Desktop Mode
Desktop mode is the recommended way to use TrustRAG. Everything runs locally on your device — no external servers or databases needed.
How It Works
When you launch TrustRAG desktop, the app:
- Starts an embedded Rust backend (Axum)
- Creates a local SQLite database with FTS5 search
- Automatically creates a local user account
- Serves the Flutter UI connected to the local backend
Supported Platforms
| Platform | Format | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Windows | .exe installer, portable .zip | Inno Setup installer |
| macOS | .tar.gz | Universal binary (unsigned) |
| Linux | .tar.gz | x64 |
| Android | .apk | ARM + x86 |
| iOS | .tar.gz | Unsigned, requires sideloading |
Data Storage
All data is stored locally in SQLite:
- Documents and chunks
- Conversations and messages
- Citations and review records
- Workspace and user configuration
- FTS5 full-text search index
Limitations vs Server Mode
| Feature | Desktop | Server |
|---|---|---|
| Database | SQLite + FTS5 | PostgreSQL + pgvector |
| Vector search | Basic similarity | pgvector ANN |
| Document processing | Embedded | Dedicated Python sidecar |
| Multi-user | Single user | Multi-user with roles |
| Object storage | Local filesystem | MinIO / S3 |