# Start here

> Choose how you run Everruns, the Framework, a self-hosted Platform, or Everruns Cloud, and go to the right first page.

Source: <https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/introduction/>

Everruns is a durable agentic harness engine built on Rust. You can use it in three ways. They run the same agent model (agents, sessions, capabilities, events) and differ in what you operate.

![One agent, three places to run it: the Framework embeds the everruns crate in your Rust process, the self-hosted Platform runs the control plane, workers and PostgreSQL on your infrastructure, and Everruns Cloud is the same Platform hosted at app.everruns.com. The self-hosted Platform and Cloud share one API: REST, SDKs, CLI, UI and MCP.](https://everruns.com/docs/_astro/run-modes.B4QB1z8i_12SdMi.svg)

|                            | Framework                                                               | Self-hosted                                                                     | Everruns Cloud                                                                                                 |
| -------------------------- | ----------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **For**                    | Rust developers who want agents inside their own application            | Teams that need the full Platform on their own infrastructure                   | Anyone who wants the Platform without operating it                                                             |
| **You operate**            | Your application process. No server, database, or worker                | The Platform: API server, workers, PostgreSQL, UI                               | Nothing. Everruns runs the Platform at [app.everruns.com](https://app.everruns.com)                            |
| **You talk to it through** | The `everruns` Rust crate, in process                                   | The REST API, SDKs, CLI, UI, and MCP                                            | The REST API, SDKs, CLI, UI, and MCP                                                                           |
| **Cost**                   | Free and open source (MIT). You pay your model provider                 | Free and open source (MIT). You pay for your infrastructure and model providers | Prepaid credit for the built-in model provider, with $5 of starter credit. Your own provider keys are optional |
| **First page**             | [Framework quickstart](https://everruns.com/docs/framework/quickstart/) | [Docker Compose](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/docker-compose/)     | [Everruns Cloud quickstart](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/cloud/)                                  |

Pages across these docs carry an **Applies to** row under the title that names which of the three the page covers.

## Framework

Embed agents in a Rust process with the `everruns` crate. The agent runs inside your application, so there is nothing else to deploy. Bring a model provider key.

```rust
let agent = Agent::builder().instructions("Be concise.")
    .provider(OpenAI::from_env()?).model("gpt-6.1-sol").build()?;
let session = Engine::new().create(agent);
println!("{}", session.send_and_wait("Say hello.").await?.response);
```

Next: [Framework quickstart](https://everruns.com/docs/framework/quickstart/), which sets up the crate and runs this program end to end.

## Self-hosted

Run the full Platform on infrastructure you control: the API server, durable workers, PostgreSQL, and the management UI. Use it when you need remote clients, multi-tenant organizations, or durable execution that survives a worker restart, and want to keep the deployment and data in your own environment.

```bash
curl -o docker-compose.yaml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/everruns/everruns/main/examples/docker-compose-full.yaml
# write .env with the required secrets, see the Docker Compose guide
docker compose up -d   # UI and API on http://localhost:9300
```

Next: [Docker Compose](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/docker-compose/), which lists the required secrets and walks through the first session. Operators continue with [Environment variables](https://everruns.com/docs/sre/environment-variables/).

## Everruns Cloud

Use the Platform at [app.everruns.com](https://app.everruns.com) without running it. A built-in model provider is ready on sign-up, and your first organization gets $5 of starter credit, so you need no provider keys to start.

```bash
everruns login
SESSION=$(everruns sessions create -q)
everruns chat --session "$SESSION" "Say hello."
```

Next: [Everruns Cloud quickstart](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/cloud/), which covers sign-up, tokens, the SDK, CLI and AI-tool setup, and how credit works.

## After the first page

* [Concepts](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/concepts/): agents, sessions, harnesses, capabilities, and events.
* [Use in AI Tools](https://everruns.com/docs/getting-started/use-in-ai-tools/): drive Everruns from Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor.
* [Build your first agent](https://everruns.com/docs/tutorials/building-agents-using-sdk/): a guided SDK lesson for the self-hosted Platform or Everruns Cloud.
* [Capabilities](https://everruns.com/docs/capabilities/): the tools an agent can use, each marked with where it is available.