> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.sure.am/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Self-hosting with Render

> Deploy Sure on Render using one-click deploy templates

[Render](https://render.com) 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.

## 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.

| Option | What it deploys | `latest` | `stable` |
| - | - | - | - |
| **Sure - No AI** | Web server, Sidekiq worker, Render Postgres, and Render Key Value. AI tokens are intentionally blank. | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-no-ai-latest) | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-no-ai) |
| **Sure - Simple AI** | Sure with OpenAI-backed AI, pgvector-ready Postgres, Sidekiq, and Render Key Value. Render prompts for your OpenAI token during setup. | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-simple-ai-latest) | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-simple-ai) |
| **Sure - External AI** | Sure with external assistant settings plus AlphaClaw, which manages the OpenClaw gateway on Render. | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-external-ai-latest) | [Deploy to Render](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/we-promise/sure-render-templates/tree/sure-external-ai) |

> [!NOTE]
>
> 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.

## How it works

Each template uses a `render.yaml` Blueprint file from the [sure-render-templates](https://github.com/we-promise/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.

## 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.

## 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](/self-hosting) — the same environment variables apply.


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