Connect the SDK to a Conductor server

July 21, 2026 ยท View on GitHub

Choose the hosted Orkes Developer Edition by default, or run Conductor locally for a self-managed development environment.

Sign in to Orkes Developer Edition, create an application and access key, then configure the SDK with the hosted API endpoint. Do not commit the key or secret to source control.

export CONDUCTOR_SERVER_URL=https://developer.orkescloud.com/api
export CONDUCTOR_AUTH_KEY=<your-key-id>
export CONDUCTOR_AUTH_SECRET=<your-key-secret>

For AI agents, configure the LLM provider integration in the hosted cluster before running an agent. See the agent getting-started guide.

Run locally

Use the Conductor CLI when you want a local server. The CLI also creates workflows, starts executions, inspects status, and manages schedules.

Prerequisites: Java 21+ (the CLI runs the local server JAR) and Node.js/npm.

Preferred local path: CLI

Install the CLI with npm, then start the local server:

npm install -g @conductor-oss/conductor-cli
conductor server start

Verify it and point SDK applications at its API:

conductor server status
export CONDUCTOR_SERVER_URL=http://localhost:8080/api

Use conductor server stop when you are finished. See the CLI repository for alternative installation methods and server options.

Docker fallback

Use Docker when you need a containerized server or are running an example that includes a docker-compose.yml:

docker run --rm -p 8080:8080 -p 1234:5000 conductoross/conductor:latest

The API is http://localhost:8080/api and the UI is http://localhost:1234.

Use another remote server

Set CONDUCTOR_SERVER_URL to the server's /api endpoint and, when required, set CONDUCTOR_AUTH_KEY and CONDUCTOR_AUTH_SECRET. Do not put credentials in source code or workflow input.

Give your coding agent Conductor context

Conductor Skills teaches supported coding agents how to create, run, inspect, and manage Conductor workflows. Install it with npm and load it for detected agents:

npm install -g @conductor-oss/conductor-skills
conductor-skills --all