GeezerVison

The World Wide Web, restored to 800 pixels of glory.

GeezerVison is showing coolify.io — Install Coolify (Self-hosted): One-command Setup

Start with Self-hosted

Self-hosting Coolify means you run the Coolify instance on infrastructure you control.

The short version

Coolify needs 2 CPU cores, 2 GB RAM, and 10 GB disk space to run. If your server meets this specification, you can install Coolify by using this install script:

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

Once the installation completes, it will print the next steps in your terminal, so follow them.

Before you begin

Check these requirements first so you pick the right install method and avoid server, OS, or network issues halfway through setup.

Section	Check
1. Server requirements	Confirm you have a server or device with SSH access.
2. Supported operating systems	Confirm your Linux distribution is supported.
3. Minimum hardware requirements	Confirm CPU, memory, disk, and architecture fit Coolify.
4. Server resources for your projects	Confirm your server has enough CPU, memory, and storage for your workloads.
5. Configure SSH access and firewall	Confirm SSH access and required firewall ports are ready.

1. Server requirements

You need a server with SSH access. This could be:

VPSA Virtual Private Server from any provider.

Dedicated serverA full physical server that you control.

Virtual machineA Linux VM running on your own infrastructure.

Raspberry PiA 64bit supported Raspberry Pi setup.

LaptopAn old or spare Linux laptop with SSH access.

Any Linux deviceAny device that runs Linux with SSH access.

Fresh server recommended

It’s best to use a fresh server for Coolify to avoid any conflicts with existing applications.

Server provider

If you haven’t picked a server provider yet, consider using Hetzner. You can even use our referral link to support the project.

2. Supported operating systems

Base	Distributions	Notes
Debian-based	Debian, Ubuntu	Ubuntu non-LTS: use Manual install
Red Hat-based	CentOS, Fedora, Red Hat, AlmaLinux, Rocky, TencentOS, Asahi	Docker may need manual pre-install on some variants
SUSE-based	SLES, SUSE, openSUSE	Supported
Arch-based	Arch Linux	Supported
Alpine-based	Alpine Linux	Supported
Raspberry Pi OS	Raspberry Pi OS (64-bit)	Use 64-bit image

Operating system support

The table above reflects distributions where Coolify is known to run well, based on project testing and community reports.

Coolify only runs on Linux-based operating systems. You may be able to run it on a non-Linux OS by using tools like Linux virtual machines.

3. Minimum hardware requirements

Item	Minimum	Notes
CPU	2 cores	Increase cores if running multiple workloads on one server.
Memory	2 GB RAM	Increase memory as your workload grows.
Disk	10 GB free space	Keep additional space for Docker images, volumes, and backups.
Architecture	amd64 or arm64	ARM64 is required for Raspberry Pi OS installations.

Hardware resource planning for budget users

Coolify can run on smaller servers (for example: 1 CPU core, 512 MB RAM, 4 GB disk), but this is not recommended.

If cost is a concern, start with a server 1 CPU core and 1 GB RAM, and upgrade the server as your workloads grow or if it becomes slow due to limited resources.

If you’re running both builds and Coolify on the same server, monitor your resource usage. High resource usage could make your server unresponsive.

4. Server resources for your projects

The resources you need depend on your projects. If you host multiple services or larger applications, choose a server with higher CPU, memory, and storage.

Example production setup

ShadowArcanist runs a mixed production workload on one server with the resources below. The applications are built externally and the workloads are heavily optimized, so they run on modest resources. Use this as a rough reference point, not a fixed recommendation.

Hosting provider

Hetzner

Server type

CAX11

Memory4 GB

Average usage: 2.6 GB

CPU2 vCPU

Average usage: 60-70%

Storage40 GB

Average usage: 32 GB

This server comfortably supports:

16 Static Sites

9 Rust API services

5 Rust Apps (full stack)

4 Rust Discord bots

7 Rust workers

2 Valkey databases

1 PostgreSQL database

Coolify

Beszel

5. Configure SSH access and firewall

SSH access

Configure OpenSSH so Coolify can connect to your server.

Confirm SSH works from your machine
Use root or a sudo-capable user

Configure SSH

Firewall ports

Open the required ports on firewall.

Allow SSH access
Open Coolify and application ports

Configure Firewall

Choose installation method

Automated

Run one script to install Coolify automatically.

Recommended by the Coolify team
One-command installation via script
Requires root user access

Choose Automated

Manual

Run each install step yourself for full control.

Works with existing Docker installations
Non-root and custom setups
You configure networking, volumes, and secrets

Choose Manual

Raspberry Pi OS

Properly configure Raspberry Pi before installing Coolify.

Requires 64-bit Raspberry Pi OS
ARM64 architecture required
Compatible with both Automated and Manual install

Choose Raspberry Pi OS

Automated installation

Automated install flow

Run one command, let the installer setup everything, then access the Coolify dashboard.

Run the installer

Wait for Coolify to start

Visit http://<server-ip-here>:8000

Create the admin account

Back up /data/coolify/source/.env

Use a fresh server when possible.
Use root user account.
Open necessary ports on Firewall.
Create admin account as soon as possible.
Back up generated installation secrets.

You should end with a running Coolify dashboard, first admin account, and saved installation secrets.

1. Run the install script

Open your terminal and SSH into your server as root or a user with sudo privileges, then run the command below:

curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash

Before running the installer

If Docker is installed through snap, remove it and install Docker Engine using the official Docker method or let the install script handle it automatically.
If you use Ubuntu, use an LTS release such as 20.04, 22.04, or 24.04. Non-LTS Ubuntu releases can behave differently, so use the manual installation method if you run into installer issues.

2. Access the dashboard

After installation, you’ll see a “Congratulations!” message with the dashboard link in your terminal.

Open http://192.168.1.69:8000 in your browser (replace 192.168.1.69 with your server IP) and create your admin account.

Secure your admin account

Create your admin account as soon as installation finishes. Anyone who reaches the registration page first can become the instance admin and gain root access to your server.

Coolify accepts the first account only in the first 10 minutes after Coolify starts. If the registration page shows Setup window closed, run docker restart coolify on the server, then reload the page.

3. Back up installation secrets

Back up /data/coolify/source/.env and keep it somewhere safe.

This file contains installation secrets such as APP_KEY, which is used to encrypt Coolify database values. You need this file if you ever want to restore Coolify from a backup.

That's it!, you can start using Coolify.

After setup

Once Coolify is running, start by deploying something on the same server where Coolify is installed. When that works, expand to more servers or use the maintenance guides as needed.

Deploy an application

Start with an app deployment once your server is connected.

Deploy a database

Add a database when your first app needs persistent data.

Deploy a service

Launch a one-click service from the service catalog.

Grow beyond one server

Add more compute capacity when your workloads outgrow the first server.

1Add and validate servers 2Build server 3Multiple servers

Ongoing operations

Use these guides when you need to maintain or remove your Coolify instance.

1Upgrade 2Downgrade 3Uninstallation

Advanced installations

For PHP memory and worker settings such as PHP_MEMORY_LIMIT, see Instance environment variables. These settings configure Coolify itself and are separate from a deployed application's environment.

These options are optional and mostly useful for automation or custom infrastructure requirements.

Advanced install options

Root user

Pre-create the admin account so public registration is never exposed.

Custom Docker network

Avoid network overlap with infrastructure-controlled address pools.

Custom registry source

Pull Coolify images from ghcr.io or docker.io.

Compose overrides

Persist custom ports, labels, resources, or container settings across upgrades.

Safety first

Test advanced changes on a non-production server first. If you manage production workloads, keep backups and a rollback path before applying advanced install settings.

1. Root user

Use this when you want to pre-create the root account during installation, so the registration page is never exposed.

Variable	Required	Notes
`ROOT_USERNAME`	Yes	3-255 characters. Allowed: letters, numbers, spaces, underscores, and hyphens.
`ROOT_USER_EMAIL`	Yes	Must be a valid email format with a valid DNS record, up to 255 characters.
`ROOT_USER_PASSWORD`	Yes	At least 8 characters with uppercase, lowercase, number, and special symbol.

env ROOT_USERNAME=RootUser \
[email protected] \
ROOT_USER_PASSWORD='StrongPassword123!' \
bash -c 'curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash'

If you are not logged in as root:

sudo -E env ROOT_USERNAME=RootUser \
[email protected] \
ROOT_USER_PASSWORD='StrongPassword123!' \
bash -c 'curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash'

Choose your path

Decide between self-hosted Coolify and Coolify Cloud based on your goals, responsibilities, and operational comfort level.

Start with Coolify Cloud

Start with Coolify Cloud using your own servers while the Coolify team manages the Coolify instance for you.

You are visitor 01402503 — GeezerVison does not store the pages you look up.
Best viewed with Netscape Navigator 4.7 or Internet Explorer 6 at 800×600. No cookies required.