Skip to main content

Start9

Start9 is a personal server platform for self-hosting open-source software. Fedimint is available as a community-maintained service through the Start9 Community Registry.

Prerequisites:

Install Fedimint​

1

Open the Marketplace

StartOS home screen with sidebar navigationSidebar zoomed in showing Marketplace optionStart9 Registry marketplace page
1 of 3

From the StartOS home screen, click Marketplace in the sidebar. This opens the Start9 Registry — the default source of apps maintained by the Start9 team.

2

Switch to Community Registry

Start9 Registry with Change button visibleChange Registry dialog with Community Registry selectedCommunity Registry marketplace page with purple banner
1 of 3

Fedimint is published in the Community Registry, not the default Start9 Registry. Click Change below the registry name, then select Community Registry.

3

Find Fedimint

Community Registry search results showing FedimintFedimint marketplace listing with Install button and Bitcoin Knots dependency
1 of 2

Search for fedimint in the Community Registry. Click the result to open the listing — you'll see version information, a description, and a Bitcoin node listed as a dependency.

note

The listing may show Bitcoin Knots specifically, but Fedimint works with any Bitcoin node available on StartOS (Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots).

4

Install

Fedimint marketplace listing with Install buttonInstallation progress showing Downloading, Validating, and UnpackingFedimint service page showing Needs Config status
1 of 3

Click Install. Fedimint requires a Bitcoin node — if one is already installed, continue. If not, you'll need to install one first (Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots) from the Marketplace and return here. After installation completes, Fedimint appears under Services with a Needs Config status.

info

Fedimint requires the Bitcoin node to be fully synced before it can operate. If you just installed a Bitcoin node, initial sync may take hours to days depending on your hardware. This does not apply if you configure Fedimint to use an Esplora API instead.

5

Configure and start

Service page zoomed in showing Configure and Launch UI buttonsConfig dialog showing Backend Type set to Bitcoin Core (Recommended)Fedimint service page showing Stopped status with Start button
1 of 3

Click Configure to review the default settings before first launch — see Change configuration for details on each option. Click Save, then Start to launch Fedimint.

Open the Guardian UI​

1

Launch the Guardian UI

Fedimint service page showing Running status with Stop, Restart, and Launch UI buttonsFedimint Guardian UI setup page
1 of 2

Once Fedimint is running, click Launch UI on the service page. This opens the Guardian UI — the web interface you'll use to set up and manage your federation.

The first time you open the Guardian UI, it walks you through the founding process. Follow the Founding a Federation guide to complete this with your co-guardians.

Operate Fedimint​

All management options are available on the Fedimint service page under Services in the sidebar.

Management controls

Fedimint service page showing Menu section with Instructions, Config, Properties, Actions, Interfaces, Logs, and Marketplace ListingMenu section zoomed in
1 of 2

The service page shows the current status, health checks, and a Menu section with:

  • Config — change the backend type or log directives
  • Properties — view runtime information and credentials
  • Actions — uninstall the service
  • Interfaces — view network access points for the Guardian UI
  • Logs — view raw service logs

Start, stop, and restart​

Service controls

Fedimint service page showing Stop, Restart, and Launch UI buttons

When Fedimint is running, the service page shows Stop, Restart, and Launch UI buttons at the top. Use these to control the service or re-open the Guardian UI.

Change configuration​

Config

Config dialog showing Backend Type and Advanced SettingsConfig dialog with Backend Type dropdown showing Bitcoin Core and Esplora options
1 of 2

Select Config from the menu. You must stop the service before making changes — click Save and restart when done.

  • Backend Type
    • Bitcoin Core (Recommended) — connects to a local Bitcoin node on your Start9 server (Bitcoin Core or Bitcoin Knots).
    • Esplora — connects to an external block explorer API (e.g. https://mempool.space/api). No local node required — useful for quick setup or testing.
  • Advanced Settings
    • Rust Log Directives — adjust log verbosity (e.g. info,fm::server=debug,fm::consensus=trace).

View logs​

Service Logs

Service Logs viewer showing Fedimint startup output

Select Logs from the menu to view raw service output. Click Download to export them.

Remove Fedimint​

To uninstall, select Actions from the menu and click Uninstall.

warning

Uninstalling permanently deletes all Fedimint data including federation keys. Make sure you have coordinated with your co-guardians before removing a guardian node.

Advanced access​

StartOS supports SSH access to the server and direct container access for advanced debugging.

SSH terminal

SSH terminal connected to Start9 server showing StartOS welcome message

Connect to your Start9 server over SSH using its .local hostname. From here you can inspect system state, view container status, and access the Fedimint container. See the StartOS SSH guide for setup instructions.

Fedimint container shell

SSH terminal showing podman ps output and exec command to enter the Fedimint containerFedimint container shell showing CLI tools
1 of 2

From the SSH terminal, list running containers with sudo podman ps --all, then enter the Fedimint container:

sudo podman exec -it fedimintd.embassy bash

Inside the container you have access to fedimint-cli, fedimint-dbtool, fedimint-recoverytool, and more. See the StartOS container access guide for more details.