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Getting Started

You operate the ThinForge interface in your browser. This section covers the essentials: installation, opening the server, the one-time setup wizard, signing in and a short tour of the interface.

Installation

ThinForge runs as a Docker stack on a server in your local network (Debian or Ubuntu). A bootstrap script handles the installation; you run it once on the fresh server:

./bootstrap-release.sh

It downloads the ThinForge components, sets up the base configuration including automatically generated access secrets (no manual editing needed) and starts the whole stack. Afterwards the web interface is reachable at the server's address.

Note: You get the bootstrap script from your ThinForge provider. git must be present on the server; the script installs all other dependencies itself.

Open the server

Reach the web interface via your ThinForge server's HTTPS address:

https://<server-hostname-or-ip>/

On first access the browser shows a certificate warning — the installation ships with a self-signed certificate. Once you install your own certificate (see Settings), the warning disappears.

Setup wizard

The very first time you open ThinForge after a fresh install, the setup wizard appears. It walks you through the basic configuration in six steps:

  1. Create admin account — email, display name, password. You add more users later in Settings.
  2. Server identity — hostname and local domain.
  3. DHCP / PXE — subnet and IP range for booting new devices, plus the upstream DNS.
  4. NTP — time server (default 0.pool.ntp.org).
  5. HTTPS / TLS — a self-signed certificate is created.
  6. Summary — review all entries and finish.

When you finish, you land on the Dashboard. The tools ISO for provisioning new devices is not built during setup, but on the first start of the cloning VM.

Signing in

After setup you sign in with the admin credentials you just created. Additional operator and viewer accounts are created in Settings.

Forgot your password? Sending a reset link by email is not available yet. Have another admin reset the password in Settings instead.

The interface

The window is split into three areas:

  • Top bar — version, user menu, light/dark mode, language and logout.
  • Sidebar (left) — the menu items: Dashboard, Clients, Groups, Cloning, VPN, Network, Tasks, Reports, Settings, Logs, Info. Which ones are visible depends on your role.
  • Main area (right) — the content for the selected menu item, usually with an action bar at the top (New, Import, Export, Refresh).

Customise the dashboard

A gear icon sits in the top right of the dashboard. Use it to show and hide tiles and reorder them by dragging. The layout is saved locally in the browser (per device).