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Micro Server (Optional)
The Micro server is an optional web dashboard and authenticated API gateway for production environments. It provides a secure entrypoint for discovering and interacting with services that are already running (e.g., managed by systemd via micro deploy).
micro server does not build, run, or watch services. It only discovers services via the registry and provides a UI/API to interact with them.
micro gateway is the current gateway command; micro server remains a deprecated alias used in the examples below.
micro server vs micro run
micro run | micro server | |
|---|---|---|
| Purpose | Local development | Production dashboard |
| Builds services | Yes | No |
| Runs services | Yes (as child processes) | No (discovers already-running services) |
| Hot reload | Yes | No |
| Authentication | Depends on bind address | Depends on bind address |
| Scopes | Yes (/auth/scopes) | Yes (/auth/scopes) |
| Dashboard | Full gateway UI with auth, scopes, agent | Full dashboard with API explorer, logs, user/token management |
| When to use | Day-to-day development | Deployed environments, shared servers |
For local development, use micro run instead.
Install
Install the CLI which includes the server command:
go install go-micro.dev/v6/cmd/micro@latest
Run
Start the server:
micro server
Open the gateway using the machine token printed at startup, for example http://localhost:8080/?token=<token>. There is no default username/password. Authentication defaults to on for non-loopback addresses and off for loopback addresses.
Features
- Web Dashboard — Browse registered services, view endpoints, request/response schemas
- API Gateway — Authenticated HTTP-to-RPC proxy at
/api/{service}/{method} - Authentication — Exposed gateways require the startup machine token, a JWT, or a session cookie; scoped endpoints enforce their requirements even on loopback
- Token Management — Generate, view, copy, and revoke JWT tokens
- User Management — Create, list, and delete users with bcrypt-hashed passwords
- Endpoint Scopes — Restrict which tokens can call which endpoints via
/auth/scopes - MCP Integration — AI agent playground and MCP tools, with scope enforcement
- Logs & Status — View service logs and status (PID, uptime) from the dashboard
Typical Production Setup
After deploying services with micro deploy:
# On your server, start the dashboard
micro server
Services managed by systemd are discovered via the registry and appear in the dashboard automatically. The server provides the authenticated API and web UI for interacting with them.
When to use it
- You have services running in production (via systemd or otherwise) and want a web UI
- You need authenticated API access with JWT tokens
- You want user management and token revocation
- You’re running a shared environment where multiple people interact with services
For CLI usage details, see the CLI documentation on GitHub.