Standalone deployment

This guide is for an independently operated Clear instance. When Clear is part of a Mainstay instance, Mainstay owns its configuration, data, start, update, and recovery lifecycle; operate it from the Mainstay deployment directory.

Install and configure

Use a dedicated checkout or release directory for each instance. Create the runtime environment and replace every required placeholder with independently generated material:

cp .env.example .env
# Set CLEAR_MASTER_SECRET, CLEAR_OPERATOR_TOKEN, and CLEAR_MINT_SERVICE_NSEC.
docker compose config --quiet
docker compose up --build --detach

Keep .env, the deployment revision, and the clear-data volume associated with the same instance. The volume contains the mint database and privileged root wallet. The configured service key supplies the mint's stable communication identity; commissioning and treasury authority remain separate operator actions.

Clear binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. For remote access, select the required LAN, VPN, or reverse-proxy interface explicitly and protect that path with appropriate network policy and HTTPS.

Verify

docker compose ps
curl --fail http://127.0.0.1:3339/health
docker compose exec clear clear-root info

A healthy process is not the same as a commissioned service or enabled treasury. Verify those states independently before issuing value.

Update

From the dedicated deployment checkout:

./refresh-containers.sh

The script refuses tracked working-tree changes, performs only a fast-forward source update, validates Compose, rebuilds and recreates the container, and waits for Clear's health check. It does not rotate secrets, change commissioning, or alter treasury policy.

Back up and recover

Back up the clear-data volume together with the protected .env, deployment revision, and local operating policy. Stop Clear while taking a simple volume backup so the SQLite database and root wallet are captured consistently. Test the recovery procedure without allowing two active instances to share the same state or service key.

Stop and retire

docker compose stop or docker compose down stops the service without deleting the named volume. Do not use docker compose down --volumes for a routine stop. Retirement of a mint, its service identity, or its currency authority is a separate governance decision and should be recorded before state is destroyed.