Installing the Daemon

Daemons are node processes that connect to Protocube and manage game server workloads. Install Protocube before setting up any daemon nodes.

• Official Docker image: ghcr.io/jessefaler/sls/daemon:latest
• Native binaries: SLS GitHub Releases

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Before You Start

• Install Docker on the host that will run servers. The Daemon requires a full Linux environment; on Windows, use WSL (see Getting Started).

• Ensure Protocube and the Daemon can communicate. The default Compose setup uses internal hostnames (e.g., protocube.sls.net, daemon.sls.net) via extra_hosts inside containers. From the host system, you may need to use 127.0.0.1, real DNS, or /etc/hosts, depending on your deployment.

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Installation Options

SLS supports two ways to run the Daemon:

• Docker — Recommended For Most deployments, production, and simple setup
• Native binary

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Option 1 — Run the Daemon with Docker (Recommended)

Docker Compose

Download the official Compose file or view it on GitHub: daemon/docker-compose.yml

• Daemon (node)daemon/docker-compose.yml
  View on GitHub

Steps

1. Create a directory on the node machine and save the Compose file as docker-compose.yml.

2. Create required system directories:

   sudo mkdir -p /etc/sls/daemon /var/log/sls/daemon /tmp/sls/daemon

3. Start the Daemon:

   docker compose up -d

On first start, a default configuration file will be generated at:

/etc/sls/daemon/config.yml

You must then configure:

• A node API key
• The Protocube connection settings

See:

• Create a node API key
• Configure the Daemon

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Option 2 — Run the Daemon from a Native Binary

Steps

1. Download the appropriate daemon binary for your platform from SLS Releases

2. Prepare required directories:

   chmod +x daemon
   sudo mkdir -p /etc/sls/daemon /var/lib/sls /var/log/sls/daemon /tmp/sls/daemon

3. The Daemon requires CAP_SYS_ADMIN for overlay filesystem mounts used by server instances.

   You may either grant the capability:

   sudo setcap cap_sys_admin+ep /path/to/daemon

   or run as root:

   sudo ./daemon

   Without this permission, server provisioning and mounts may fail.

4. Start the Daemon:

   ./daemon --config /etc/sls/daemon/config.yml

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Create a Node API Key

The Daemon authenticates to Protocube using an API key generated on the controller.

Protocube in Docker

docker exec -it SLS protocube create-api-key

Protocube native

protocube create-api-key

If you changed the default container name, replace SLS with your configured name in the docker exec command.

Follow the prompts and copy the generated token.

For more information on managing API keys see: create-api-key

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Configure the Daemon

Edit:

/etc/sls/daemon/config.yml

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Protocube Connection

Configure how the Daemon connects to Protocube:

remote:
  url: http://protocube.sls.net:5620
  token: sls_live_9y1Vli9h9ty_your_api_key

Replace the URL if you are not using Compose hostnames (e.g. use an IP or real domain).

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Daemon API Configuration

Configure how Protocube and external systems reach this Daemon:

api:
  url: http://daemon.sls.net:5585
  host: 0.0.0.0
  port: 5585
  tls:
    enabled: false
    cert: /etc/ssl/certs/sls.crt
    key: /etc/ssl/private/sls.key

• url — The address Protocube uses to reach this node
• Enable tls if terminating TLS directly on the Daemon

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Restart Daemon

After configuration changes, restart the Daemon:

• Docker:

  docker compose restart

• Native:

  pkill daemon && ./daemon --config /etc/sls/daemon/config.yml

Check logs to confirm the node successfully registers with Protocube.

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Next Steps

• Learn how to set up vSLS if you are using Velocity.

• Create Blueprints: Blueprint examples
• Configure software: Software configurations
• Troubleshooting: Troubleshooting guide

For help, join the community: https://discord.gg/BrH8GtyGSh

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