> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.nerdit.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Engine

> Deploy and operate applications, AI models, and databases on your own machine.

Nerdit Engine is the local service (`nerditd`) that runs on a machine you control. It builds applications, supervises Docker containers, manages local models and databases, and can give applications HTTPS URLs through its bundled Caddy proxy.

You can operate it with the CLI, its local dashboard, the HTTP API, or an MCP client. Linking an Engine to the [App](/app/) adds account-based remote access. Local workloads keep running when the App or the network is unavailable.

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Deploy your first application" icon="rocket" href="/engine/quickstart">Follow the installation-to-deployment walkthrough.</Card>
  <Card title="Install or upgrade" icon="download" href="/engine/installation">Choose your platform and manage an installed Engine.</Card>
  <Card title="Connect an AI agent" icon="terminal" href="/engine/mcp">Use the same governed operations through MCP.</Card>
  <Card title="Recover your data" icon="database" href="/engine/backup-recovery">Understand what each backup contains before restoring it.</Card>
</CardGroup>

## How the pieces fit

| Component                          | Responsibility                                                                                          |
| ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Engine (`nerditd`)                 | Builds and reconciles workloads, stores configuration, enforces permissions, and records events.        |
| Docker                             | Runs application, model, and database containers on the Engine machine.                                 |
| Caddy                              | Optional HTTPS routing to applications, with internal or public certificates.                           |
| CLI (`nerdit`) and local dashboard | Operate the Engine directly. The dashboard is included in the Engine installation.                      |
| App                                | Manages your account and remote connections to linked Engines. It is separate from the local dashboard. |

The default API and local dashboard address is `http://127.0.0.1:9321`. Applications have their own loopback ports. [Enable the proxy](/engine/networking) when you need HTTPS application URLs; installation alone does not enable it.

## Choose a workflow

* [Deploy from a folder or Git repository](/engine/deploy), then [inspect, restart, or diagnose services](/engine/operations).
* [Serve a model or bind an external AI API](/engine/ai).
* [Provision Postgres or Redis and connect an application](/engine/databases).
* [Configure authentication and security boundaries](/engine/security) before sharing access.
* [Use the App](/app/) to reach a linked Engine remotely.

Nerdit is a single-machine platform. Do not assume it provides a multi-node scheduler, application composition, cron scheduling, or a local AI gateway beyond the model bindings described here.