Quick Start Guide

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

A Linux server (Ubuntu 22.04, CentOS 8, or similar) with at least 2GB RAM
Root or sudo access to the server
Open ports: 3023 (SSH), 3025 (Auth), 3080 (Web UI)
PostgreSQL 14+ or SQLite (for testing)

Installation

TigerAccess is distributed as a single binary. Download and install it using one of the methods below:

Option 1: Download Binary (Recommended)

# Download the latest release
curl -L https://get.tigeraccess.io/install.sh | bash

# Or manually download
wget https://releases.tigeraccess.io/v1.0.0/tigeraccess-linux-amd64
chmod +x tigeraccess-linux-amd64
sudo mv tigeraccess-linux-amd64 /usr/local/bin/tigeraccess

Option 2: Build from Source

# Install Go 1.22+
git clone https://github.com/tigeraccess/tigeraccess.git
cd tigeraccess
make full
sudo cp build/tigeraccess /usr/local/bin/

Verify Installation

tigeraccess version

You should see output similar to: TigerAccess v1.0.0

Initial Configuration

Create a configuration file for TigerAccess. For a quick start, we'll use SQLite and local storage.

Create Configuration Directory

sudo mkdir -p /etc/tigeraccess
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/tigeraccess

Create Configuration File

Create /etc/tigeraccess/config.yaml with the following content:

# TigerAccess Configuration
version: v3

auth:
  cluster_name: "quickstart-cluster"
  public_addr: "localhost:3025"

storage:
  type: sqlite
  path: /var/lib/tigeraccess/tigeraccess.db

proxy:
  enabled: true
  public_addr: "localhost:3023"
  ssh:
    enabled: true
    listen_addr: "0.0.0.0:3023"
  web:
    enabled: true
    listen_addr: "0.0.0.0:3080"

log:
  output: stdout
  severity: INFO

Initialize the Database

sudo tigeraccess configure --config=/etc/tigeraccess/config.yaml --bootstrap

This command initializes the certificate authorities and creates the necessary database schema.

Creating Your First User

Start TigerAccess and create an admin user:

Start TigerAccess

sudo tigeraccess start --config=/etc/tigeraccess/config.yaml --roles=auth,proxy

In a new terminal, create an admin user:

# Create admin user
sudo tac users add admin --roles=access,editor --logins=root,ubuntu

# The command will output a signup token
# Save this token - you'll need it to complete registration

Complete User Registration

Open your browser and navigate to:

https://localhost:3080

Enter the signup token from the previous step to complete registration and set up your password or passkey.

Setting Up SSH Access

Now let's add your first server and connect to it through TigerAccess.

Install TigerAccess Agent on Target Server

On the server you want to access:

# Download and install the agent
curl -L https://get.tigeraccess.io/install.sh | bash

# Create agent configuration
sudo mkdir -p /etc/tigeraccess-agent

# Get join token from auth server
sudo tac tokens add --type=node --ttl=1h

Start the Agent

sudo tigeraccess start --roles=agent \
  --auth-server=localhost:3025 \
  --token=YOUR_JOIN_TOKEN

Alternative: Static Configuration

For testing, you can also add a static node without installing an agent:

tac nodes add test-server --addr=192.168.1.100:22 --labels=env=dev

Testing Your Setup

Now let's verify everything is working correctly.

Login to TigerAccess

tac login --proxy=localhost:3023 --user=admin

This will prompt for your password and issue a certificate valid for 12 hours.

List Available Nodes

tac ls

Connect to a Server

tac ssh root@test-server

You should now be connected to your server through TigerAccess! All commands are logged and can be played back for compliance.

Success!

Congratulations! You've successfully set up TigerAccess and made your first connection. Your infrastructure access is now certificate-based, audited, and secure.

Next Steps

Now that you have TigerAccess running, here are some recommended next steps:

Enable SSO: Configure single sign-on with your identity provider for easier user management.
Add Database Access: Extend TigerAccess to protect your PostgreSQL, MySQL, and MongoDB databases.
Configure Session Recording: Enable session recording for compliance and security audits.
Set Up RBAC: Create custom roles and policies to match your organization's access requirements.
Deploy for High Availability: Configure TigerAccess for production with multiple replicas and external storage.