From Source

This guide runs HappyView directly with cargo run. If you'd rather use Docker Compose, see Local Development with Docker.

Prerequisites

• Rust (stable)
• (Optional) PostgreSQL 17+ if you prefer Postgres over the default SQLite

1. Clone and configure

git clone git@tangled.org:gamesgamesgamesgames.games/happyview
cd happyview
cp .env.example .env

Edit .env to point at your running services:

# SQLite (default — no setup needed, file created automatically)
DATABASE_URL=sqlite://data/happyview.db?mode=rwc
PUBLIC_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3000
SESSION_SECRET=change-me-in-production

Or if you prefer Postgres:

DATABASE_URL=postgres://happyview:happyview@localhost/happyview

See Configuration for all available variables and the database setup guide for details on both backends.

2. Create the database (Postgres only)

If using SQLite, skip this step — HappyView creates the database file automatically.

If using Postgres:

createdb happyview

Or if using a Postgres user with a password:

psql -c "CREATE DATABASE happyview;" -U postgres

HappyView runs migrations automatically on startup, so no manual migration step is needed.

3. Start HappyView

cargo run

HappyView starts on port 3000 (configurable via the PORT environment variable).

Next steps

Your HappyView instance is running. Follow the Statusphere tutorial to upload lexicons, add custom query logic, and start indexing records from the network.