Install on Linux

On a Linux machine with systemd (x86_64 or arm64), run:

curl -fsSL https://releases.niftyware.io/beta/install.sh | sudo sh

It asks how you'll reach Nifty, shows its plan and asks Continue? before changing anything. When Nifty is up, it prints a one-time setup link: open it and choose your name, username and password. Nifty then offers a 14-day free trial or a place to paste your licence key (Your licence).

What the machine needs: Requirements.

Choose how you'll reach Nifty

Answer	Flag	More
Over Tailscale	--tailscale	Tailscale
At a domain, with a free Let's Encrypt certificate	--letsencrypt DOMAIN	HTTPS
… when the internet can't reach this machine	--letsencrypt DOMAIN --dns cloudflare	HTTPS
At a domain, with a certificate I already have	--tls-cert FILE --tls-key FILE --origin URL	HTTPS
Through my own proxy	--origin URL	Behind a proxy
Only from this machine	--local	http://127.0.0.1:4000

Tailscale is offered first when it's up on the machine.

Install without questions

Pass the answer as flags, plus --yes to skip Continue?. With no terminal (a provisioning script), flags are required:

curl -fsSL https://releases.niftyware.io/beta/install.sh | sudo sh -s -- --letsencrypt notes.example.com --yes

Flag	Does
--no-tailscale-operator	With --tailscale: run tailscale serve once instead of letting Nifty manage it (why)
--letsencrypt-staging	With --letsencrypt: use Let's Encrypt's staging server, for trials (browsers won't trust it)
--listen HOST:PORT	With your own proxy: where Nifty listens (default 127.0.0.1:4000)
--trusted-proxies LIST	With your own proxy: proxies whose X-Forwarded-For to believe (default 127.0.0.1)
--yes	Don't ask Continue?

curl -fsSL https://releases.niftyware.io/beta/install.sh | sh -s -- --help lists them all. For Cloudflare, pass the API token in CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN, never as a flag: curl … | sudo --preserve-env=CLOUDFLARE_API_TOKEN sh -s -- …. Without it, the script asks for it, unseen.

What it installs

Path	What
/usr/local/bin/nifty	The program
/var/lib/nifty	Your data: back it up
/etc/nifty.env	Settings (root:nifty, mode 640)
nifty.service	The service, run as the nifty user
/etc/systemd/system/nifty.service.d/ports.conf	Only when Nifty serves HTTPS itself: lets it use ports 443 and 80

It checks the download against SHA256SUMS, and that file's signature too if minisign is installed.

Change a setting

Edit /etc/nifty.env, then restart:

sudo systemctl restart nifty

Every setting is in Configuration. Running install.sh again keeps the program, settings and data, and ignores any flags you pass.

The beta channel

Install from https://releases.niftyware.io/beta/install.sh to get betas. The server stays on beta until you change it: see Updates and channels.

Check on it

systemctl status nifty
journalctl -u nifty -f

If it doesn't start

• Waiting for systemd to report the network online: systemd waits for network-online.target before starting Nifty, which takes minutes on some machines. Nifty starts once it's done.
• Let's Encrypt fails: the script stops with the reason and when Nifty tries again. See HTTPS.
• Anything else: journalctl -u nifty -n 50 says why. Fix /etc/nifty.env, then sudo systemctl restart nifty.