● Start · What you need
Requirements
server, tools and optional accounts.
Leadlantern needs little: a small Linux server, Node.js and a domain with https. Everything else is optional and can be added later from the console.
01Server
| What | Needed | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Linux server or VPS | required | 1 CPU and 1 GB RAM are enough for one agency. Ubuntu or Debian in the examples. Your own computer works for a trial (Quick start). |
| Node.js | required | The current LTS release, Node.js 26, is recommended; 24 or newer also works (package.json → engines). The checks for these pages ran on Node.js 26.13 and 24.22. |
| pnpm | required | Version 10 or newer; tested with pnpm 12.18 (pnpm 12 note). |
| Build tools | sometimes | The SQLite driver (better-sqlite3) downloads a ready-made binary for common systems. Where none exists it is compiled: install build-essential and python3 on Debian/Ubuntu, or the Xcode command line tools on a Mac. |
| Domain with https | required for e-mail | A name such as leads.your-agency.com pointing at the server, with Caddy or nginx in front. Report links and unsubscribe links are built from this address, and the server does not send e-mail without it (rule). |
| Outgoing internet | required | For searches, website checks and the services you connect. No incoming port other than 80 and 443 needs to be open. |
02Things only you can provide
- Your name as the sender and a real postal address. Anti-spam laws such as CAN-SPAM require a postal address in commercial e-mail, so Leadlantern prints it under every e-mail and refuses to send without it.
- A support e-mail address for the Brand settings. It appears on the public "How the website check works" page and identifies you to OpenStreetMap.
03Optional services
Each one is added under Settings → Integrations and bills you directly. Details and who bills what: Third-party services.
| Service | Without it | With it |
|---|---|---|
| Google Places API (New) | Searches use OpenStreetMap. | A second source of businesses, with ratings and review counts. |
| Google PageSpeed Insights API | The check measures how fast the home page answered. | Google's speed score on phones is added to each check. |
| AI provider (OpenAI-compatible or Anthropic) | Drafts come from a built-in template. | Drafts are written by a language model from the same facts. |
| Resend | You copy a message, send it from your own mail app and record it as sent. | One click sends it from your verified domain. |
04Browser
The console runs in a current Chrome, Edge, Firefox or Safari. The report page prints to PDF from the browser's print window.