Running modes

Llooma runs in one of two modes, chosen at deploy time with PUBLIC_MODE. This is the decision everything else follows from: where data lives, who can see it, and whether provider API keys ever reach a browser.

local (default)

Single user, browser only. Sessions, knowledge, server connections and preferences all live in the browser’s localStorage, and you bring your own providers from Settings → Servers. No accounts, no database.

Best for personal use, a phone PWA, or the upcoming desktop app.

The catch: nothing syncs. Two browsers are two separate installations, and clearing site data clears everything. Export a backup from Settings → Data if that matters to you.

server

Multi-user, self-hosted. Users sign in with email and password, OIDC, or both. Data is stored server-side in SQLite per user, and provider API keys never leave the server. They are encrypted at rest and injected into requests server-side, so a signed-in user can use a model without ever being able to read the key behind it.

An admin configures the shared providers and which models to expose, and may allow users to add their own keys on top.

PUBLIC_MODE=server

All server-mode state lives under DATA_DIR, one directory to bind-mount to persist everything.

Why server mode exists

It is what makes device synchronisation possible (a conversation started on a phone continues on a laptop), and what makes a shared instance possible at all.

What changes between them

	local	server
Where data lives	Browser localStorage	SQLite under DATA_DIR, per user
Sync across devices	No	Yes
Accounts	None	Email + password and/or OIDC
Provider keys	In the browser	On the server, encrypted
Talking to a provider	Browser → provider, via /api/proxy	Browser → /api/llm, server → provider
Sharing settings	(none)	Admin can share and lock providers, prompts, tools

That last row is the reason the generic proxy is disabled outright in server mode: it takes whatever origin it is given and needs no signed-in user, which in front of a multi-user instance would be an open relay. See Security.