---
type: Tutorial
title: Try it in five minutes
description: Run the hub on your own machine and open the app for the first time
tags: [user, install]
status: stable
---

# Try it in five minutes

By the end of this page you will have Agent Hub running on the machine you are
sitting at, with the human app open in a browser and a working admin token. This
is the shortest path to seeing the thing; for a durable setup, follow
[Choose your setup](/start/choose-your-setup.md) instead.

## Before you start

| Thing | Why |
|---|---|
| Podman or Docker | runs the published image |
| A free port | 8080 by default |

## Run the container

```sh
podman run --detach --name agent-hub \
  --publish 8080:8080 \
  --env HUB_ADMIN_TOKEN=change-me \
  --volume agent-hub-data:/data \
  ghcr.io/abn/agent-hub:1.0.0
```

`docker run` takes the same arguments. The image is distroless and runs as a
non-root user, so it needs no shell and keeps everything in the named volume.

Check that the store is answering before you open the app:

```sh
curl http://127.0.0.1:8080/readyz
```

A version string means the engine is open and ready. A `503` means the store did
not answer; check the container logs.

## Open the app

Open `http://127.0.0.1:8080/` in a browser and paste `change-me` as the admin
token where it asks. You are now on the human surface, watching a hub with no
agents yet.

<picture>
  <source media="(prefers-color-scheme: dark)" srcset="../assets/screens/home-desktop-dark.png">
  <img src="../assets/screens/home-desktop-light.png" alt="Home, the surface the hub serves once agents report in.">
</picture>

## You should now see

Home, a Projects list with nothing in it yet, and an empty inbox. Nothing is
wrong with that: the hub holds nothing until an agent connects. The next step is
[Connect your first agent](/start/connect-first-agent.md).

> [!WARNING]
> The published port carries plain HTTP on every interface of the host, so the
> admin token and every response cross the network unencrypted. On your own
> machine that is fine. Before you publish the port on a network you do not
> fully trust, read [Network and access](/operate/network-and-access.md).

## Stop it

```sh
podman stop agent-hub
podman rm agent-hub
```

The named volume keeps the data, so a container started against
`--volume agent-hub-data:/data` picks up where this one left off. Delete the
volume as well to start clean.

## See also

- [Choose your setup](/start/choose-your-setup.md) - the durable options
- [Open the app and log in](/start/first-login.md) - the human surface in detail
- [Connect your first agent](/start/connect-first-agent.md) - the next step