CodeHero · Your own software factory

Installation guide

Install in a VM on Linux.

A virtual machine with virt-manager (KVM), on a Linux computer — Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora and others. CodeHero stays separate from your own system.

Installation is manual for now: you create the machine, install Ubuntu and run the installer from the release ZIP.

← All installation guides

What you need

A computer with at least 1 CPU core, 4 GB RAM and 40 GB free disk for CodeHero, plus an ordinary internet connection. With 8 GB RAM it runs comfortably.
Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS — the guides use this version.
The CodeHero release ZIP supplied with your licence: codehero-pro-release-X.Y.Z-x86_64.zip for this route (X.Y.Z is the version).

Create the virtual machine

Install virt-manager — Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install -y virt-manager · Fedora: sudo dnf install -y virt-manager. Add yourself to the libvirt group (sudo usermod -aG libvirt $USER) and log out and in again.
Download the Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS ISO (x86_64).
In virt-manager choose File → New Virtual Machine → Local install media and select the ISO.
Memory: 4096 MB or more (8192 MB runs comfortably). CPUs: 1 or more. Disk: 40 GB or more. Name it codehero.
Keep the network on the default virtual network (NAT): your computer reaches Ubuntu at the address it gets.

Install Ubuntu

Start the machine from the Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS ISO. Choose language and keyboard.
Keep the network settings the installer finds; note the IP address it shows.
Choose “Use an entire disk” — inside a virtual machine this is the virtual disk you created, not your computer’s disk.
Create your user name and password, and remember them.
Tick “Install OpenSSH server”: you will use it to copy the ZIP in. Skip the optional extras.
When it finishes, choose “Reboot Now”, remove the ISO if asked, and log in with your user.

Copy the ZIP into Ubuntu

In Ubuntu, find its address:

hostname -I

On your own computer, open a terminal (on Windows: PowerShell; on Mac: Terminal) in the folder where the ZIP is, and copy it in — replace USER with your Ubuntu user and IP with the address:

scp codehero-pro-release-X.Y.Z-x86_64.zip USER@IP:~

Type your Ubuntu password when asked. The ZIP lands in your home folder in Ubuntu.

Install CodeHero

In Ubuntu (directly, or over ssh USER@IP from your computer):

sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y unzip
sudo mv ~/codehero-pro-release-*.zip /root/
sudo su
cd /root
unzip codehero-pro-release-*.zip
cd codehero
chmod +x setup.sh
./setup.sh

Optional, before ./setup.sh: set your own passwords in install.conf (nano install.conf).

The installer sets up the database, the web panel and the services. It takes about 10–15 minutes; keep the terminal open. At the end it shows the addresses and the sign-in details.

Open the panel

On your computer, open a browser at https://IP:9453. The browser warns about the certificate the first time, because it is created on your machine — continue to the site. Sign in with the details the installer showed (by default admin / admin123) and change the passwords at once:

sudo /opt/codehero/scripts/change-passwords.sh

Then connect at least one AI in the panel’s settings: an API key, or a sign-in to a subscription (Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build). Your applications open on port 9867.

Upgrade

Copy the new release ZIP in the same way, extract it and run the upgrade. Projects, tickets and settings are kept.

sudo su
cd /root
rm -rf codehero codehero-pro-release-*.zip
mv /home/USER/codehero-pro-release-*.zip /root/
unzip codehero-pro-release-*.zip
cd codehero
./upgrade.sh

If something fails

If the panel does not open, check that Ubuntu is running, that the address is the current one (hostname -I) and that the services are up:

sudo systemctl status codehero-web codehero-daemon mysql nginx

Restart them with sudo systemctl restart codehero-web codehero-daemon.

Questions people ask

All the articles

Am I tied to one AI company?

No. CodeHero works with many AI companies at once and with models on your own hardware. You can change company or model at any time — the project, its rules and its history stay. Read the article

Do my passwords and keys reach the AI company?

No. Passwords and keys you store as secrets are used by your application, but their values are never sent to the AI service. Read the article

Why do several AIs work on the same job?

Because one AI does not catch its own blind spots. In CodeHero one model builds and a model from a different company checks; problems go back for repair and are checked again. Read the article

How does CodeHero compare with other AI coding tools?

It is a different kind of thing. Coding tools help a person who writes code. CodeHero does the whole job — asks, plans, builds, checks, hosts and maintains — for the person who knows the business. Read the article

If CodeHero writes the code, what is my role?

You become the advisor: you decide the business rules, approve the plan and accept the result. CodeHero is the developer that asks, builds, checks and maintains. Read the article

How does the AI keep its memory on long jobs?

With memory folding: when the AI has finished with a long result it keeps a short note of what matters and puts the rest away — it can open it again at any time. So it works much longer without losing the thread. Read the article

How does the AI avoid forgetting or getting confused on a big project?

The factory gives it structure: smart tickets with one clear job each, a change ledger of every decision, a map of the code and search by meaning. The AI reads what it needs instead of guessing — which also saves a lot of cost. Read the article

Why do you call it a factory and not a tool?

Because it runs the whole production line on its own — planning, building, independent checking, repair, delivery and maintenance — with stations, rules and records, like a factory. A tool waits for a person to use it. Read the article

How can this change the world of applications?

When the person who knows the work can get software made, checked, hosted and maintained without a development team, software can be made for every business and every need — not only for those that can afford a team. Read the article

What does CodeHero mean for developers?

Less repetitive work and fewer late nights. The factory takes the routine building, checking and fixing; developers decide the architecture, review what matters and handle the hard problems. Read the article

Why does CodeHero host the applications too?

Because building and running belong together. The application runs where it was built, with its domain, secure connection, backups and recovery — and every later change returns to the same factory. No separate hosting panel to learn. Read the article

What technology do the applications use?

Always open, widely used technologies — PHP and MySQL first, and others such as Node, Python or .NET when the job needs them. Your application is never locked into a proprietary platform. Read the article

Why use AI subscriptions instead of paying per use?

Because in our own measurements, for heavy daily work, a subscription has cost up to about 40 times less than paying per use for the same work. CodeHero runs the subscription AI tools (Claude Code, Codex, Grok Build) as workers in the factory. Read the article

What happens to the knowledge about my project?

It is built up and kept inside your installation: decisions, rules, changes and their reasons, next to the code. A new person or a new AI continues from there — the knowledge does not leave with them. Read the article

Can small local AI models do real work?

Inside the factory, yes — more than on their own. Small, clear tickets, a checklist for finishing, tool help and a stronger model that checks the result let small models on your own hardware do much of the building. Read the article