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

# Install

> Docker, a binary, or a package on a machine you control.

Vasl is software you operate. The license email and the [account portal](https://vasl.sh/account/) deliver the key and the artifact. You choose the form that matches the host.

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Docker">
    Use Docker when the host already runs containers, or when you want the same image in a lab and in production. The image is the unit you upgrade.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Binary">
    Use the binary when you want a single file on a Linux host, with the service manager you already use.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Package">
    Use a package when the machine is managed with the rest of your fleet and you want upgrades to follow that tooling.
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Where it runs

Put the instance in a datacenter, on a cloud VM in your account, or on a network that never touches the public internet. A cloud VM you install yourself is still self-hosted. You size the machine for the concurrent sessions you run.

The license covers one instance. Run that instance where the publishers and the first players are closest.

## A second machine

Put your own load balancer in front when you need one, and keep a warm standby if the room cannot wait for a rebuild. You own that pair. Vasl does not ship a cluster control plane.

## Upgrades

Drain viewers, then restart. Shutdown hooks exist so a restart can leave a live room on purpose, after the drain, instead of cutting it mid-sentence. See [Operations](/operations) for metrics and logs while you do it.

<Note>
  Exact image names, package repositories, and service commands belong on this page once they are the ones shipped with the license. Until then, use the artifact from the portal.
</Note>


This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.