A personal cloud that's actually personal
Roost is a platform for apps that run on hardware you own. Easy enough to use if you've never opened a terminal. Powerful enough to build on if you have.
For you
Your photos, music, messages, and files deserve to live on a machine you control. Roost makes that possible without any of the usual headaches.
Your data lives on your hardware—a spare laptop, a Raspberry Pi, an old Mac Mini. No cloud account. No terms of service. No one can lock you out of what's yours.
Every app runs in a secure sandbox. Apps can't see each other, can't access your filesystem, and can't phone home. Your data never leaves your network unless you want it to.
No surprise policy changes. No service shutdowns. No price hikes. Roost is free, open source software that works as long as your hardware does.
Download one file. Run it. That's the whole setup. No Docker, no config files, no reverse proxies. Browse the app catalog, install what you want, and invite your family.
App catalog
Install real apps in seconds. Each one runs in its own secure sandbox on your machine. No cloud account needed.
Real-time family messaging that never leaves your network. No account on someone else's server. Your conversations are yours alone.
CommunicationYour music library, on your terms. Upload, browse, search, and listen. Full metadata extraction, favorites, and shared listening.
MediaOrganize and browse your photo collection. Upload from any device, create albums, and share with your household.
MediaYour personal video library. Upload, organize into collections, and stream with lazy transcoding from any device.
MediaRead EPUBs, PDFs, and audiobooks. Upload your library and pick up where you left off on any device.
MediaCollaborative document editing with real-time sync. Your documents stay on your machine, always available.
ProductivityClient-encrypted password manager with per-user vaults. Your secrets never leave your device unencrypted.
SecurityCalendar, podcasts, file explorer, todo lists, board, chess, Go—browse the full catalog or build your own.
Browse catalogAccess anywhere
Roost works in any browser. Native apps for iOS and macOS add push notifications, photo backup, and offline support.
For developers
Skip the infrastructure. Roost gives you a runtime, a database, real-time sync, auth, and file uploads out of the box. You write TypeScript. We handle the rest.
Write your server in TypeScript, build your UI with React. Type-safe server/client communication is generated for you. Hot reload keeps your feedback loop instant.
Package your app into a single zip. Users install it with one click. No Docker, no CI/CD pipelines, no cloud providers. The runtime handles everything.
Publish to the Roost app catalog and reach every Roost user. No app store review process. No middleman taking a cut. Ship directly to people who value their privacy.
class Server {
db: Database
events: Events
users: Users
open(userId: string) {
const user = this.db.get(
`select * from users
where id = ?`, userId
)
this.events.emit("welcome", user)
}
process(msg: Message) {
this.db.run(
`insert into messages
values (?, ?)`, msg.id, msg.body
)
this.events.emit("newMessage", msg)
}
}Roost is free, open source, and almost ready. Sign up to be the first to hear when it launches.
No spam. Just a heads-up when Roost is ready.