PC2 Features
PC2 provides a full cloud computing environment that runs on your own hardware.
Desktop Environment
PC2 ships a Puter-compatible desktop environment accessible from any modern browser.
- Taskbar with application launcher, running app indicators, and system tray
- File Manager with drag-and-drop, copy/paste, rename, and bulk operations
- Multi-window interface with resize, minimize, maximize, and snap
- Keyboard shortcuts for window management and app switching
- Responsive layout that adapts to screen size
Authentication
PC2 uses wallet-based authentication. No email, no password, no account to create.
- Wallet login via MetaMask, WalletConnect, or Coinbase Wallet
- Social login via Google, Twitter, or Email (powered by Particle Network, which maps social identities to wallets)
- Session persistence -- stay logged in across browser sessions
- Multi-device -- access the same cloud from any device using the same wallet
Storage
All storage is scoped to your wallet address. No other user can access your files.
| Layer | Purpose |
|---|---|
| IPFS (Helia) | Content-addressed, distributed file storage |
| Local filesystem | Fast read/write for active files |
| SQLite metadata | File indexes, user preferences, app state |
| Wallet-scoped isolation | Each wallet address gets its own storage namespace |
Built-in Applications
| App | Description |
|---|---|
| File Manager | Browse, upload, download, organize files |
| Text Editor | Edit text and code files |
| Image Viewer | View PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP, SVG images |
| Video Player | Play MP4, WebM, and other video formats |
| Audio Player | Play MP3, WAV, OGG, FLAC audio |
| Terminal | Full terminal emulator for command-line access |
| Calculator | Arithmetic calculator (runs via WASM runtime) |
| AI Chat | Multi-model AI chat with streaming responses |
| Settings | System configuration, network, account management |
AI Integration
Supported Providers
- Ollama -- Run AI completely locally (recommended for privacy)
- OpenAI -- GPT-4o, GPT-4 Turbo, GPT-3.5
- Anthropic -- Claude Opus 4, Claude Sonnet 4, Claude 3.5
- Google -- Gemini 2.0 Flash, Gemini 1.5 Pro
- xAI -- Grok 3, Grok 2
AI Features
- Chat Sidebar -- Always accessible AI assistant
- Windowed App -- Full-screen AI chat experience
- Tool Calling -- AI can read/write files, execute commands
- Streaming -- Real-time response streaming
- Multi-Model -- Switch between models on the fly
For complete privacy, use Ollama. Your conversations never leave your hardware. See the AI Setup guide for installation details.
WASM Execution
Run WebAssembly binaries on YOUR node -- not in the browser.
- Server-side execution -- computation happens on your hardware
- WASI support -- full WASI compatibility for system access
- Isolated execution -- each run is sandboxed
- User-scoped -- binaries stored per-wallet
Network and Connectivity
- Free subdomain -- get
yourname.ela.citywith automatic SSL - NAT traversal -- access your node from behind firewalls via Boson Active Proxy
- WebSocket -- real-time updates across all connected clients
Security and Privacy
- Wallet-scoped storage -- complete isolation between users; no cross-user access
- Cryptographic sessions -- 32-byte random tokens, configurable expiry (default 7 days)
- No passwords -- nothing to hack or phish
- Role-based access -- Owner, Admin, Member roles for multi-user setups
System Management
- Backup and restore -- one-click backup creation, web UI or CLI restore
- Auto updates -- macOS-style notification, one-click install, progress UI, auto-refresh
- Health endpoint --
/api/healthfor status checks - Desktop Launcher -- native macOS (.dmg) and Linux (.AppImage) app for one-click start/stop, status monitoring, log viewing, and automatic update detection
First-Run Experience
On first login, a setup wizard guides you through:
- Welcome -- branded introduction to PC2
- Username selection -- choose your
*.ela.citysubdomain - Recovery phrase -- save your 12-word backup phrase (generates your Ed25519 identity)
- Completion -- ready to use
Deployment Options
| Method | Best For |
|---|---|
| Local Install | Mac/Linux, try it now, free |
| VPS | Always-on, $5-12/month |
| NVIDIA Jetson | GPU-accelerated private AI |
| Raspberry Pi | Home server, maximum sovereignty |
| Docker | Coming soon |
Technology Stack
| Component | Technology |
|---|---|
| Backend | Node.js 20+, TypeScript, Express |
| Database | SQLite (better-sqlite3) |
| Storage | IPFS (Helia), Local filesystem |
| WASM | @wasmer/wasi |
| Frontend | Puter-compatible (jQuery, vanilla JS) |
| Auth | Particle Network |
| Network | Boson DHT, Active Proxy |