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Coolify lets you run a self-hosted application platform on your own VPS instead of handing deployment, routing, TLS certificates, and databases to a separate platform. A practical starting server is Ubuntu 24.04 LTS with 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, and a 40–60 GB SSD. You should reserve at least 30 GB of total disk space and 20 GB of free space for Coolify and its workloads, even though the installation guide lists 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, and 10 GB disk for Coolify itself.

This guide shows how to prepare the VPS, configure DNS and firewall access, install Coolify, deploy a website or app from Git, add a database, enable HTTPS, and troubleshoot the failures most likely to occur.

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What Coolify does on a VPS

Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted platform-as-a-service. You install it on infrastructure you control, then use a web dashboard to connect Git repositories, define application settings, deploy builds, and provision databases. It is designed to provide a workflow similar to hosted application platforms while leaving the server, storage, networking, and operating-system responsibility with you.

Coolify commonly builds applications with Nixpacks when a project does not provide its own container definition. Projects that include a Dockerfile can use that instead. Deployed services are placed behind Traefik, which handles routing and can obtain and renew TLS certificates for domains attached to your applications.

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The trade-off is operational responsibility. You choose the VPS size, configure the firewall, keep the host patched, monitor disk usage, protect the dashboard, and maintain backups. Coolify simplifies deployment; it does not turn a single VPS into a managed, highly available cloud.

Choose a VPS that will not run out of resources

There are two different hardware figures in the current Coolify documentation. The installation guide gives 2 CPU cores, 2 GB of RAM, and 10 GB of disk for Coolify itself. Its troubleshooting guidance calls for at least 30 GB of total disk and 20 GB of available space. The higher disk target is the safer planning number because Docker images, build caches, logs, and database volumes accumulate after installation.

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Resource Documented floor or guidance Practical interpretation
CPU 2 cores Enough for Coolify and light services; builds can temporarily use most or all available CPU.
Memory 2 GB for Coolify itself Use 4 GB when hosting multiple apps, building Java or large JavaScript projects, or running databases.
Disk 10 GB in the install summary; 30 GB total and 20 GB available in troubleshooting guidance Plan for at least 30 GB, and preferably 40–60 GB SSD for normal growth.
Architecture ARM64 is required for Raspberry Pi OS installations For a conventional VPS, confirm that the provider offers a supported 64-bit architecture and current Docker packages.

A 1 GB VPS is a poor fit: builds have been reported to fail at that size even when the resulting application would run comfortably. If your app compiles assets, runs a JVM, performs image processing, or builds several services simultaneously, increase memory before trying to tune the deployment.

A sensible first server

For a small production site, portfolio, API, or a few low-traffic services, start with Ubuntu 24.04 LTS, 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, and a 40–60 GB SSD. This is a planning recommendation rather than an official Coolify minimum. Leave headroom for temporary build containers and Docker layers instead of sizing only for the final running processes.

Operating-system and server prerequisites

Use a fresh VPS. Do not install Coolify on a machine that already runs another hosting control panel or a competing reverse proxy; existing services can occupy the ports and Docker configuration Coolify expects.

  • Operating system: an Ubuntu LTS release is the clearest documented path, with Ubuntu 24.04 named as an example. Non-LTS releases may behave differently and may require the manual installation route if the automated installer fails.
  • Debian: a third-party guide mentions Debian 12, but the official material considered here does not confirm it by name. Treat Debian support as unverified until the current Coolify documentation explicitly lists your release.
  • Privileges: keep root SSH access available, or use a sudo-enabled account. The installation procedure needs to install Docker and system services.
  • Docker: connected servers require Docker Engine 24 or later. If the installer cannot install Docker on a non-LTS Ubuntu release, install a supported Docker Engine version manually and then retry the Coolify step.

Record the VPS public IPv4 address (and IPv6 address if you intend to use it) before changing DNS. Also note the provider’s recovery console or rescue procedure; it is useful if a firewall rule locks you out.

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Prepare DNS, ports, and a firewall

Point a domain to the VPS

Use a domain you control. Create an A record for the dashboard or a primary hostname pointing to the VPS IPv4 address. For application subdomains, a wildcard record such as *.example.com pointing to the same address lets Coolify route newly created subdomains without adding a DNS record for every deployment. If you use IPv6, add an AAAA record only when the VPS firewall and provider routing are configured for IPv6 as well.

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DNS changes can take time to propagate. Do not issue a certificate or test a hostname until its public DNS answers with the VPS address. A stale record at your DNS provider can make a healthy deployment appear broken.

Allow only the ports you need

Coolify needs inbound access to ports 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS), and 8000 (the dashboard). One third-party setup guide also lists 6001 and 6002; whether those ports are needed depends on the services and features you deploy, so confirm their purpose in the current documentation before exposing them. SSH (normally port 22) must remain reachable from your administration network.

Coolify does not configure a firewall for you. Use your VPS provider’s firewall, an operating-system firewall, or both, and avoid opening a broad range of ports merely because a guide lists them.

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Example Ubuntu firewall sequence

The following sequence illustrates the order, not a universal policy. Substitute your administration source range where possible and verify SSH access from a second terminal before enabling a restrictive default.

  1. Connect over SSH as root or a sudo-enabled user.
  2. Allow SSH before changing defaults: sudo ufw allow 22/tcp.
  3. Allow web traffic: sudo ufw allow 80/tcp and sudo ufw allow 443/tcp.
  4. Allow the dashboard port if you need direct access: sudo ufw allow 8000/tcp. Restrict this rule to your office or VPN address when practical.
  5. Enable the firewall with sudo ufw enable, then check it with sudo ufw status verbose.

Do not close your existing SSH session until a new session succeeds. If the provider has a separate network firewall, mirror the required rules there; an allow rule in UFW cannot override a provider-level block.

Install Coolify

1. Create and verify the VPS

  1. Create the fresh VPS with the selected Ubuntu LTS image and the planned CPU, memory, and SSD allocation.
  2. Confirm that you can log in with root or sudo privileges.
  3. Apply the operating system’s security updates and reboot if the package manager requests it.
  4. Check that ports 80, 443, and 8000 are available and that no existing web server or control panel is listening on them.

2. Run the official installer

Use the single-install command currently shown in Coolify’s official installation guide, executed as root. The command and its flags can change between releases, so copy the current command rather than relying on an old blog post. The installer sets up Docker, Coolify’s dependencies, and the reverse-proxy components used for routing.

If you are logged in as a sudo user, switch to a root shell with sudo -i before running the installer. Watch the output for Docker installation errors, port conflicts, or failed service starts. Do not launch the installer repeatedly while the first attempt is still running.

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3. Open the dashboard

After installation completes, browse to the server’s address on port 8000, for example http://SERVER_IP:8000, unless the current installer documentation specifies a different first-access address. Complete the initial administrator account setup immediately. Then attach a domain, use HTTPS, and restrict dashboard access rather than leaving a public IP-only login exposed.

If the page does not load, verify the VPS firewall, provider firewall, the Coolify service status, and whether another process already owns port 8000. A successful SSH connection does not prove that the dashboard port is reachable.

Connect a Git repository and deploy an application

1. Add the repository

In the dashboard, add your Git provider credentials or repository connection, then select the repository and branch to deploy. Grant the minimum repository permissions required. For a private repository, a deploy key or narrowly scoped application credential is safer than a personal token with unrestricted access.

2. Choose the build method

Use Nixpacks when the project follows a recognizable language framework and you want Coolify to infer the build and start commands. Use a Dockerfile when you need exact operating-system packages, a custom multi-stage build, a pinned runtime, or deterministic commands.

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Review the generated build settings before the first deployment. Confirm the runtime version, build command, start command, working directory, and the port on which the process listens. A process listening only on localhost inside its container cannot receive traffic through the proxy; configure it to listen on the container’s available interface.

3. Configure environment variables and persistence

Add production environment variables in the application’s settings instead of committing secrets to Git. Typical values include the database connection string, session secret, public base URL, and third-party API credentials. Mark sensitive values as secrets where the dashboard provides that option.

Container filesystems are replaceable. If the app writes uploads, generated media, or other data that must survive a redeploy, attach a persistent volume and point the application at that path. Store database data on a persistent volume as well.

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4. Deploy and inspect the first build

  1. Save the application configuration and start a deployment.
  2. Follow the build log. Look for dependency resolution, memory exhaustion, missing system packages, and an incorrect working directory.
  3. After the image starts, inspect runtime logs and confirm that the process remains healthy rather than exiting immediately.
  4. Open the generated service URL or attach your own domain and test the application from outside the VPS.

Build containers can consume substantially more CPU and memory than the idle application. If a build is killed or hangs on a small server, increase the VPS resources before changing application code.

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Attach a custom domain and HTTPS

Create the DNS record first, wait for it to resolve to the VPS, and then enter the hostname in the application’s domain settings. Coolify’s Traefik-based routing directs that hostname to the correct service. Once the hostname resolves and ports 80 and 443 are reachable, enable the automatic certificate option provided by the dashboard.

Certificate issuance fails when DNS still points elsewhere, port 80 is blocked, a proxy or CDN hides the origin incorrectly, or multiple services claim the same hostname. Remove duplicate domain assignments and retest after DNS propagation. Keep HTTP available long enough for certificate validation and redirects; do not block the challenge path with an over-restrictive firewall rule.

Add a database

Coolify includes one-click database options from the dashboard. Select the required engine, choose a persistent storage location, set a strong administrative password, and place the database on an internal network whenever the interface allows it. Your application should connect using the service name or internal connection details supplied by Coolify, not a publicly exposed database port.

Provisioning a database does not create a backup strategy. Schedule logical dumps or provider-level volume snapshots, copy important backups away from the VPS, and test a restore. A single disk failure or accidental volume deletion affects both the application and its local database when they share one VPS.

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Manage updates, storage, and routine operations

Watch disk usage

Docker images from old deployments, build caches, container logs, and database volumes are the main sources of unexpected disk growth. Check disk usage regularly with df -h and investigate large Docker consumers with docker system df. Remove unused images and caches only after confirming that no rollback or running service depends on them; never delete a database volume as a cleanup shortcut.

Plan deployments around capacity

Leave free memory and disk for a rollback image and for the next build. If several repositories deploy at once, stagger them or increase the VPS size. Java and large JavaScript builds are particularly likely to need more than the minimum memory recommendation.

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Keep the host and platform current

Apply Ubuntu security updates, update Docker through a supported package source, and review Coolify release notes before upgrading. Test a non-critical service first when possible. Keep an export of application settings and a recent database backup before platform changes.

Protect administrative access

  • Use long, unique administrator credentials and enable any available multi-factor authentication.
  • Restrict port 8000 to a trusted network when public access is unnecessary.
  • Use SSH keys, disable password SSH login after verifying key access, and avoid administering as root for routine shell work.
  • Monitor authentication logs, service health, certificate expiry, and disk alerts.

Troubleshooting common failures

The installer stops while installing Docker

Check the operating-system release first. The documented path favors Ubuntu LTS; on a non-LTS release, install Docker Engine 24 or later manually as recommended by the troubleshooting guidance, then rerun the Coolify installation step. Remove conflicting Docker packages only when you understand which containers and volumes they own.

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The dashboard is unreachable

  • Confirm that Coolify and its proxy services are running.
  • Verify that port 8000 is allowed in both the VPS firewall and the provider firewall.
  • Check for an existing service bound to port 8000.
  • Test the VPS IP directly before troubleshooting DNS.
  • Use the provider console if a firewall change interrupted SSH.

The domain opens the wrong service

Check for duplicate hostnames in Coolify, stale A or AAAA records, and a wildcard record that points to an old server. Flush local DNS caching or test from an independent network. Ensure that the application is running and that its internal listening port matches the port configured in Coolify.

HTTPS certificate issuance fails

Verify that the hostname resolves publicly to this VPS, port 80 is reachable, and no other proxy is intercepting the validation request. Correct the DNS or firewall issue, wait for propagation, and request the certificate again. Repeated requests can trigger certificate-authority rate limits, so avoid rapid retries while DNS is changing.

A deployment fails during the build

Read the first meaningful error in the build log rather than the final generic failure line. Common causes are insufficient RAM, an unsupported runtime version, missing native build packages, a wrong repository subdirectory, or an incorrect build command. Move to a 4 GB or larger server for multi-app, Java, large JavaScript, or database workloads when resource pressure is evident.

The application loses uploaded files after redeploying

Attach a persistent volume and configure the application to write uploads there. Existing files in an ephemeral container cannot be recovered by redeploying unless they were copied elsewhere. Add that volume to the backup plan.

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When one VPS is no longer enough

A single VPS is a useful starting architecture, but it has a single failure domain. Consider a larger server when builds regularly exhaust CPU or memory, disk remains near capacity, or several services compete for resources. Separate application and database workloads when database I/O affects response times. For higher availability, plan multiple servers, external backups, health checks, and a recovery procedure; Coolify’s dashboard alone does not provide automatic redundancy for a one-server installation.

Deployment checklist

  • Fresh Ubuntu LTS VPS, with no existing hosting control panel.
  • At least 2 vCPUs and 2 GB RAM for a minimal installation; 4 GB RAM is a safer starting point for multiple applications or databases.
  • At least 30 GB total disk and 20 GB free; preferably 40–60 GB SSD for growth.
  • Docker Engine 24 or later for connected servers.
  • Root or sudo SSH access.
  • Firewall rules for SSH, 80, 443, and dashboard port 8000; only add 6001 or 6002 when a documented service requires them.
  • A domain and, where useful, a wildcard DNS record pointing to the VPS.
  • Git repository access, production environment variables, and persistent volumes for stateful data.
  • Off-server database backups and a tested restore path.

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