One Windows service. No stack to babysit.
QuerySolv is a complete help desk that ships as a single self-contained application. There is no web server, no PHP or Java runtime and no database server to install, and it creates its own database the first time it starts.
- One Windows service and one desktop control panel. No web server, PHP, Java, Node or Docker.
- On first start, it writes its configuration, generates a self-signed certificate and creates its database.
- A backup is three things: the database, the configuration file and the certificates folder.
- SQLite is built in; MySQL/MariaDB or SQL Server is supported if you prefer. Choose before you accept real tickets.
How the parts fit together
Everything a help desk normally spreads across a web server, a runtime, a queue and a search engine sits inside one service.
- Serves the portal, the live chat widget, the workspace and the API
- Owns the database
- Runs six background workers: mail, social, webhooks, SLA tracking, agent notifications and agent progress
- Runs the search indexer
From installer to first ticket
- Run the installerAs an administrator. It installs the program files, creates the data folder and registers the Windows service.
- Start the serviceOn its first run it writes its configuration, generates a self-signed certificate and creates the database.
- Follow Quick StartThe control panel's wizard walks through the database, the web interface, the first department, its mail and the first agent.
- Send a test requestSign in to the agent workspace, open the request page, and follow one ticket from end to end.
What ends up on the machine
The whole installation
- The windows service application and its desktop control panel
- One configuration file, with its automatic backup
- The SQLite database file, if you use SQLite
- A log file
- A certificates folder
The service also keeps a few working files of its own, such as the search indexes which it rebuilds or can do without.
Everything else is built in
Three things follow from that:
- There is no web root to deploy, secure or back up.
- Nobody can tamper with the interface by editing files on the server.
- It cannot break because the service started in the wrong working directory.
Live chat and your branding are in there too
Two things that usually mean another server or a folder of template files are settings in this one.
Live chat, with no chat server Professional+
The visitor side of live chat is one self-contained page served by the service: its own styling and script, no external resources, no chat server.
- A “Chat with us” pill on every requester page opens it in an overlay.
- The same page goes into your own site with a plain inline frame. No loader script, nothing to host.
- Agents answer from the workspace. The first message opens a ticket, and files travel in either direction.
- It polls for new messages instead of holding a connection open, so proxies and load balancers have nothing special to keep alive.
Your look, without touching a file Professional+
The pages are built into the service, so the look is changed through settings rather than by editing files on the server. The control panel’s Customization tab holds:
- Your organization name, tagline, footer and contact line.
- A portal theme, seven designed ones or four colors of your own, and accent and navigation colors for the agent workspace.
- Your logo, and three custom HTML blocks for the portal’s head, header and footer.
- It all lives in the database, so a backup carries the look with it, and a saved change shows on the next page load with no restart.
What you would be installing otherwise
| QuerySolv | Open-source self-hosted desks | Commercial on-premises ITSM suites | |
|---|---|---|---|
| You install | One service and one control panel. SQLite is included. | A web server, PHP or Ruby, MySQL or PostgreSQL, and in some cases Redis and Elasticsearch | A Java application with a bundled or external database, on a 16 GB RAM class machine |
| Database choice | SQLite, MySQL/MariaDB or SQL Server | Usually one: MySQL or PostgreSQL | Bundled PostgreSQL, or SQL Server |
| High availability | Windows failover clustering, resource DLL supplied | Do it yourself | Vendor-documented, complex |
Cells describe the typical member of each group, not every product in it. The full comparison has ten rows.
Pick a database, or don't
The feature set is identical on all three. The service creates and migrates its own schema on every start, so there are no setup scripts to run.
SQLite Default
A single local file, with nothing to install or administer. Right for one support server and a modest team.
MySQL or MariaDB
When you already run one, want the ticket data on a separate database server, or want replication and a backup regime you already trust.
Microsoft SQL Server
For a Windows shop with SQL Server already in place, or a database team that expects to own the backups.
There is no migration tool between backends. Choose before you start taking real tickets.
Operations you can hand to a junior admin
Backup is three things
The database, the configuration file and the certificates folder. Tickets, messages, attachments, settings, and articles all live in the database. With SQLite, copy the database file with the service stopped.
Configuration has a safety net
The single configuration file is backed up automatically before every save, and restored automatically if it goes missing. Secrets in it are encrypted.
One log
A single text log with levels, and an audit line for every significant action. It is trimmed at 2 MB by default, so raise the limit or copy it off if you need a long history. Console mode prints every loaded setting.
A real control panel
A native Windows program with a Quick Start wizard, editors for departments, agents, SLAs and integrations, certificate and CSR generation.
A manual written for the person on call
A routine-task schedule, troubleshooting playbooks and a “before you contact support” evidence checklist.
Network and privileges
| Ports | HTTPS on port 443 by default. HTTP on port 80 is optional. |
|---|---|
| Certificate | A self-signed certificate is generated on first start. Replace it with a trusted one for production. |
| Outbound | To the systems you configure, such as mailboxes, social platforms, AI providers and webhook endpoints, plus the connections that are ours. The security page lists every one. |
| Privileges | Installing and controlling the service needs an administrator login. The service runs as LocalSystem by default. |
| Windows | Windows Server 2008 through 2025 and Windows 7 through 11, with no runtime framework to install. |
When one server is not enough High Availability
The High Availability edition runs as a Windows Server Failover Clustering resource. Failover is active-passive.
- A supplied resource DLL
- A two-tier health check: service state plus a live TCP probe of the web listener
- Two documented deployment models
- A PowerShell walkthrough and a three-level failover test plan
- Recommended: pair the cluster with an external database that is highly available in its own right
Try it on a spare machine this afternoon
Download the installer and start the service. It runs for 30 days with every Professional edition feature and unlimited agents.
Download Installer with Free Trial