Coolify lets you self-host almost any app on your own server from one web dashboard, with no proprietary cloud lock-in and no per-app fees. Point it at a fresh VPS, run one install command, connect your Git repository, and Coolify handles the containers, free SSL certificates and scheduled backups.
Short answer
Provision a Linux VPS with at least 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of free disk, and open ports 22, 80, 443 and 8000 (plus 6001 and 6002 while you use the dashboard by IP). Run the official install script, create the admin account on port 8000 straight away, then deploy a Git repository or a one-click service. Coolify issues Let's Encrypt SSL automatically and can schedule backups to S3-compatible storage.
I lead open-source and platform deployments at MithTech, a team of Frappe specialists in Bengaluru. Coolify is what we use when a client wants their own apps, internal dashboards, n8n, databases or even a Frappe stack running on infrastructure they control. Honestly, the first deploy feels almost too easy. The real work is the dull hygiene afterwards: firewall rules, backups, and knowing who holds the root SSH key.
What is Coolify and why self-host with it?
Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable Platform-as-a-Service that deploys static sites, databases, full-stack applications and hundreds of prebuilt services onto servers you own. It was created by Andras Bacsai, is licensed under Apache 2.0, and reached its stable v4.0.0 release on 27 April 2026 after a long beta that many teams already ran in production. The appeal is control: your data, your server, your rules.
Self-hosting matters when compliance, cost predictability or data residency rule out a managed platform. Coolify gives you the experience of a hosted PaaS (push to Git, get a live URL) while everything runs on a VPS or bare-metal server you administer. The software has no licence fee; you pay your infrastructure provider (check its own page for prices).
| Concern | Managed PaaS | Self-hosting with Coolify |
|---|---|---|
| Licence model | Proprietary, usage-based | Open source (Apache 2.0), no licence fee |
| Where data lives | Vendor's cloud | Your server and region |
| Vendor lock-in | High | Low: standard Docker underneath |
| Ops responsibility | Vendor handles it | You handle updates and backups |
For a wider look at hosted platforms, see our guide to the open-source Heroku alternative landscape.
What server do you need before you start?
A fresh Linux VPS. Coolify's documented minimum is 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of free disk, on amd64 or arm64, running a supported OS: Debian or Ubuntu (non-LTS Ubuntu needs the manual install), a Red Hat family distribution such as AlmaLinux or Rocky, SUSE, Arch or Alpine. Use a clean machine; installing on a server that already runs other apps invites port and Docker conflicts.
Coolify's own containers use part of that minimum before you deploy anything, so it is fine for learning but tight for real workloads. If you plan to run several apps plus databases, give yourself more RAM and disk. For choosing an affordable server, see the cheapest VPS options for self-hosting, or our Hetzner setup guide for hardening a fresh server first.
How do you install Coolify on a VPS?
A single command, run as root (or a user with sudo) over SSH. The script installs Docker and supporting tools (curl, wget, git, jq, openssl), then brings up the Coolify stack.
SSH into your server
Connect with ssh root@your-server-ip. A new VPS with nothing else on it is the safest foundation.
Run the official install script
It installs dependencies, configures Docker and starts Coolify. If you are security-conscious, read a script before piping it to a shell.
Open the setup dashboard
When the script finishes, it prints a URL like http://your-server-ip:8000. Open it to reach the registration page.
Create your admin account at once
Whoever reaches the registration page first becomes the instance admin, with root access to the server, so register straight after the install. Use a strong, unique password and store it in your password manager. You can also pre-create the root account during install with the ROOT_USERNAME, ROOT_USER_EMAIL and ROOT_USER_PASSWORD variables.
How do you connect a server and deploy an app?
After installation, the machine you installed on is registered as your first server; you can add more over SSH later. Deploying an app means pointing Coolify at a source: a Git repository, a Docker image or a one-click template.
Add a project and environment
Create a project in the dashboard. Projects group related resources and separate environments such as production and staging.
Create a new resource
Click New Resource and choose a public or private Git repository, a Docker image, or one of the one-click services (databases, n8n, WordPress and many more).
Let Coolify detect the stack
Paste your repository URL. Coolify detects common stacks (Node.js, Python, PHP, Go, Ruby and static sites) and configures the build, usually without a Dockerfile.
Connect Git for auto-deploys
Link GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket or Gitea so every push to your chosen branch triggers a fresh deployment. That push-to-deploy loop is what makes a PaaS feel effortless.
Deploy and watch the logs
Hit Deploy. Coolify builds the image, starts the container and streams live build logs so you catch failures straight away.
To connect more machines, say a separate database server, add them under Servers with an SSH key. One Coolify install can then manage several servers, including Docker Swarm clusters, from the same dashboard.
How do you add SSL and a custom domain?
SSL is automatic once you attach a domain. In your app's settings, set the domain (for example https://app.yourdomain.com), then create a DNS A record pointing that name at your server's public IP. Coolify requests a Let's Encrypt certificate, installs it and renews it before expiry, with no manual certbot.
Ports 80 and 443 must be open and DNS must have propagated, because Let's Encrypt validates the domain over HTTP before issuing the certificate.
How do you set up backups?
Backups are built into Coolify and target S3-compatible object storage. For any database resource, open its Backup tab, set a cron-style schedule, and point it at an S3 bucket with the endpoint, bucket name and access keys. Snapshots run on schedule, and you can restore from one when needed.
Any S3-compatible provider works: AWS S3, a self-hosted MinIO, Cloudflare R2 and others. Database snapshots are small, so a modest bucket covers most projects (check the provider's own page for storage prices). Test a restore before you rely on the backups.
Beyond database snapshots, keep server-level protection too: provider volume snapshots and an off-site copy of your Coolify configuration. If you self-host something business-critical like an ERP, backups stop being optional; in our ERPNext deployments a recoverable database is the whole point.
Should you run Coolify yourself, or have it run for you?
Run it yourself if someone on your team will apply Coolify and OS updates, keep the firewall tight, hold the root SSH key and test a restore now and then; it is then a fair, low-cost way to self-host any app with Coolify on one server. Have it run for you if nobody owns that work, because every app on the box goes down with it.
Do it yourself if
You have someone at home with Linux, SSH, Docker and Git, a spare server or snapshot to test restores on, and apps that can be offline for a few hours while they fix something.
Have it run for you if
Several business apps share the one server, one of them (an ERP, a store, customer chats) cannot be down for a day, or nobody wants to be the person who patches the server and the dashboard.
Under managed hosting we run the server Coolify sits on: one named server in your cloud account or ours, nightly backups copied off it, one restored on a schedule, every upgrade tried on a copy first, and the keys stay yours. It is a monthly fee for running it plus the server, quoted in writing after a call; the self-hosting cost comparator sets that against the per-app bills of a hosted platform.
Frequently asked questions
+Is Coolify really free to self-host?
Yes. Coolify is open source under the Apache 2.0 licence, which allows forking, reselling and building commercial products on top of it. There is no per-app or per-user fee for the software; you pay your server or hosting provider.
+Can Coolify deploy any type of application?
Almost. Coolify deploys static sites, full-stack apps in Node.js, Python, PHP, Go and Ruby, and databases like PostgreSQL, MySQL, MariaDB, MongoDB and Redis, plus hundreds of one-click services. Anything you can package as a Docker image or a standard Git repository will generally run.
+What are the minimum server requirements for Coolify?
Coolify's docs give 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM and 10 GB of free disk on a supported Linux distribution (Debian, Ubuntu, Red Hat family, SUSE, Arch or Alpine). Coolify uses part of that itself, so add headroom before running production workloads with several apps and databases.
+Does Coolify handle SSL certificates automatically?
Yes. When you attach a custom domain and point its DNS at your server, Coolify requests a free Let's Encrypt certificate, installs it and renews it. Ports 80 and 443 must be open and DNS must resolve so Let's Encrypt can validate the domain.
+Can I manage more than one server from a single Coolify install?
Yes. You can connect more servers over SSH from the same dashboard, including multi-server and Docker Swarm setups. One control plane can run several machines, which helps separate app servers from database servers.
+Is Coolify a good fit for hosting ERPNext or Frappe apps?
It hosts containerised workloads well, and many teams run Frappe-based stacks on their own infrastructure this way. A production ERP has its own worker, scheduler and backup needs, though. If you want it done reliably, our Frappe and ERPNext team can advise on the setup.
If you would rather have us set up Coolify, harden the server and put dependable backups in place, get in touch.
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Manoj · Published on 20 July 2026
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