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Connecting to Arc

Launchpad doesn't host databases; you point it at an Arc server you already run. Each server you register is called a connection (or instance) in the UI.

Add a connection​

From the sidebar, go to Instances, then Connect an Arc server.

Connect an Arc server

Fill in:

FieldDescription
NameOptional label to identify this server (e.g. "Production", "Arc running in Docker").
Arc server URLBase URL of the Arc HTTP API, e.g. https://arc.example.com:8000. On a shared Docker network this is http://arc:8000.
Admin / API tokenA bearer token with access to this Arc server. Stored securely and used to authenticate queries and admin actions.

Click Connect. Launchpad verifies the endpoint and token, then the connection appears on your Instances page.

Arc server connected

Getting the Arc admin token​

If Arc has auth enabled, you need an admin (or sufficiently scoped) token. On a fresh Arc instance, an admin token is generated on first run; grab it from the logs:

docker logs arc | grep -i "admin token"

If your Arc runs with auth disabled, any non-empty value is accepted but unused; admin actions still work against that instance.

Scope matters

The token you register determines what Launchpad can do on that instance. An admin-scoped token unlocks the operational surface (tokens, retention, alerts, continuous queries, MQTT). A read-only token can still run SQL and browse schemas, but management tabs that require admin access will say so.

Reaching Arc on a private network​

By default Launchpad rejects Arc endpoints that resolve to a private, loopback, or link-local address (localhost, 127.0.0.1, 10.x, 192.168.x, *.internal, cloud metadata, …). This is an SSRF safeguard.

If your Arc server legitimately runs on a private network reachable from the Launchpad host (the same box, the same Docker network, or the same Kubernetes cluster), set LAUNCHPAD_ALLOW_PRIVATE_ENDPOINTS=true. Even then, the proxy resolves-and-pins the target IP per request, so it stays safe against DNS rebinding. See Configuration.

Some URL notes for containerized setups:

  • Same Docker network: use the service name, e.g. http://arc:8000.
  • Arc on the host, Launchpad in a container: localhost inside the container is the container itself. Reach a host-side Arc via http://host.docker.internal:8000 or the host's LAN IP.

Open the console​

Once connected, click the instance to open its console. From there you can run SQL and manage the instance. See Using the Console.