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How to Host Hermes Agent on a Linux VPS

A practical guide to running Hermes Agent on Linux VPS hardware, covering native installation, Docker persistence, sizing, service supervision, and secure API or dashboard access.
Length10 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team
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For a dependable Hermes Agent deployment on a Linux VPS, choose the native POSIX installer when Hermes should use the host directly, or Docker when you want an isolated container that can be replaced cleanly. Linux x86_64 and aarch64 are Tier 1 targets. Start with 1 GB RAM and 1 vCPU for light, text-only work; allocate 2–4 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs for browser automation or several concurrent tasks.

The non-negotiables are persistent storage, a process that survives SSH disconnects, and a protected API or dashboard. Native installations keep state in ~/.hermes; Docker installations must mount a host directory to /opt/data. Treat that directory as sensitive because it contains credentials, sessions, memories, skills, and configuration.

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Choose native installation or Docker

Both deployment modes are first-class options. Your choice mainly determines the isolation boundary, how Hermes reaches host tools, and how upgrades are performed.

Decision point Native POSIX installer Docker
Best fit A dedicated VPS where Hermes should run directly on the operating system and use host-installed tools. An operator who already uses containers and wants reproducible replacement and rollback.
Isolation Hermes and its toolchain run under a Linux account on the host. The image is isolated from the host except for explicitly mounted directories and published ports.
Host-tool access Direct access to tools installed for the service account. Only tools present in the image or deliberately exposed to the container.
Persistent data The service account’s ~/.hermes directory. A host directory mounted at /opt/data, commonly ~/.hermes.
Updates Use the installed Hermes update or service workflow. Pull a new image and recreate the container with the same data mount; Docker installs do not use hermes update.
Operational overhead Fewer layers, but you manage the host runtime and user service. A little more container administration, with simpler replacement of the application layer.
API and dashboard You control the gateway process and host firewall directly. You explicitly publish gateway ports with Docker’s -p option.

Use native when this VPS is effectively a Hermes appliance and you need straightforward access to host utilities. Use Docker when image-based change control, easy rollback, or separation from the host matters more. In either case, run the process as an unprivileged service account rather than as root.

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Prepare the Linux VPS

Confirm architecture and operating-system support

Hermes lists Linux x86_64 and aarch64 as Tier 1 targets. Its platform-support documentation says testing is performed on the latest Ubuntu and WSL2; a VPS image should therefore be a current, supported 64-bit Linux release with security updates enabled.

Use SSH for administration

Connect with an SSH client instead of relying on a browser-based console:

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ssh SERVICE_USER@VPS_ADDRESS

Browser consoles can corrupt characters in volume mounts, environment variables, and API keys. SSH also gives you a stable terminal for checking logs and restarting the gateway after you disconnect.

Size memory, CPU, and disk for the workload

Resource Published minimum Recommended allocation What drives the increase
Memory 1 GB 2–4 GB Browser automation and concurrent work consume substantially more memory than a light text-only agent.
CPU 1 core 2 cores Parallel tool calls, browser rendering, and several conversations benefit from another core.
Data disk 500 MB 2 GB or more Sessions, memories, skills, logs, browser-related assets, and upgrades need working room.

Browser automation requires at least 2 GB of RAM. These figures are published requirements, not a performance guarantee: workload, enabled tools, conversation history, and provider latency all affect responsiveness.

Create a dedicated account for a native deployment

For a native install, create a normal login account and run every Hermes command as that account. For example:

sudo useradd --create-home --shell /bin/bash hermes

Log in as hermes before running the installer. The installation documentation specifically says to run the source installer as the intended service user. This keeps the launcher, tool store, configuration, and credentials under one ownership boundary and prevents Hermes from acquiring root’s files or privileges.

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Install Hermes natively with the POSIX installer

Run the installer as the runtime account

The official installer is the normal native path:

curl -fsSL https://hermes-agent.nousresearch.com/install.sh | bash

If the installer is being run for an unattended build, it supports --non-interactive. You can omit optional components with --skip-browser and --skip-computer-use; those options are useful on a small VPS that will only handle text and messaging.

The installer checks out Hermes under ~/.hermes/hermes-agent/, places the hermes launcher in ~/.local/bin, and uses ~/.hermes for default user data. It bootstraps uv and uses PM to prepare pinned Python, Node.js, npm, ripgrep, and FFmpeg. Optional browser and computer-use packages are the main reason to select the skip flags.

Reload the shell and verify the installation

In the same account, make the launcher available and run the diagnostic command:

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export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
source ~/.bashrc
hermes doctor

If your shell does not load ~/.bashrc, keep the export PATH in the profile used by the service account. hermes doctor should be your first check before configuring a model; it catches missing runtimes and incomplete tool preparation without requiring you to start the gateway.

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Select a model and complete setup

Choose a provider and write the initial configuration with:

hermes model
hermes setup

The setup wizard stores provider credentials in the persistent Hermes data directory. Do not paste keys into shell history or commit the directory to a repository. If you later change providers, rerun hermes model and verify the resulting configuration with the installed diagnostics.

Keep a native gateway running after SSH disconnects

An interactive hermes gateway run process ends when its terminal ends. Run it as a user service or under an equivalent supervisor so it starts again after a crash and can continue after logout.

Use Hermes’ gateway or service configuration

The installed CLI provides the gateway setup workflow. Configure the gateway once, then arrange for the resulting run command to be managed by the service account. Enable user-service lingering so systemd can keep that account’s services alive without an active SSH session:

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sudo loginctl enable-linger SERVICE_USER

Replace SERVICE_USER with the Linux account that owns the installation. Linger is important on a VPS because otherwise a user service may be stopped when the last login session closes.

Example systemd user unit

If you need an explicit unit, create ~/.config/systemd/user/hermes-gateway.service while logged in as the Hermes account:

[Unit]
Description=Hermes Agent gateway
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
ExecStart=%h/.local/bin/hermes gateway run
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Load and start it with:

systemctl --user daemon-reload
systemctl --user enable --now hermes-gateway.service
systemctl --user status hermes-gateway.service

The unit assumes the launcher is at ~/.local/bin/hermes, which is the installer’s default. If hermes doctor reports a different location, use that absolute path in ExecStart. Check recent output with journalctl --user -u hermes-gateway.service. A dedicated service account, a restart policy, and linger together solve the common “it stopped when I closed SSH” failure.

Run Hermes with Docker

Prepare a persistent data directory and run setup once

The container image is disposable; configuration and sessions survive only when you mount a host directory. Create the directory and invoke the setup wizard:

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mkdir -p ~/.hermes
docker run -it --rm -v ~/.hermes:/opt/data nousresearch/hermes-agent setup

The setup command writes provider credentials and other state into the mounted directory. The host directory is therefore the Docker equivalent of native ~/.hermes.

Start the gateway for API clients

Run the gateway in the background with a restart policy:

docker run -d --name hermes --restart unless-stopped -v ~/.hermes:/opt/data -p 8642:8642 nousresearch/hermes-agent gateway run

Port 8642 serves the OpenAI-compatible API and health endpoint. It is optional if you use only chat-platform gateways and do not need an API client or dashboard.

Enable the dashboard only when you need it

To enable the dashboard, publish its port and set the dashboard environment variable:

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docker run -d --name hermes --restart unless-stopped -v ~/.hermes:/opt/data -p 8642:8642 -p 9119:9119 -e HERMES_DASHBOARD=1 nousresearch/hermes-agent gateway run

The dashboard binds to 0.0.0.0 inside the container by default. A non-loopback bind requires an authentication provider, so an internet-reachable dashboard must never be treated as a private, unauthenticated service.

Check the container and its logs

Use Docker’s lifecycle commands rather than starting a second gateway:

docker ps
docker logs --tail 200 hermes
docker restart hermes

If you change environment variables, port mappings, or the image tag, recreate the container instead of repeatedly appending options to a running one. Keep the original volume mount exactly the same so state remains available.

Configure providers and messaging gateways

Model credentials

Native and Docker setups use Hermes configuration to select a model provider. Native users run hermes model; Docker users complete the mounted setup wizard and then inspect the container logs for configuration errors. Credentials belong in the persistent data directory, not in a public compose file, shell history, or a world-readable backup.

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Chat and notification platforms

Configure Telegram, Discord, Slack, WhatsApp, or another supported gateway through:

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hermes gateway setup

Only publish the API endpoint when an external client or dashboard actually needs it. A chat-platform integration can operate without opening the API port to the public internet, which reduces the attack surface.

Secure a public VPS

Protect the network boundary

  • Administer the server over SSH and keep the operating system, Docker engine, and Hermes image or source checkout current.
  • Publish the API and dashboard only when required. Prefer a loopback bind such as 127.0.0.1:8642:8642 for Docker when a reverse proxy or SSH tunnel is the only consumer.
  • Use a host firewall to allow SSH from trusted addresses and deny unsolicited access to gateway ports.
  • If a reverse proxy is required, terminate TLS there and enforce authentication before forwarding to Hermes.

Require an API key

When enabling the API server, generate a high-entropy key instead of inventing a short password:

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openssl rand -hex 32

Set the resulting value as API_SERVER_KEY in the gateway’s environment or Hermes configuration, and store it with the rest of the protected data. Clients must present the key; a published port without authentication is an exposed control surface.

Lock down the data directory

Restrict ownership and permissions on native ~/.hermes or the Docker bind mount. The directory can contain API keys, active sessions, memories, skills, and configuration. It should be readable and writable by the Hermes service account, not by every local user. Backups of this directory need the same protection as the live files.

Use an SSH tunnel for private administration

If the dashboard is bound to loopback, reach it without opening a public firewall rule:

ssh -L 9119:127.0.0.1:9119 SERVICE_USER@VPS_ADDRESS

Then open the local dashboard address in your browser. This keeps the dashboard off the public interface while preserving an authenticated SSH boundary.

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Back up, upgrade, and recover Hermes

Back up native data

Stop or quiesce the gateway before making a consistent archive, then back up the service account’s data directory. For a home directory at /home/hermes:

tar -C /home/hermes -czf hermes-backup-$(date +%F).tgz .hermes

Store the archive outside the VPS or on encrypted storage. It includes secrets and sessions, so treat it as confidential. Restoring the archive to the same account and permissions restores the native configuration.

Back up Docker data

For Docker, archive the host directory mounted to /opt/data. If it is the current user’s ~/.hermes:

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tar -C $HOME -czf hermes-docker-backup-$(date +%F).tgz .hermes

Do not back up only the container layer; the image is stateless and the layer is replaceable. The bind-mounted directory is the part that preserves configuration and sessions.

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Upgrade a native installation

Use the update workflow exposed by the installed native CLI, then rerun hermes doctor and check the gateway service. Keep a backup before changing versions so you can restore configuration if a provider or tool integration needs adjustment.

Upgrade a Docker installation

Docker deployments are updated by pulling a new image and recreating the container with the same options and volume mount:

docker pull nousresearch/hermes-agent
docker rm -f hermes
docker run -d --name hermes --restart unless-stopped -v ~/.hermes:/opt/data -p 8642:8642 nousresearch/hermes-agent gateway run

If the dashboard or API key environment variable was enabled, include those same flags when recreating the container. Docker installs do not support hermes update; replacing the image is the documented mechanism. Because the data directory remains in place, configuration and sessions survive the replacement.

Troubleshoot common VPS problems

hermes is not found

The launcher is normally in ~/.local/bin. Run export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH", reload the shell profile, and execute hermes doctor. If the service runs under another account, add the path for that account rather than for your personal login.

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Permission errors after switching users

Hermes data belongs to the account that installed it. Stop the service, inspect ownership, and assign the data tree to the intended service account. Do not solve a permission problem by running the gateway as root; that expands the impact of a compromised tool or credential.

Browser automation exhausts memory

Browser automation is the most memory-intensive feature. Move from the 1 GB light-use baseline to at least 2 GB, with 2–4 GB preferred for sustained or concurrent browser work, and leave disk headroom for browser assets.

The container starts without previous sessions

Check docker inspect hermes and confirm that the host directory is mounted to /opt/data. A container started without that mount has an ephemeral data layer; stop it, recreate it with the original mount, and restore the backed-up directory if necessary.

The API or dashboard cannot be reached

First verify that the container or user service is running and that the host is listening on the expected interface. A loopback bind is reachable only from the VPS or through an SSH tunnel. A public bind still requires firewall access, and the dashboard requires an authentication provider when it is not loopback-only. For API failures, verify the configured API_SERVER_KEY and send it with the client request.

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The gateway stops after logout

An interactive shell is not a service manager. Move the process to the native user service or a container with --restart unless-stopped, and enable user-service lingering for the native account. Check the service or container logs before restarting repeatedly; a missing provider credential, bad permissions, or an out-of-memory kill will otherwise recur.

Deployment checklist

  • Confirm a Tier 1 Linux architecture: x86_64 or aarch64.
  • Choose native for direct host integration or Docker for isolated replacement-based operations.
  • Allocate resources according to workload, with extra memory for browser automation.
  • Install and run Hermes as a dedicated unprivileged account.
  • Verify with hermes doctor, select a model, and complete setup before starting the gateway.
  • Persist native data in ~/.hermes or mount the Docker host directory to /opt/data.
  • Use a restart policy or user service with lingering so SSH disconnects do not stop Hermes.
  • Publish only the API or dashboard ports you actually need, and protect them with authentication, firewall rules, and preferably a private bind.
  • Back up the persistent data directory before upgrades and retain the same mount when recreating Docker containers.

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