Prerequisites
- An account on the target cloud with permission to launch VM instances (no special IAM roles are required by this product unless stated below — IAM required: none).
- An SSH key pair registered in the target cloud (all access is key-only; password SSH is disabled).
- Instance size ≥ 4 vCPU (pricing floor; 8 vCPU recommended).
- No internet access or external dependency is required at deploy time — the image is self-contained.
AWS
- Subscribe and launch.
Expected result curl http://127.0.0.1:7700/health returns available; master key readable via sudo. - For network use: front it with TLS (nginx/ALB), keep 7700 bound to loopback or your subnet, and open the firewall to your app tier only. Send Authorization: Bearer <key> on every request.
Expected result Remote search queries authenticate; keyless requests are 401.
Validate
curl -s http://127.0.0.1:7700/health → {"status":"available"}
First boot: meilisearch-firstboot.service creates /etc/meilisearch.env with the per-instance master key (ConditionPathExists guard), then the service starts. Health endpoint answers within seconds.
Secure it
- Restrict SSH (22) to your own IP range in the cloud firewall/security group.
- Open application ports only per the ports table — closed-by-default is deliberate.
- Volume encryption: use your cloud's native volume encryption (enabled by default on most accounts); the image adds no proprietary encryption layer.
Costs & quotas
Software is billed by the marketplace at the listed rate; infrastructure (VM, storage, egress) is billed
by your cloud at its standard rates. The recommended size fits default service quotas in most accounts —
if you scale out, review your cloud's quota console before launch.
Next: configuration · troubleshooting · security notes
DC Associates Group