Want to run the server on your Mac? Grab the app, drag it to Applications, and you’re running. The .dmg bundles the server with its own Java runtime — nothing else to install.
What you’ll need
- macOS 11 or later, Apple Silicon or Intel
Step by step
1. Download
Get the .dmg from the Downloads page.
[image] Downloads page with the macOS section highlighted
2. Install
Open the .dmg and drag InstantIoT Server into Applications.
[image] Dragging InstantIoT Server into the Applications folder
3. First launch
Launch it from Applications. The server starts quietly in the background, adds an icon to your menu bar, and opens your browser at http://localhost:8080.
The first time, macOS may warn that the app is from an unidentified developer — that’s expected for a young open-source app. Right-click the app in Applications, choose Open, and confirm. You only do this once.
[image] Gatekeeper dialog, then the browser opening on the login screen
4. First login
Sign in at the admin login screen with:
- Username:
admin - Password:
admin
You’ll set a real password straight away — the default only gets you to the password-change screen. Pick a strong one and you’re at your dashboard.
[image] Admin login screen
Locked out later? Create the file
~/.instantiot/reset-admin(runtouch ~/.instantiot/reset-adminin Terminal), then quit and relaunch the app. The password goes back toadmin.
5. Connect from the app
Open the InstantIoT app on your phone, on the same Wi-Fi.
Your Mac should appear automatically in the app’s server list — tap it and sign in. If it doesn’t show up, add it by hand: your Mac’s IP (shown on the admin panel’s Overview tab), port 8080, and your new password.
And that’s it — your Mac running the server, your phone running the dashboard. 🎉
[image] App connection sheet with server details filled in
Good to know
- Your data lives in
~/.instantiot/— database, backups, config. - Start it at login? Add the app under System Settings → General → Login Items.
- Phone won’t connect? Make sure both devices are on the same Wi-Fi.
Need more — ports, password reset details, running from source? It’s all in Server reference.
Next
→ Admin Panel — tour of the admin panel. → Apps / Server Mode — connect from your phone. → Library / Manage Connections — connect your ESP32 from a sketch.
InstantIoT Server is free and open source under AGPLv3 — see the code.