What is BYOD?
BYOD — Bring Your Own Device — is the other way to run Dargo. Instead of buying our preconfigured hardware, you install the Dargo system on a Linux machine you already own. The portal at my.dargo.net sees your machine the same way it sees a Dargo device: you install apps from the AppStore, point a domain at your apps, and Dargo handles tunnels, certs, and updates.
BYOD is currently in closed beta — applicants are reviewed manually and approved invitees receive an invitation code by email. The application form is short.
How it compares
Side-by-side with our preconfigured Hardware option. The BYOD pricing model below is permanent — it doesn't change between closed beta, future open beta, or general availability.
| Comparison dimension | Hardware Preconfigured device | BYOD Beta Your Linux box |
|---|---|---|
| Upfront cost | $499 (4 GB / 256 GB), $599 (8 GB / 512 GB), and more — one-time | $0 — use a Linux machine you already own |
| Hardware | Preconfigured Dargo device — industrial-grade hardware optimized for the Dargo system, out-of-the-box | Anything Linux x86_64 or arm64 with Docker + systemd (PC, laptop, NAS, Pi) — check System requirements on this page |
| First-time setup | Plug in, scan QR, claim the device in the portal | Run a one-line install command on your box, claim the device in the portal |
| Free traffic per device | 500 GB / month | 2 GB / month |
| Traffic overage rates | $0.40 / GB (500 GB – 2 TB), $0.25 / GB above 2 TB | $0.40 / GB above the free allowance, $0.25 / GB above 2 TB |
| When balance hits zero | Throttled — device stays online at reduced speed, never goes offline | Paused — device pauses until you top up |
| BYOD slots on the account | 10 BYOD slots free; extra slots $19 one-time each | 1 free; extra slots $19 one-time each (non-refundable, re-usable on delete) |
| App ecosystem | Full AppStore (65+ open-source apps), custom Docker apps, developer mode | Same — full AppStore, custom Docker apps, developer mode |
| Availability | Generally available — order from the store | Closed beta — apply for an invite |
| Best for | "Buy and forget" — no Linux admin overhead, predictable cost ceiling | You already have a spare PC, laptop, or Pi and want Dargo's system on top |
Quick start — get a site live in minutes
Apply for closed beta
Submit the short form at my.dargo.net/welcome?apply=1. We review applications manually; you'll get an invitation code by email when approved (usually within 24 hours).
Sign up + claim your account
Use the code in the email to sign up at my.dargo.net. The portal walks you through adding your first BYOD device.
Verify a payment method. Before the first BYOD device, the portal asks you to add a card via Stripe. The card is only verified — nothing is charged. It covers overage traffic above the 2 GB free monthly BYOD allowance. Hardware buyers (Dargo Mini Server) are exempt.
Run the install command on your Linux box
The portal generates a single-line install command unique to your device. Paste it into a terminal:
curl -fsSL https://install.dargo.net/install/<your-token> | sudo bashThis installs Docker, the Dargo agent, and starts the service. Takes about a minute on most boxes.
Pick an app from the AppStore
Back in the portal, browse 65+ open-source apps — Ghost, WordPress, Nextcloud, Discourse, and more — and hit install. Pick a free *.dargo.app subdomain (BYOD's dedicated zone) or point a custom domain at it. Certs are auto-issued. Your site is live.
System requirements
Dargo's BYOD agent currently runs on Linux only. Below is what works today + how to get there if you're on macOS or Windows.
Linux (x86_64 or arm64)
Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, Arch, Raspberry Pi OS, Alpine — any modern distro with systemd and Docker support works. Both 64-bit Intel/AMD and ARM (Raspberry Pi 4 / 5, Apple silicon under Linux, etc.) are supported.
Run the install command from step 3 above. That's it.
Windows · use WSL
Windows itself isn't supported, but Windows Subsystem for Linux is — install WSL with Ubuntu, then run the install command inside WSL. From an elevated PowerShell:
wsl --install -d UbuntuOpen the new Ubuntu terminal, then run the dargo install command exactly as you would on a Linux box.
macOS · use a VM
macOS isn't supported directly. Spin up a small Linux VM and install Dargo inside it. Free options:
- Multipass — Canonical's one-command Ubuntu VM
- OrbStack — fast macOS-native Linux VMs
- UTM — open-source emulator built on QEMU
Inside the VM, run the install command as you would on any Linux box.
Hardware sizing — what's "enough"?
Dargo doesn't need much. Typical resource use per app:
- CPU: 1 core is fine for a personal site; 2+ cores recommended if you plan to run several apps in parallel
- RAM: 2 GB minimum, 4 GB+ recommended (each app runs in its own Docker container)
- Disk: 16 GB+ — most apps + data fit comfortably under that; storage-heavy apps like Nextcloud or PhotoPrism want more
- Network: outbound HTTPS only (the agent connects out to our tunnel server). You do not need a public IP, port forwarding, or any router configuration.
How it stays secure
- No open ports. Traffic flows through an outbound tunnel from your box to our edge — you never expose a port on your home router. Your home IP is never visible to visitors.
- Auto-issued certs. Every app gets a valid HTTPS certificate, refreshed automatically. Custom domain or subdomain — both work.
- Your data, your box. Apps run in Docker on your machine. We don't store your app data; only routing metadata + traffic billing live on our side.