Deployment Requirements
You receive a zip file. You run it on your hardware.
Primer is not a website you log into. It's software you install on infrastructure you control. Pick the deployment option that fits your team.
The big picture
From purchase to daily use, in three steps.
1. You download
A zip file. The complete source code.
2. You install it
On a server, laptop, or cloud VM you own.
3. Your team uses it
Opens in any web browser, on your network.
Where does the data live?
Everything stays inside your organization. We never see it, host it, or touch it.
Your organization
DavidPM, LLC
No connection.
No access.
No data.
Three ways to deploy
Each option ships in the zip. Pick the one that matches your team.
Direct Install
Install Node.js and PostgreSQL on any machine. Run Primer as a standard application. Full visibility into everything that's running.
Best for:
Technical teams, evaluations, developers
Docker Compose
One command starts the app, database, and reverse proxy in containers. Works the same on every operating system. No host-level database to manage.
Best for:
Most organizations
Your Infrastructure
Connect Primer to the database servers, authentication systems, and network your organization already runs.
Best for:
Enterprise IT teams
What's inside the zip file
When you purchase, you receive a single download. Here's what's in it.
The application
Every line of code that makes Primer work.
Instructions
Setup guides, architecture notes, and a playbook for rolling it out to your team.
Database setup
Files that create the database tables on first run. No manual setup.
One-command install
The recipe that starts the app and database together.
Configuration
A template file listing every setting you might want to change.
Start here
A plain-language walkthrough for your first install.
AI assistant context
Structured reference for AI assistants to help you deploy, configure, and troubleshoot.
What you're in charge of
Owning the source code means you make all the decisions. Here's what you choose.
Where it runs
Your office, the cloud, or a mix.
The database
PostgreSQL, included in the Docker setup.
Who logs in
Built-in accounts, or plug in your own identity provider.
The look
Your colors, logo, and wording.
The network
Your firewall, your domain, your SSL.
Two ways to handle login
One path ships ready to use. The other plugs into whatever you already run.
Built-in accounts
Email and password ship ready to use. No integration required. The AI-assisted install walkthrough below covers this end to end.
Your existing identity provider
If you use Entra ID, Okta, Google Workspace, or any standards-compliant OIDC provider, this is the kind of integration an IT leader with an AI assistant can wire against the documented seam without much fuss. SAML and LDAP work the same way. The integration point is small, but how long it takes depends on your IdP, not on the code. See docs/auth-seam.md in the source zip.
Not a developer? No problem.
For the standard install (the one that uses the bundled email/password login), copy the README into any AI assistant (Claude, ChatGPT, or similar) along with your computer's operating system. It will walk you through it step by step. Every configuration file is annotated in plain language. Connecting your existing identity provider is a separate step covered above.
Want to see Primer in action first?
Try the Demo