> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mcpjungle.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Starting the server

> Starting and initializing the mcpjungle server

These commands operate on the Mcpjungle server process itself rather than on its registry contents. `start` launches the gateway, `init-server` prepares it for enterprise use, and `version` reports what is running.

## `start`

Starts the Mcpjungle HTTP server and MCP gateway.

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start [flags]
```

The server listens on port `8080` by default and exposes the MCP proxy at `/mcp`. On first run in development mode, it automatically initializes itself — no additional setup is needed.

### Flags

<ParamField body="--port" type="string">
  TCP port to bind the HTTP server to. Overrides the `PORT` environment variable. Defaults to `8080`.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--sqlite-db-path" type="string">
  Optional path to a custom SQLite database file to use when PostgreSQL is not configured. If not provided, MCPJungle defaults to `./mcpjungle.db`. Overrides the `SQLITE_DB_PATH` environment variable.
</ParamField>

<ParamField body="--enterprise" type="boolean" default="false">
  Start the server in enterprise mode, which enables access control, authenticated clients, and user management. Equivalent to setting `SERVER_MODE=enterprise`. When using this flag on a fresh database, the server will print a reminder to run `init-server` before it can be used.
</ParamField>

### Environment variables

The `start` command reads environment variables for server mode, database configuration, timeouts, and telemetry. A `.env` file in the working directory is loaded automatically if present.

For the complete list, defaults, and `_FILE` variants, see [Environment variables](/reference/environment-variables).

### Examples

Start in development mode (default):

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start
```

Start on a custom port:

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start --port 9000
```

Start with a custom SQLite file:

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start --sqlite-db-path /path/to/mcpjungle.db
```

Start in enterprise mode:

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle start --enterprise
```

Start with a Postgres database:

```bash theme={null}
DATABASE_URL="postgres://user:password@localhost:5432/mcpjungle" mcpjungle start
```

***

## `init-server`

Initializes the Mcpjungle server when running in enterprise mode. Run it once, from your local machine, after the server has started.

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle init-server [--registry <url>]
```

`init-server` creates the first admin user and stores the registry URL and token in `~/.mcpjungle.conf`, authenticating your CLI as admin.

For the full enterprise bootstrap flow, see [Enterprise operations](/reference/cli-enterprise) and [Access and governance overview](/governance/overview).

### Example

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle --registry http://your-server:8080 init-server
```

***

## `version`

Prints version information for both the CLI binary and the connected server.

```bash theme={null}
mcpjungle version
```

### Output

```text theme={null}
CLI Version: v1.2.3
Server Version: v1.2.3
Server URL:  http://127.0.0.1:8080
```

If the server is unreachable (for example, when running the CLI without a local server), the server version line is replaced with a message indicating the version could not be retrieved.