Install and Choose a Runtime

The frontend always talks to the backend at http://127.0.0.1:8787.

The real choice is where that backend runs.

Local runtime

Use this when Python and the required dependencies already exist on your host machine.

npm install
cd backend && pip3 install -r requirements.txt && cd ..
npm run dev

If real psrchive bindings are missing, the app falls back to a mock provider. Charts still render, but advanced processing is disabled.

Docker runtime

This is the recommended environment for advanced processing because it gives PSRUI more reliable access to paz, pam, pat, pac, and tempo2.

npm run backend:docker:pull
npm run dev:docker

The container mounts /Users, /Volumes, /private, and /tmp back into the container using the same absolute paths, so files opened from Finder still resolve correctly.

Which one should you choose?

• Choose local when you want the fastest path into the GUI.
• Choose Docker when you want real CLI-backed processing.
• Prefer Docker for TOA extraction, calibration previews, and batch export validation.

Pre-flight checklist

• Node.js 18+
• Python 3.9+
• frontend dependencies installed
• Docker or OrbStack working if you plan to use the container runtime

Continue with First Workflow.