Scale-to-zero for self-hosted apps
waker
Keep infrequently used apps available without leaving each process running. Waker sits between your reverse proxy and the app. When a request arrives, it starts the app, checks that it’s ready, and serves a starting page to browser visitors while they wait.
After the app has been idle for the interval you set, waker stops it and frees resources for other services. For a host running several apps, you can set priorities and declare dependencies that should wake together.
Waker runs as a single binary and manages apps directly from their start commands. It fits on a small VPS without adding a container runtime.
Quick start
Run the installer below. When prompted, press Enter to start guided setup.
curl -fsSL https://releases.nomadware.io/waker/install.sh | sh -sCommand reference
waker init- Create a configuration for an app.
waker check- Validate the configuration.
waker serve- Run the proxy and manage apps on demand.
waker service install- Install waker as a systemd user service or macOS LaunchAgent.
waker setup- Reuse an existing waker.yaml or walk through creating one, then offer to install waker as a background service.