitor them, and replace managed application copies when a worker fails and another suitable worker has room.

Watch the demo

Take a one-minute tour of the dashboard: workers, deployments, containers, monitoring, alerts, and AI connections.

zela-demo.mp4

Watch or download the MP4 · View the dashboard preview

The recording uses Demo mode with simulated workers and workloads.

New here? Start with these three guides

Step	Guide	What you will achieve
1. Try it	Getting started	Open the dashboard and learn the difference between Demo and Live mode
2. Deploy an app	Browser management guide	Connect a server, deploy a sample website, and open it in your browser
3. Look after it	Everyday management	Check health, read logs, change application copies, and prepare a server for maintenance

No command-line experience? The guides explain where to run each command, what to replace, and what success looks like. Initial server setup still needs someone who can install software and configure server access; everyday management can happen in the dashboard.

A few words you will see

Word	Meaning
Cluster	The group of servers managed together
Manager	The computer running Zela's dashboard and coordinating the servers
Worker	A Linux server that runs your applications
Container image	A packaged application, such as nginx:alpine for a sample web server
Deployment	An application configuration saved in Zela
Replica	One running copy of a deployment

See the plain-language glossary for networking, storage, and access terms.

Choose how to start

Your goal	Use	What you need
Explore without changing real servers	Demo mode	Go 1.25 or newer and the project files
Set up a live manager with its database	Docker Compose	Docker with Compose and the project files; add workers afterward
Install as a Linux background service	Linux service installation	A server administrator, a certificate for secure access, and built binaries
Run a hosted manager in one click	Deploy to NEXUS AI	A NEXUS AI account and the nexus CLI to read your sign-in token

Try the dashboard in Demo mode

In a terminal opened in the Zela project folder, run:

go run ./cmd/zela-server --demo

Leave that terminal open. In a second terminal in the same folder, display your sign-in token:

cat ./data-demo/admin-token

Open http://127.0.0.1:8080 on that computer and paste the token into the sign-in screen. Keep the token private; it is your administrator password.

Success looks like: a dashboard with a Demo environment banner and simulated workers. These are practice servers, and no real applications are started.

Why is Configure network disabled? Demo mode cannot create a real encrypted network. Live mode allows configuration; controls can also pause while another operation is running. See disabled networking controls.

Deploy to NEXUS AI

Select the button above. NEXUS AI builds this repository's Dockerfile and gives the manager a public HTTPS URL. Nothing needs to be configured first.

On first start, Zela creates a random sign-in token in /data/admin-token. To read it, install the NEXUS AI CLI and run, with the deployment ID shown in your NEXUS AI dashboard:

nexus exec <deployment-id> cat /data/admin-token

Open your deployment URL and paste the token into the sign-in screen. Keep the token private; it is your administrator password.

Good to know: this runs the manager only, storing its state in files under /data (no PostgreSQL). Workers are your own servers, connected afterward as in the live setup steps. Rebuilding the deployment starts with fresh state and a new token.

For a real installation, follow the live setup steps. Starting a live manager does not automatically connect workers or publish your applications.

Install the manager on a Linux server

The installation script installs Zela, PostgreSQL, and systemd services on Ubuntu, Debian, RHEL, Rocky Linux, AlmaLinux, or CentOS Stream 9/10. From a source checkout on the manager server, run make install after installing the build prerequisites in the guide. A published release is not required. It includes the CLI and worker binaries, preserves credentials on repeat runs, and starts the dashboard with private SSH-tunnel access.

What you can manage

In the dashboard	You can
Overview	See worker health, application status, and reserved resources
Workers	Connect servers, pause new placements, and drain servers for maintenance
Deployments	Start applications, change replicas, update images, and move eligible workloads
Containers	Inspect running copies and read their logs
Networking	Configure the encrypted worker network, inspect Docker networks, and manage application routes
Monitoring & Alerts	Review measured usage, history, and problems that need attention
Activity log	Check whether a change succeeded or failed
Settings	Manage integration access and AI connections

Before using it for important applications

• Use secure HTTPS access for a remotely accessible dashboard, and protect administrator credentials. See Security.
• Keep backups of Zela's saved configuration and its encryption key. Back up application data separately. See Backups.
• Moving or recovering an application recreates its containers. Zela does not copy database files, volumes, or other local application data between workers.
• Applications created outside Zela's managed Deployments do not receive the same automatic recovery. Check the management guide.
• Demo and Live mode have separate saved data. Start the manager without --demo to work with real servers; the demo workers do not become real workers.

More help

I want to…	Read
Find the right guide	Documentation home
Install on a server	Installation
Understand network settings	Networking
Connect an AI assistant	AI cluster management
Back up, upgrade, or fix a problem	Operations & troubleshooting
Use terminal commands	CLI guide
Look up a setting or API	Configuration · Administrator & API reference
Run backup managers	High availability
Build or contribute code	Contributing

License

Zela is available under the Apache License 2.0. You can use, modify, and share it under the terms of that license.

Zela was first developed as the infrastructure layer for NEXUS AI.