Development documentation may include features that are not in the latest release. Read the Lawn 0.8.1 guide.
Introduction
What is Lawn?
Lawn is a menu bar app that makes self-hosting dead simple. Browse the catalog, click install, and you're done. No terminal. No configuration files. No Docker knowledge required.
Requirements
- macOS Tahoe 26 or later
- Apple Silicon
Installation
Download for Mac- Open the downloaded
.dmgfile - Drag Lawn to your Applications folder
- Launch Lawn from your Applications folder
When you first open Lawn, you'll see the main window with the catalog. Lawn also appears in your menu bar.
Your First App
Pick an App
Open Lawn and browse the catalog. You'll see a curated list of self-hosted applications organized by category. Pick one that interests you.
Install It
Click the app you want to install, then click Install. In the confirmation sheet, click Install again. You'll see real-time progress as Lawn downloads and sets up the app.
If the app requires settings, Lawn opens Edit Configuration and leaves the app stopped. Fill in the required settings, click Done, then click Start once installation finishes.
Open It
Once the app is running, click the WEB UI tile in its detail view to open it in your browser. You can also choose Open in Browser from the app's menu in Lawn's menu bar dropdown.
What Just Happened
Lawn set everything up for you — no terminal, no config files, no technical knowledge needed. Your app runs in its own isolated environment with its own storage, completely separate from your Mac and from other apps.
Next steps
See Your Data for finding saved files and keeping a separate backup, or Updating and Uninstalling Lawn for maintenance. If something is not working, start with Troubleshooting.