Software details

Raspberry Pi platform

Hardware

Raspberry Pi, including Raspberry Pi 3 class devices for the low-cost starter setup. The low power profile makes it practical to integrate with an existing 5 volt data UPS where available.

Operating system

Alpine Linux, 32-bit ARM build for Raspberry Pi. The current public reference Pi was checked on 28 July 2026 and is running Alpine 3.24.1 on armv7l.

Architecture target

LocalBox Go services are compiled for linux/arm with GOARM=7.

Persistence

Alpine local backup state is persisted with lbu.

Data storage

LocalBox site, mail, and domain data should be mounted on separate removable storage, such as an SD card or other prepared media, so service data does not fill the operating system filesystem.

LocalBox services

Application language

Compiled Go services.

Mail and site app

LocalBox Zen provides inbox, compose, page editing, HTML upload, image upload, domain administration, and system tools.

Contact service

Compiled Go service handling website contact forms, local delivery, outbound relay where configured, spam checks, and domain availability endpoints.

Web server

Nginx serves the public website and proxies LocalBox service endpoints.

Webmail

ALPS provides browser-based mail access for LocalBox mailboxes.

Mail services

Dovecot and Postfix are used for mailbox storage and mail access/sending where enabled for a domain.

Contacts and calendar

Radicale can provide CardDAV and CalDAV services for supported LocalBox accounts.

Files

Filebrowser can provide browser-based file access behind LocalBox authentication and routing.

Email migration

Existing mailbox migration can be offered as a separate paid service where the source mailbox allows IMAP access.

External integrations

• Cloudflare Tunnel for public website routing to protect your Raspberry Pi from direct exposure to the internet.
• Cloudflare DNS and Registrar APIs for supported global domains where configured.
• Domains.co.za API for South African domain checks and registrar operations where configured.
• Brevo SMTP relay for outbound email where configured.
• Headscale/Tailscale VPN mesh for private administration and optional mail-client access.
• Syncthing can be added for private file sharing between approved devices.

Prepared device record

Each prepared Raspberry Pi should keep a simple setup record with the device model, serial number, Alpine release, LocalBox build date, VPN node name, enabled services, and customer/domain assignment.

Periodic backups should be configured for hardware failure recovery. The backup schedule and retention period depend on the selected service level.