📖 The Terms: Terminal, Local, VPS
Three words before you choose your setup. Terminal is where you type commands; local is your own computer; VPS is another company's computer that you rent.
💡 Practical tip
VPS = "Virtual Private Server." It's like renting a room in someone else's house: convenient, but you need to lock the door.
🖥️ On your computer
Running it on your PC is free, easy, and secureIt works as long as your computer is on — that’s why many people use a Old MacBook, 24/7 just for that.
✓ Advantages of local
- ✓Zero hosting costs
- ✓Full control over your data
- ✓Simple setup to get started
✗ Limitations
- ✗Only runs when your PC is on
- ✗Depends on your hardware
- ✗Your internet connection may fluctuate
💡 Practical tip
The "old MacBook 24/7" solution gives you the best of both worlds to start: near-total uptime and zero hosting costs.
⌨️ How to install
There are two ways: paste the command into the terminal or ask Claude Code to install it for you.
Open the terminal
On Mac: Cmd+Space → type “terminal” → Enter.
Paste the installation command
Copy the official command and paste it. It downloads and configures Hermes.
Or ask Claude Code
"Install Hermes for me" — it handles the process in the terminal.
Illustrative terminal example
# cole o comando de instalação (exemplo) $ curl -fsSL https://get.hermes.example | sh # ...e siga as instruções na tela
☁️ VPS: rent, pay, protect
A VPS runs on another company's computer (hosting). You rents, pays monthly and needs secure the ports — otherwise, there’s a risk of attack. This is the option for having Hermes running 24/7 without leaving your PC on.
📊 What to consider in a VPS
- •Monthly cost — you pay while you use it
- •Security — open ports are an attack surface
- •Uptime — stays on 24/7 without depending on you
- •Use case — e.g., rent fast inference
⚠️ Common mistake
Spin up a VPS and leave ports open without protection. On a machine exposed to the internet, that’s an invitation to intrusion. Treat security as part of setup, not as "later".
🔗 Be careful with recommendations
VPS providers tend to earn referral fees through affiliate linksNot every recommendation you see is neutral — there may be a commission behind it.
✓ Choose well
- ✓Compare price, support, and region
- ✓Read reviews from independent sources
- ✓Be wary of “the only right one”
✗ Don't fall for
- ✗Following only the most heavily promoted affiliate link
- ✗Ignore costs that show up later
- ✗Assuming recommendation = neutrality
🎚️ Control on your machine
Since it runs on your machine, you can ask Hermes things like "turn off the gateway" or "restart" — it manages its own infrastructure using natural language.
🛠️ Self-administration
The agent can modify its own environment because it has access to the system where it lives:
- •"turn off the gateway" — pauses the entry point
- •"restart" — restarts the service
- •everything in natural language, without memorizing commands
💡 Practical tip
This self-administration power is great, but reinforces the importance of security (Track 3): an agent that controls the infrastructure needs the least access necessary.
🧭 Which home to choose
A quick reference for choosing between local, VPS, and cloud based on your priority.
Decision table (illustrative)
prioridade -> escolha custo zero/começar -> 🖥️ Local (PC, MacBook 24/7) ligado 24/7 -> ☁️ VPS (paga mensal, proteja portas) não quero gerir -> 🌐 Nuvem (gerenciada, menos controle)
✓ Good practice
- ✓Start locally; migrate only when you need 24/7 availability
- ✓Treat security as part of your VPS setup
✗ Common mistake
- ✗Spin up an expensive VPS before you need one
- ✗Leave ports open without protection
📌 Module Summary
Next Module:
1.5 — OAuth vs API Key