2.2 Service Startup and Access

Installation does not automatically start the service. Use the following commands to manage the lifecycle:

flocks start
flocks status
flocks logs
flocks restart
flocks stop

Where:

• flocks start: starts the backend and WebUI. On initial run, it automatically builds the WebUI.
• flocks status: checks the current service status.
• flocks logs: shows startup and runtime logs.
• flocks restart: forces a full service restart.
• flocks stop: stops the service.
• flocks --help: shows the full CLI usage.

Default Access URL

The default service URL is:

• Flocks service (WebUI and API): http://127.0.0.1:5173
• API requests are routed through the /api endpoint on the same host and port. For example, the health check is http://127.0.0.1:5173/api/health.

For remote access, explicitly specify the bind address for the unified service:

flocks start --host <host_ip>

If you are using Flocks only on the local machine, open http://127.0.0.1:5173 directly. If you deploy it on a cloud host, virtual machine, or LAN machine, explicitly change the bind address and expose only the unified service port.

Post-Startup Verification

After startup, verify the service in this order:

1. Run flocks status and confirm the service started successfully.
2. Run flocks logs and confirm there are no persistent errors.
3. Open http://127.0.0.1:5173 in a browser.
4. Verify the WebUI loads successfully without blank screens or persistent errors.
5. Complete initial account setup and default model configuration.

Remote Machine Deployment

If you deploy on a remote machine:

• The default bind address is still 127.0.0.1.
• Use flocks start --host 0.0.0.0 to listen on all network interfaces. Binding a specific internal IP is preferred.
• The WebUI and API are served from the same address and port, with API requests routed through the /api endpoint.
• For public-network deployment, restrict access through a reverse proxy, TLS, firewall, or security group.

After the service starts correctly, continue to First-Time Setup.