Server surfaces

Three surfaces can sound like a server. They do different jobs and accept different clients.

Truth table

Surface	Job	SDK relationship
`nika serve`	Fires armed local workflows from the `nika.yaml` project clock	Stable, not an HTTP listener
`nika model serve`	Hosts a local model behind an OpenAI-compatible inference endpoint	A model provider for the engine
Intended workflow HTTP API	Jobs, workflows, SSE, artifacts and webhooks	Root `Nika` client, preview

The resident firer and local model endpoint ship in the released engine. The workflow HTTP API does not. Similar names do not make them compatible protocols.

Local application path

import { LocalNika } from '@supernovae-st/nika-client/local'

const nika = new LocalNika({ cwd: process.cwd() })
const result = await nika.runToEnd('workflow.nika.yaml')

This path requires no daemon.

Local model path

nika model serve --model Qwen/Qwen3-0.6B-GGUF

The engine calls that inference endpoint as a provider. Application code does not submit workflow jobs to it.

Remote workflow path

NAME COLLISION · THREE DIFFERENT BOUNDARIES

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Remote client

Explore the intended application boundary.

Local models

Run inference on your own machine.

LocalNika

Use the released application seam today.

ARM and servers

Read the stable deployment reference.

Resident server

Operate the project clock on a container, VM or bare server.

Server runbook

Supervise and probe the foreground process in production.

Deployment topologies

Choose a boundary by the job it owns.

Overview

Start

Project · live

Local API · live

Runtime · live

Remote API · preview

Operations

Reference

Server surfaces

Truth table

Local application path

Local model path

Remote workflow path

Continue

Remote client

Local models

LocalNika

ARM and servers

Resident server

Server runbook

Deployment topologies

​Truth table

​Local application path

​Local model path

​Remote workflow path

​Continue

Remote client

Local models

LocalNika

ARM and servers

Resident server

Server runbook

Deployment topologies

Truth table

Local application path

Local model path

Remote workflow path

Continue