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

# Hosting Options

HipoCap, the Runtime Security & Governance Platform for AI Agents, can run as a private deployment or you can request a cloud demo.

## Try Hipocap Cloud (Book a Demo)

We currently offer Hipocap Cloud via guided onboarding. To try Hipocap Cloud:

1. [Book a demo with our team](https://hipocap.com/contact) or email us at [team@hipocap.com](mailto:team@hipocap.com).
2. We'll walk you through the platform's features, help you set up a project, and provide your API keys.
3. Receive test credentials for sandbox access or ask about a production setup.

<Info>
  We provide personalized onboarding and solutions architecture for Hipocap Cloud to ensure your use case is supported. Production access is available for qualified teams—book a live session to discuss.
</Info>

### Self-serve and Custom Use Cases

If you'd like to use Hipocap hands-on right away, consider running it self-hosted (see below) or let us know your requirements, and we'll help you get started.

### Usage

After receiving your credentials from the demo, initialize Hipocap in your application:

```python theme={null}
import os
from hipocap import Hipocap

# Read environment variables
HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL", "http://localhost:8006")
HIPOCAP_API_KEY = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_API_KEY")
HIPOCAP_USER_ID = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_USER_ID")
OBS_BASE_URL = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_BASE_URL", "http://localhost")
OBS_HTTP_PORT = int(os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_HTTP_PORT", "8000"))
OBS_GRPC_PORT = int(os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_GRPC_PORT", "8001"))

# Initialize Hipocap
Hipocap.initialize(
    project_api_key=HIPOCAP_API_KEY,
    base_url=OBS_BASE_URL,
    http_port=OBS_HTTP_PORT,
    grpc_port=OBS_GRPC_PORT,
    hipocap_base_url=HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL,
    hipocap_timeout=60,
    hipocap_user_id=HIPOCAP_USER_ID,
)
```

Next: When you have your credentials, begin setting up tracing by following the [Tracing guide](/tracing/introduction).

## Self-hosted (Docker Compose)

### Quick Start

Run the full Hipocap stack locally with Docker Compose:

```bash theme={null}
git clone https://github.com/hipocap/hipocap
cd hipocap
docker compose -f docker-compose-local-dev.yml up -d
```

The dashboard is available at `http://localhost:5667/`. Create a project through the onboarding flow, then grab your API key from project settings.

### Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file in the project root:

```bash theme={null}
# Database
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_secure_password
POSTGRES_DB=postgres
HIPOCAP_DB_NAME=hipocap_second

# Hipocap
HIPOCAP_API_KEY=your_hipocap_api_key
HIPOCAP_USER_ID=your_user_id
HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:8006
HIPOCAP_OBS_BASE_URL=http://localhost
HIPOCAP_OBS_HTTP_PORT=8000
HIPOCAP_OBS_GRPC_PORT=8001

# LLM Provider (for security analysis)
OPENAI_API_KEY=your_openai_or_openrouter_key
OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
OPENAI_MODEL=x-ai/grok-4.1-fast

# Optional: Model Configuration
GUARD_MODEL=meta-llama/Prompt-Guard-86M
HF_TOKEN=your_huggingface_token  # If needed for gated models
```

### Point the SDK to your local instance

<Info>
  Hipocap Shield currently supports Python only. TypeScript/JavaScript support is not available.
</Info>

```python theme={null}
import os
from hipocap import Hipocap

# Read environment variables
HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL", "http://localhost:8006")
HIPOCAP_API_KEY = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_API_KEY")
HIPOCAP_USER_ID = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_USER_ID")
OBS_BASE_URL = os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_BASE_URL", "http://localhost")
OBS_HTTP_PORT = int(os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_HTTP_PORT", "8000"))
OBS_GRPC_PORT = int(os.environ.get("HIPOCAP_OBS_GRPC_PORT", "8001"))

# Initialize Hipocap
Hipocap.initialize(
    project_api_key=HIPOCAP_API_KEY,
    base_url=OBS_BASE_URL,
    http_port=OBS_HTTP_PORT,
    grpc_port=OBS_GRPC_PORT,
    hipocap_base_url=HIPOCAP_SERVER_URL,
    hipocap_timeout=60,
    hipocap_user_id=HIPOCAP_USER_ID,
)
```

### Production Deployment

For production, use `docker-compose-full.yml`:

```bash theme={null}
docker compose -f docker-compose-full.yml up -d
```

For more details, see the [GitHub repository](https://github.com/hipocap/hipocap).