Installing Alta

Download and run the installer, then start the configuration wizard to create your first Alta service.

Requirements

Linux x86-64. We recommend using Fedora 42.
root access or sudo for the one-time install.
curl and tar.
Internet connection for periodic license validation (connects to ls4.cesbo.com).

Install

If you are updating an existing installation, back up your configuration and license before running the installer.

Run the installer
Terminal window
```
curl -fsSL https://alta.cesbo.com/install.sh | sh
```
The installer checks that the server is Linux x86-64, downloads the latest stable build, and installs the binary to /usr/local/bin/alta. If you are not running as root, it uses sudo to install the binary.
Start the configuration wizard
Terminal window
```
sudo /usr/local/bin/alta init
```
The wizard creates the configuration file and can register Alta as a systemd service.

If Alta is already installed, the installer only updates /usr/local/bin/alta. It does not restart running services. Restart your Alta service to use the new binary:

sudo systemctl restart alta
sudo systemctl status alta --no-pager

Replace alta with your service name if you chose a different name in the wizard. If several services use this binary, restart each service you want to update.

For public testing, use the shared license. No activation in your Cesbo profile is needed:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/alta
echo '{"l":"11a4ae46b8981cdd7e39f880ca778a71e568fa6a"}' | sudo tee /etc/alta/license.txt >/dev/null

If your configuration is not in /etc/alta, save license.txt next to it. Then open the web interface → Check license → Re-check now. No restart is needed.

Configuration Wizard

The initialization wizard prepares a new service on your system. Each service has its own configuration file, management port, and unique name. Launch the initialization wizard with this command:

sudo /usr/local/bin/alta init

Service name: Unique identifier for the service.
Config path: Full path to config file; directories created as needed.
Admin login: Username for first admin.
Admin password: Set and confirm password (not visible while typing).
Management port: API/Web UI port. Default 8100.
OTT Port: Port for viewers to receive HLS streams. Default 8102.
Add to systemd: Registers the service for system management.
Launch on startup: Enable if added to systemd.
Start service: Launch immediately.

A port without an address (e.g., 8100) listens on all network interfaces. An address with a port (e.g., 127.0.0.1:8100) accepts connections only on that address, so 127.0.0.1 is reachable from the local machine only.

You can run multiple services using unique service names and ports. Read more: Manage Alta Services

Install a specific build

For beta testing, support, or rollback, you can install a specific build instead of the latest stable release:

alta_tmp=$(mktemp -d) &&
curl -fL https://cdn.cesbo.com/alta/builds/alta-261019 -o "$alta_tmp/alta" &&
sudo install -m 0755 "$alta_tmp/alta" /usr/local/bin/alta &&
rm -r "$alta_tmp"

Replace 261019 with the build you need. Download links for releases are listed in the Changelog.

On a new installation, run the configuration wizard:

sudo /usr/local/bin/alta init

On an existing installation, restart the service to load the new binary:

sudo systemctl restart alta
sudo systemctl status alta --no-pager

Replace alta with your service name if you chose a different name in the wizard. If several services use this binary, restart each service you want to update.

Access Web Interface

Your service is ready to use. Connect to the Web Interface using any web browser. If you kept the default port 8100, the interface address will be http://server-address:8100 where server-address is your server IP or hostname. To log in, use the admin login and password you defined in the wizard. If you forgot the password, see Change Password.

Viewers receive streams on the OTT port, for example http://server-address:8102/<channel>/index.m3u8. You can check or change the port in Settings → HTTP Servers. Read more: URL Format

If the interface is not reachable, check the server firewall. Allow TCP access to the management port (default 8100) from trusted administrator addresses, and to the OTT port (default 8102) from viewer networks. Use your configured ports if they differ from the defaults.