Macrobean is built with a zero-root, zero-surprise philosophy. All features run entirely in user-space by default. Root access is only requested for specific, opt-in tasks, and always with clear warnings.
By default, Macrobean:
- Runs on unprivileged ports (e.g., 8080)
- Requires no global installation
- Serves static/dynamic content from local ZIPs
- Executes Lua with sandboxing enabled in
--devmode - Keeps all runtime artifacts in user-owned directories (e.g.,
/tmp/,$HOME/)
✅ Safe for personal use, testing, or embedding into larger apps.
| Feature | Requires Root? | Why it needs it | Safer Alternative |
|---|---|---|---|
Install to /usr/local/bin/ |
✅ Yes | Write permissions to system binary path | Just run ./macrobean.com directly |
| TLS Certificate via Let's Encrypt | ✅ Yes | Certbot binds to ports 80/443 + writes to /etc/letsencrypt |
Use your own cert with --cert and --key |
| Use of privileged ports (e.g., 80/443) | ✅ Yes | Only root can bind to ports <1024 | Use --port 8080 or above |
System service setup (systemd) |
✅ Yes | System-wide boot jobs need root | Use tmux, screen, or background scripts |
- TLS is disabled by default
- If enabled via
--tls, you must provide:- A certificate (
--cert <cert.pem>) - A private key (
--key <key.pem>)
- A certificate (
- Macrobean will never auto-fetch or trust unknown certificates silently
- Unsafe operations like
strcpy,sprintf, etc., are replaced with bounded versions - Dev mode (
--dev) enables debugging, verbose logs, and Lua sandbox - Production mode disables reloads, introspection, and avoids
fork()unless explicitly allowed
For maximum safety:
- Run on a non-root user
- Avoid
--forkunless needed - Always audit custom Lua scripts before embedding
- Use the bundled Admin UI only in
--devmode
Transparency Matters
We believe in trust through clarity. No hidden installs, no phone-home behavior, no privileged execution unless explicitly requested.