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 | Unlimited BYOD slots for free | 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.
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 *.mydargo.com subdomain 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.