Local hosting
Overview
Local hosting means your assistant runs on your Mac. Your data stays on your machine, the assistant has direct access to your files and tools, and there's no cloud infrastructure to manage.
Today, local hosting uses native (the assistant runs directly as a process on your Mac). Docker and Apple Container options are on the roadmap and will provide better isolation while keeping everything local.
The flavors
NativeAvailable now
The assistant runs directly as a process on your Mac. No containers, no virtual machines. This is what you get when you install Vellum today.
- Pros
- Fastest setup, lowest latency, full access to local files and tools, maximum privacy (data never leaves your machine).
- Cons
- Least isolated. The assistant is running on your actual system with fewer security boundaries. If something goes wrong, the blast radius includes your machine.
DockerComing soon
The assistant runs inside a Docker container on your Mac. Think of it as a computer inside your computer. The assistant has its own isolated environment with its own filesystem, and it's walled off from the rest of your system.
- Pros
- Better isolation than native, reproducible environment, data stays local.
- Cons
- Requires Docker to be installed and running. Slightly more setup than native.
Apple ContainerComing soon
Similar to Docker, but runs on native Apple virtual machines. You get container-level isolation without needing to install Docker, plus Apple's hardware optimizations and native security features.
- Pros
- No Docker dependency, native Apple security and hardware optimization, strong isolation, data stays local.
- Cons
- Requires macOS with Apple silicon. Slightly more setup than native.
Comparison
| Flavor | Isolation | Setup | Dependencies | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Native | Minimal | Easiest | None | Available |
| Docker | Container | Moderate | Docker Desktop | Coming soon |
| Apple Container | VM | Moderate | macOS + Apple silicon | Coming soon |
When local is the right choice
- You care a lot about data privacy and want nothing leaving your machine.
- You want the assistant to have direct access to your local files, tools, and system.
- You're developing and iterating quickly and want the fastest feedback loop.
- You prefer keeping runtime data on hardware you physically control.
If you need 24/7 availability or want the assistant sandboxed away from your personal machine, check out Advanced options for Vellum Managed and User-Hosted Remote.
The availability tradeoff
With any local option, the assistant is only available when your computer is awake. If your Mac is asleep or shut down, scheduled tasks won't fire and the assistant can't respond until it wakes back up.
For most people using their primary Mac, this means the assistant works great during the workday and whenever the computer is active. If you need always-on availability without buying dedicated hardware, Vellum Managed is the better fit.
What's next for local
Docker and Apple Container options are in development. Once they ship and stabilize, native local may be phased out in favor of the containerized options, which offer much better security isolation while keeping all the same privacy and access benefits.
If you're on native today, you won't need to do anything disruptive. Migration paths will be provided when the time comes.