Overview

Daemons run an always-on process. Use Daemon for local connectors, sync loops, telemetry collectors, command handlers, and Kubernetes/on-prem helper processes that should start once and keep running.

Daemons can run anywhere Alien has a daemon controller. They are private by default and can optionally expose named HTTP public endpoints.

Platform Mapping

When to Use

Use Daemon when the work is process-oriented: a connector that maintains a long-lived session, a background command executor, a local/on-prem control loop, or a helper service that should restart if it exits.

Use Worker for request-response handlers. Use Container for cloud services with ports, stateful storage, GPUs, or scaling.

Quick Start

import * as alien from "@alienplatform/core"

const connector = new alien.Daemon("connector")
  .code({ type: "image", image: "ghcr.io/acme/connector:2026-05-17" })
  .commandsEnabled(true)
  .environment({
    LOG_LEVEL: "info",
  })
  .permissions("execution")
  .build()

export default new alien.Stack("edge")
  .add(connector, "live")
  .platforms(["local", "kubernetes"])
  .build()

Public Endpoints

Daemons are private unless they declare a named HTTP endpoint:

const gateway = new alien.Daemon("gateway")
  .code({ type: "image", image: "ghcr.io/acme/gateway:v1" })
  .publicEndpoint("api", 8080, "http")
  .permissions("execution")
  .build()

Commands

Daemons can participate in the Commands protocol. Enable commands when the process should poll the manager for work and dispatch registered command handlers.

const executor = new alien.Daemon("executor")
  .code({ type: "image", image: "ghcr.io/acme/executor:v1" })
  .commandsEnabled(true)
  .permissions("execution")
  .build()

Configuration

Daemons do not have triggers, direct invocation, request timeouts, replica settings, or autoscaling.

See API Reference for every builder method and Behavior & Limits for supported platforms and lifecycle behavior.