What is dev mode?
Dev mode is a method for getting started with Boundary quickly for testing and learning purposes. As the name implies, dev mode is not a production installation method, and provides a way to get Boundary running with a Postgres database easily.
Do not use dev mode in a production environment, refer to the following sections for production-ready deployment methods:
Dev mode brings up a fully-functioning instance of Boundary, including:
- A controller server
- A worker server
- A Postgres database
These components should all be considered ephemeral - no data persistence occurs across dev mode restarts. Along with these external components, dev mode also creates several resources within Boundary to make it easier and faster to connect to your first target:
| Resource | Default ID | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Org scope | o_1234567890 | |
| Project scope | p_1234567890 | |
| Password auth method | ampw_1234567890 | |
| OIDC (OpenID Connect) auth method | amoidc_1234567890 | |
| Admin user | Login name admin, password password | |
| Unprivileged user | Login name user, password password | |
| Static host catalog | hcst_1234567890 | |
| Static host | hst_1234567890 | |
| Static host set | hsst_1234567890 | |
| TCP target | ttcp_1234567890 | Directly set up with an address and port |
| TCP target | ttcp_0987654321 | Uses the previously mentioned static host set |
The default ID suffixes can be overwritten or randomly generated, and there are
many other dev mode controls. To see a complete list of these override flags,
consult boundary dev -h.
If you plan on provisioning a large number of resources in dev mode, it's strongly recommended that users leverage our Terraform Provider for Boundary for managing configuration of Boundary. This will simplify starting up and shutting down your Boundary dev instance.
Requirements
There are a few requirements for running dev mode:
- Docker is installed
- A route to download the Postgres Docker image is available or a local image cache is available
- A Boundary binary in your
$PATH - Optionally, an installation of Boundary Desktop if you want to use the desktop examples
Troubleshooting
boundarycommand not found: Confirm the Boundary binary is installed and its location is included in your$PATH.- Dev mode fails to start or hangs while pulling the Postgres image: Confirm Docker is running and that you have network access to pull the Postgres Docker image, or that a local image cache is available.