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To self-host YunoHost, provision a clean Debian 12 VPS with a public IPv4 address, connect over SSH, run the official installer as root, finish the post-installation wizard, then point a domain at the server and obtain a trusted HTTPS certificate. The documented minimum is 512 MB RAM and 16 GB storage, but demanding services need substantially more capacity. This guide covers the complete setup, DNS and HTTPS, application choices, backups, and the maintenance work that remains your responsibility.

What YunoHost is and why a VPS works

YunoHost is a Debian-based operating system that puts common self-hosting tasks behind a web administration interface and a command-line interface. It provides centralized user and LDAP management, domain configuration, single sign-on, application deployment from a catalog, diagnosis tools, and backup creation and restoration. The project describes its goal this way: “YunoHost is an operating system aiming to simplify server administration and therefore democratize self-hosting while making sure it stays reliable, secure, ethical and lightweight.”

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The current application catalog contains more than 500 apps, although availability, maintenance status, and quality can change. YunoHost is therefore an administration layer rather than a guarantee that every Linux or Docker application will install natively. You still operate the VPS, protect accounts, manage DNS, decide when to update, monitor capacity, and plan recovery.

A VPS is a practical YunoHost host because it normally supplies a persistent public network address, administrator access, and storage in a provider-managed data center. You avoid maintaining physical hardware while retaining control of the operating system and data. The trade-off is that a provider outage, account compromise, disk failure, or incorrect configuration can affect every service on that VPS, so offsite backups and disciplined maintenance are essential.

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VPS prerequisites: the documented floor and a sensible target

Start with a provider image that meets every item below. These are minimum documented prerequisites, not a performance guarantee for a busy server.

Requirement What to verify Why it matters
Operating system Clean Debian 12 (Bookworm) installation YunoHost is built on Debian and the current installation guidance targets this release.
Kernel Version 6.1 or newer The supported baseline avoids incompatibilities with the installation and system components.
Memory At least 512 MB RAM This is the published minimum for the base system, not a recommendation for multiple large apps.
Storage At least 16 GB The minimum must accommodate the operating system, YunoHost, applications, logs, and data; real workloads need more.
Networking A public IPv4 address and reachable SSH access Public DNS, certificate validation, and remote administration depend on the server being reachable from the internet.
Client device A separate computer or smartphone You need another device to read the guide and reach the server while it is being configured.

For a small test service, the minimum may be enough. A Nextcloud library, substantial mailboxes, media files, databases, or several simultaneous applications can exhaust memory and storage quickly. Choose additional CPU, RAM, disk, and bandwidth based on the services and data you actually intend to host, then monitor usage rather than relying on a universal sizing chart; the official guidance does not publish one.

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Before ordering, confirm that the VPS plan gives you root privileges (or a reliable path to become root), lets you select Debian 12, provides the required kernel baseline, assigns a public IPv4 address, and exposes enough storage for growth. Also check how the provider handles snapshots, reinstalls, firewall rules, and account security. Those features are provider-specific and are separate from YunoHost itself.

Prepare the server and your access details

Write down the VPS public IPv4 address, the initial administrator credentials, and the domain you plan to use. If you do not own a domain, you can begin with a free YunoHost subdomain ending in .nohost.me, .noho.st, or .ynh.fr. A paid domain is useful for a branded address or independent DNS control, but it is not required for a first experiment.

  • Provision the VPS with no preinstalled control panel or application stack. A clean Debian image reduces conflicts.
  • Keep the provider’s recovery or console access available in case SSH becomes unavailable.
  • Use a strong administrator password and, where your provider supports it, protect the provider account with multifactor authentication.
  • Decide where an offsite backup will live before you install important data. A second location must be independently managed from the VPS.

Do not install YunoHost on a server whose existing services or data you need to preserve without first planning a migration. The installation expects a clean supported Debian system, and an unrelated control panel can reserve ports, alter web-server configuration, or change firewall behavior.

Install YunoHost over SSH

The installation is short, but each stage matters. Use the VPS address supplied by your provider and substitute your own login name where necessary.

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  1. Connect to the VPS. From your separate computer, open an SSH session to the server’s public IPv4 address. Use the credentials supplied when the VPS was created.
  2. Become root. If you logged in as a sudo-enabled account, run sudo -i. The installer must be executed with root privileges.
  3. Check the installer prerequisites. If the image does not include them, install curl and the certificate bundle with apt install curl ca-certificates. Review the package manager’s confirmation prompt before continuing.
  4. Run the official installer over HTTPS. Execute curl https://install.yunohost.org | bash. Ensure the address begins with https://; do not replace it with an unencrypted URL.
  5. Wait for completion. The script installs the YunoHost components and reports the address to use for the web administration interface. Keep the SSH session open until it finishes or clearly reports an error.
  6. Open Web Admin or use the CLI wizard. Browse to the address shown by the installer, or remain in SSH and run yunohost tools postinstall.

The first browser visit can display a self-signed-certificate warning. That is expected before a publicly trusted certificate has been installed, but it is not a reason to accept certificate warnings blindly on unrelated sites. Confirm that you are connecting to your own VPS address, complete the initial setup, and replace the temporary certificate after DNS is working.

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Complete the post-installation wizard

The post-installation process establishes the identity and primary domain of the server. Follow the prompts in Web Admin, or answer the equivalent questions launched by yunohost tools postinstall.

  1. Select the main domain. Use the domain you intend to publish, or choose one of the free YunoHost subdomain options if you are experimenting.
  2. Create the administrator account. Use a unique, long password and store it in a password manager. This account controls domains, applications, users, and backups.
  3. Confirm the server identity and network settings. Use the VPS’s public address while completing setup; do not substitute a private address from the provider’s internal network.
  4. Finish the wizard and sign in to Web Admin. The dashboard becomes the central place for users, domains, applications, updates, diagnosis, and backup jobs.

If the wizard cannot be reached, return to the SSH session and verify that the installer completed. A provider console is useful when a network rule or failed SSH daemon prevents remote access. Avoid repeatedly rerunning the installer over an existing, partially configured system without reading the displayed error and checking the supported recovery procedure.

Point your domain to the VPS and enable HTTPS

Domain setup has two separate parts: making DNS resolve to the server and obtaining a certificate for that name. Complete them in that order.

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1. Create the DNS record

At your DNS provider, create the record that maps the chosen domain to the VPS public IPv4 address. If you use a subdomain for a service, create the corresponding record according to your DNS provider’s interface. Save the exact spelling of the hostname; certificate requests fail when the requested name and DNS name differ.

DNS changes may take time to appear at different resolvers. YunoHost’s diagnosis tool can show whether the server sees a problem. Run the initial diagnosis from Web Admin, or execute:

yunohost diagnosis run

Then display human-readable issues with:

yunohost diagnosis show --issues --human-readable

2. Check the result before requesting a certificate

Read every diagnosis issue rather than treating the command as a pass/fail formality. Correct an address mismatch, an incomplete DNS record, or another reported configuration problem, then run the diagnosis again. A certificate authority must be able to reach the domain and verify control of it; requesting certificates repeatedly while DNS is wrong can lead to avoidable failures.

3. Install a publicly trusted certificate

After DNS resolves correctly, request the certificate with:

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yunohost domain cert install

Once successful, revisit the administration interface and your public services using the domain name. The self-signed warning should be replaced by normal browser trust for the names covered by the certificate. If the command reports a validation failure, return to DNS and diagnosis instead of weakening browser security settings.

4. Keep domain ownership and DNS access protected

Your DNS account is part of the server’s security perimeter. Protect it with a unique password and multifactor authentication where available. Losing DNS control can redirect users, interrupt certificate renewal, or expose services even when the VPS itself remains intact.

Choose and deploy applications after the base system

YunoHost’s main advantage is the integrated workflow: create users, attach domains, deploy catalog applications, apply updates, and manage backups from one administration layer or its CLI. The catalog has more than 500 entries, but “available” does not mean every app is equally maintained or suitable for every VPS.

Before installing an app, evaluate it on the following questions:

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  • Maintenance status: Is it officially maintained or community maintained? Does its quality or support status indicate active care?
  • Resource demand: How much memory, CPU, storage, and bandwidth will it consume alongside the base system and existing apps?
  • Backup and restore behavior: Does YunoHost include the app’s data and configuration in its backup workflow, and are there documented recovery steps?
  • Internet exposure: Will the app be publicly reachable, and does it provide strong authentication or rely on YunoHost users and single sign-on?
  • Portability: Can you export the data in a standard format or migrate it if the app or VPS is no longer suitable?

Install one service at a time. After each installation, sign in, verify the domain and authentication behavior, check diagnosis output, and observe memory and storage consumption before adding another workload. This makes it possible to identify which change introduced a problem.

If an application is absent from the catalog, do not assume that a generic Linux package or Docker image can be dropped into YunoHost safely. A separately supported deployment method may require its own reverse proxy, user accounts, updates, firewall rules, and backup design. Running it outside the native app model adds administration work and can create conflicts with YunoHost-managed services.

Design backups before the VPS contains important data

YunoHost can create and restore backups, but backup tooling is only useful when archives survive the failure you are preparing for. The storage guidance recommends keeping archives away from the disks that hold live application data.

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Use an independent destination

For a single VPS, store backup archives in a separate offsite destination or another independently managed storage location. A second directory on the same VPS disk is not independent: a disk failure, accidental deletion, ransomware event, or loss of the VPS can remove both the service and its only archive.

Include the parts you need to rebuild

Plan which users, domains, application data, and configuration must return after a failure. Keep a written record of your DNS provider, domain registrar, VPS account, and recovery credentials in a secure place separate from the server. The archive and the account information solve different parts of the recovery problem.

Create a schedule and monitor it

Choose a frequency that matches how much data you can afford to lose. Confirm that jobs complete and that the destination has enough capacity. Retain more than one generation when possible so a recently corrupted or accidentally deleted file does not become the only copy.

Test restoration, not just backup creation

A successful backup job proves that an archive was written; it does not prove that you can rebuild a working service. Perform a restoration exercise in a controlled environment when practical, document the steps and time required, and update the procedure after major application or system changes. The available documentation confirms YunoHost’s backup and restore tools and its separate-storage guidance, but it does not establish the result of a particular hands-on restore test.

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Security and maintenance responsibilities

YunoHost reduces repetitive administration, but it does not remove the operator’s obligations. The project overview identifies built-in components such as fail2ban and an nftables firewall; those defaults are useful layers, not a substitute for careful account and update management.

  • Keep the baseline supported. Stay on the supported Debian release and kernel requirements. Do not make ad hoc system changes that bypass YunoHost’s management without understanding their effect.
  • Apply updates deliberately. Use the administration tools to update YunoHost and installed apps. Read notices, ensure a recent backup exists, and schedule disruptive work when users can tolerate it.
  • Review diagnosis output. Run diagnosis after DNS changes, certificate work, major updates, or networking changes. Resolve issues instead of allowing warnings to accumulate.
  • Control accounts. Remove unused users, use unique passwords, and protect the administrator account. Review who can access each application.
  • Limit application risk. Prefer maintained catalog entries, examine their support status, and remove services you no longer need. An abandoned app can become a security and recovery liability.
  • Watch capacity. Track storage growth, memory pressure, and service responsiveness. Expand the VPS before it reaches exhaustion, and verify that the backup destination grows with your data.
  • Protect the provider and DNS accounts. YunoHost cannot secure the external accounts that control the VPS, domain, or offsite storage.

Do not promise yourself that a successful installation is a finished server. Operating-system updates, application updates, certificate lifecycle, DNS changes, user administration, data protection, and recovery planning continue for as long as the VPS is online.

Troubleshoot the failures that occur most often

SSH connection fails

Confirm that you are using the VPS’s public IPv4 address and the correct initial account. Check the provider’s network or firewall controls and use its console or recovery access if SSH is unavailable. Do not change several unrelated settings at once; first establish whether the problem is credentials, address selection, or provider networking.

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The installer cannot download

Make sure you are root and that the command uses https://install.yunohost.org. If the shell reports that curl or certificate authorities are missing, run apt install curl ca-certificates, then retry. A failed download is not a reason to pipe an unverified or unencrypted address into a root shell.

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The browser shows a certificate warning

Before DNS and a public certificate exist, YunoHost may present a self-signed certificate. Verify that the address is your VPS, complete post-installation, point DNS correctly, run diagnosis, and then execute yunohost domain cert install. Do not train yourself to ignore certificate warnings on arbitrary sites.

Diagnosis reports a domain or DNS issue

Compare the hostname in YunoHost with the DNS record and the VPS public IPv4 address. Correct the record at the DNS provider, allow time for the change to propagate, run yunohost diagnosis run, and inspect yunohost diagnosis show --issues --human-readable again. Request the certificate only after the reported mismatch is resolved.

An application is slow or the server runs out of space

Check which service and data set grew, then compare actual use with the VPS’s memory and storage limits. Pause nonessential installations, remove unused data safely, or move to a larger plan. Do not delete application files directly from the filesystem without understanding the app’s data layout and backup implications.

A restore is needed after data loss

Protect the remaining evidence first: avoid writing new data over a failed disk and preserve the newest independent archive. Use YunoHost’s documented restore workflow, record which users, domains, and applications return, and verify service access and DNS before declaring recovery complete. If the only archive was on the lost VPS disk, recognize that as a backup-design failure and rebuild the plan after service is restored.

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A practical operating routine

After the initial installation, use this cycle to keep the server predictable:

  1. Review provider, DNS, and YunoHost account access and remove anything no longer needed.
  2. Check diagnosis output and certificate status after domain or network changes.
  3. Apply YunoHost and application updates through the administration tools, with a current backup available.
  4. Confirm that scheduled archives complete at the independent destination and that storage capacity remains adequate.
  5. Review VPS memory, CPU, disk, and bandwidth trends before installing another service.
  6. Periodically rehearse restoration and update your recovery notes while the system is healthy.

Following that routine preserves the reason to choose YunoHost in the first place: it centralizes the repetitive parts of self-hosting without pretending that reliability, security, capacity planning, or recovery happen automatically.

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