# Connecting a server

URL: https://docs.nolay.ru/en/start/connect-server/
Updated: 2026-09-23

> Add a server in the panel, run one command on it and wait for the Online status.

After this page the server is connected to the panel and ready for projects. You need a VPS that meets the [requirements](/en/start/requirements/) and SSH access to it.

## Steps

1. In the panel open Servers and click Add server. Give the server a name you can tell apart, for example `prod-1`, and click Create and get token.

![The Install step: the command for the server and the agent token. The token is replaced with dots in the screenshot.](https://docs.nolay.ru/shots/en/servers-new-light.png)

2. Copy the install command. It looks like this; the token and ID are different for every server:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://get.nolay.ru/install.sh | sudo sh -s -- --hub-url wss://api.nolay.ru/agent/v1 --token <token> --agent-id <uuid>
```

3. Log in to the server over SSH and run the command. The installer checks the server, installs Docker and the agent, and prints the agent version and service state at the end. It usually takes two to five minutes.

4. Go back to the panel. The Waiting for agent step checks the connection every three seconds; once the agent is online, open the server. Its status is Online.

> **The token is shown once**
>
> The panel does not store the token. If the page closed before the install, issue a new token in the server settings and take the new command.

## Check on the server

The service is running:

```sh
systemctl status nolay-agent
```

The agent connected to the hub, the log has a line about the connection:

```sh
journalctl -u nolay-agent -n 30 --no-pager
```

The agent opened no inbound ports:

```sh
ss -tulpn
```

## Where things live on the server

| Path | What is there |
|---|---|
| `/usr/local/bin/nolay-agent` | the agent binary |
| `/etc/nolay/agent.toml` | the agent config |
| `/etc/nolay/agent.token` | the connection token, mode `0600` |
| `/etc/nolay/agent.key` | the secrets encryption key, mode `0600` |
| `/var/lib/nolay` | the agent database, build sources, Caddy certificates |

## Updating

Run the same install command again. The binary and service are updated; config, data and project containers stay as they were.

## Disconnecting a server

Open the server settings in the panel and press "Delete server". The dialog offers three paths:

| Path | What happens on the server |
|---|---|
| Disconnect server | The agent stops the project, service and proxy containers and removes itself. Containers, volumes, images and data stay. `/var/lib/nolay/export/` gets a `docker-compose.yml`, `.env` files and a `README.md` on how to run the projects with plain Docker |
| Delete everything | The agent removes containers, networks, volumes, project images and the proxy, then removes itself together with its config and data. Download the backups you need first. You have to type the server name |
| Delete selected projects | The usual project deletion, in a batch, with a "Delete volumes" checkbox per project. The server stays in the panel |

If the server is offline or the agent did not answer, the panel still deletes the server and shows the command to run on the server as root:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://get.nolay.ru/uninstall.sh | sudo sh                # remove the agent, keep the data
curl -fsSL https://get.nolay.ru/uninstall.sh | sudo sh -s -- --purge  # remove the agent with its config and data
```

Without the command from the panel, project containers keep running until you stop them. Certificates in `/var/lib/nolay/caddy` survive `--purge` as well.

## Troubleshooting

| What you see | Why | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| The installer stopped at the check | The server does not fit or ports are taken | Look up the check code in the [reference](/en/reference/errors/#group-preflight) |
| The server stays Offline | No outgoing access to `api.nolay.ru:443` | Check the provider firewall and `journalctl -u nolay-agent` |
| Code `4003` in the log | The token does not match or was revoked | Add the server again and run the new command |

## Next

Create your [first project](/en/start/first-project/).