FAQs

Quick answers, each with a link to the page that says more.

Does Solel see what's on my server?

No. There's no Solel cloud to copy anything to, and no crash reports, usage tracking or advertising. Your files, photos, mail and conversations with Sols stay on your server. On its own, the server only checks GitHub for new releases every six hours (sending just its version), fetches Sigstore's list of trusted signers to check updates are genuine, and downloads AI models from Hugging Face when Jethro is set up or an admin downloads another. Settings › Privacy shows where it has reached lately. See Privacy.

Can apps see everything?

No. Each app runs in its own container and reaches only what it was allowed when it was installed, and it never gets more than the person using it has. An app can't reach the internet unless you let it. Admins can change what an app can use at any time in Settings › Apps. See What an app can reach.

What happens if my drive dies?

Solel checks each drive every half hour and tells admins as soon as one runs hot, wears out or starts to fail, so you can copy things off in time. Snapshots sit on the same drive, so they can't help if it fails. Backups to a second drive or a USB drive can; set them up in Settings › Backups and snapshots. A backup holds Solel's own data: accounts, settings, routes, devices and activity. It doesn't hold files, photos or apps' data, so keep a copy of those somewhere else too. After you replace the drive and reinstall, plug the backup drive in and the first screen offers to pick your server back up. See Backups and snapshots.

Can the kids have their own accounts?

Yes. An admin adds each child in Settings › People and chooses their parents. Children see only the apps and spaces you share with them, and never get Jethro or any other Sol. They ask before an app is installed for them, and a parent decides. See People: adults, children and guests.

Where do apps come from?

comes with its own apps, such as Files, Photos, Mail and Calendar, and updates them with each release. An admin can also install an app from its address or from a file, and sees what it wants to use before anything is installed. Adults can install apps for themselves if the household rules allow it. See Apps and what they can reach.

Do I need a graphics card?

No. Everything works without one, and the AI models run on the processor, more slowly. See Graphics cards.

I've forgotten my password. What now?

If you're the owner, choose Forgotten your password? on the sign-in screen and use one of the recovery codes you saved when you set up the server. Anyone else, ask an admin to reset it in Settings › People. See Troubleshooting.

Can I use it when I'm away from home?

Yes. Private access lets your phone and laptop reach it through a WireGuard tunnel, or you can give it a public address with HTTPS. See Reach home when you're out and Your domain and HTTPS.

Does it cost anything?

is free and open source, under the GNU AGPL 3.0.