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Render is a cloud hosting platform that can run Sure with managed PostgreSQL, managed Redis (Key Value), and automatic HTTPS. The Render templates provision the web server and Sidekiq worker for you.

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One-click deploy options

Three templates are available depending on how you want to use AI features. Each is available in a latest (alpha) and stable channel.
Use latest for the most recent alpha release and stable for the latest stable release. If you are new to Sure, start with stable. Each alpha tag is automatically deployed to the Sure Render demo site, so the demo always reflects the latest latest release.

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How it works

Each template uses a render.yaml Blueprint file from the sure-render-templates repository. Render reads this file to create all the services, databases, and environment variables your deployment needs. Render expects the Blueprint file at the repository root of the target branch. The template branches in sure-render-templates are maintained separately from the main Sure codebase so that Render can read them directly.

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Choosing a template

  • No AI — suitable for users who want core budgeting and account tracking without LLM features. No API key is required.
  • Simple AI — adds the assistant, auto-categorization, and merchant detection backed by OpenAI. Render prompts for your OPENAI_API_KEY during setup. The Postgres database includes the pgvector extension for embeddings.
  • External AI — routes AI calls through an external agent (OpenClaw via AlphaClaw) instead of calling OpenAI directly. Choose this if you want to use an external AI provider or self-manage the gateway.

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After deploying

Once Render finishes provisioning:
  1. Open the generated .onrender.com URL.
  2. Create your first account. The first user to register is automatically assigned the super_admin role.
  3. To restrict future signups, go to Settings > Self-Hosting > Onboarding and set the mode to Invite-only or Closed.
For environment variable configuration, updates, backup setup, and troubleshooting, refer to the Docker self-hosting guide — the same environment variables apply.