How to Install Coolify on a VPS and Deploy Your First App

Looking for a way to deploy applications without a complete PaaS solution? And without the hassle of managing everything on your own at that? This guide is your jam! Coolify on a VPS server will give you a middle ground: a convenient dashboard to host and manage stuff with full control over the underlying infrastructure.

Coolify is an open-source and self-hosted platform. It is used to deploy code, databases, and services on infrastructure of your choice. Coolify lets you connect a repository, deploy an application, set up domains and environment variables, enable HTTPS, view metrics, and much more. All this through a neat dashboard.

Self-hosting Coolify is a great option for those who want to deploy applications with a simple interface but want to retain full control over their infrastructure. It is for those who do not want proprietary solutions like Heroku or Vercel. HostOnce will show you here how to install Coolify on a VPS and deploy a sample Node.js application.

Key Takeaways

Server Requirements Before Installing Coolify

You will need a blank VPS server first and foremost. Allocating a whole server for Coolify is recommended to avoid issues with Docker or other applications.

Requirement	Minimum	Recommended
CPU	2 Cores	4+ Cores
RAM	2 GB	4–8 GB
Storage	30 GB	80+ GB
Operating System	Ubuntu LTS	Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS
Access	Sudo Privileges	Root Access

2 CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM should be enough for experimentation. Most applications will require more resources. It is recommended to get a VPS server with at least 4 CPU cores and 4 GB of RAM. 

30 GB will suffice for most needs, but you may want to get at least 80 GB to handle larger work. Also, make sure that the VPS has Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 Long Term Support (LTS) version installed.

You should have exclusive access to the server (meaning that no Docker, Nginx, Apache, or any other service is running). Better to get a fresh server to host Coolify if you are unsure.

Step 1: Create a Fresh Ubuntu VPS

The first step towards installing Coolify is to get a fresh Ubuntu VPS. Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or 24.04 LTS is recommended as it is more likely to be supported for a longer period of time. An HostOnce VPS server can be a perfect choice for this as it offers full root access and control over the server.

Have the following before you proceed:

• A public IP address for the server
• Root or sudo access
• SSH credentials
• An Ubuntu operating system
• Enough RAM and storage as per the recommendations above

Step 2: Connect to the VPS via SSH

Open the Terminal (for Mac and Linux) on your local computer or your preferred SSH client (for Windows). Connect to the server with the following command:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Replace your_server_ip with the actual public IP address of your HostOnce VPS server. Use the following command instead if you use an SSH key to log in to the server:

ssh -i /path/to/your-key.pem root@your_server_ip

You will see a warning regarding the host key when you connect to the server for the first time. Type yes to proceed. You will be prompted to select a keyboard layout if you are using Ubuntu 22.04 or newer.

Step 3: Update Ubuntu

The next step is to update the software installed on the Ubuntu VPS. Update the APT package cache with the following command:

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Make sure that curl is installed:

apt install curl -y

This utility will be used to download the Coolify install script. It needs to be present on the system.

Step 4: Configure Required Firewall Ports

Coolify requires several ports to operate. Most of them are standard, such as ports 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), and 443 (HTTPS).

You will need to allow these ports if you are using UFW:

ufw allow 22/tcp

ufw allow 80/tcp

and

ufw allow 443/tcp

ufw allow 8000/tcp

and

ufw allow 6001/tcp

ufw allow 6002/tcp

Enable UFW and make sure that the rules have been applied:

ufw enable

ufw status

We are using the UFW firewall for the purposes of this guide. Apply the equivalent rules with your preferred utility. Docker can sometimes interfere with the firewall and network settings. This is why you should open the required ports there as well if you are using a firewall at the infrastructure level (for example, with your VPS).

Step 5: Install Coolify on Ubuntu

You are now ready to begin the installation process. Type in the following command:

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

If you are using a sudo user:

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

This command will automatically install most of the required dependencies. The installation process can take up to several minutes.

Step 6: Open Coolify Dashboard

Head over to the Coolify dashboard once the installation is complete. Type in the following command:

http://your_server_ip:8000

Replace your_server_ip with the public IP of your HostOnce VPS. You should be able to see the registration screen for Coolify. Fill out the form to create your administrator account. Use a strong password for full control over the dashboard.

Step 7: Finish Coolify Onboarding

You will be asked to finish the onboarding process. This process will configure some of the basic settings. Follow the instructions on the screen to finish the onboarding wizard. You will arrive at the main screen of the dashboard. You can view and manage things here.

Step 8: Connect a Domain to Coolify

Connect a domain to Coolify to make it more production-ready. You will need to create an A record for configuration in your DNS provider that will point your subdomain to the public IP of your VPS. Your DNS records should look as follows if your desired Coolify subdomain is coolify.example.com:

Type

Name

Value

A

coolify

Your VPS IP

A

Your VPS IP

The second A record will make all the subdomains on your server point to the same VPS. That is useful if you plan to deploy multiple applications on the same server.

Note that it can take some time for the DNS changes to take effect. Open the Coolify dashboard and fill in the URL to your Coolify domain:

• Navigate to Settings > General in the left menu. 
• Replace the URL value with https://coolify.example.com. 
• Your server should have an HTTPS certificate for the new domain. 
• Visitors should not access the dashboard via http://your_server_ip:8000 anymore unless they go through the secure HTTPS page. 

It is possible to use the same domain for Coolify and applications. It is more secure and easier to configure separate domains.

Step 9: Deploy Your First App

Coolify is set up and configured now. Time to deploy your first app. This guide will use a simple Node.js sample application. It can be cloned from a public GitHub repository.

Create a Project

• Go to the Projects tab in your Coolify dashboard. 
• Click on + Add to create a new project. 
• Name the project my-first-app or any other name of your choice. 
• Click on Continue. 

Projects are a great way to keep multiple applications, databases, and domains organized in separate groups.

Add the Application

• Click on + Add Resource. 
• Choose the Public Repository option. 
• Enter the URL to the Node.js sample application repository into the Project Repository field.

You can use the following repository:

https://github.com/heroku/node-js-getting-started

Click on Continue. Coolify will analyze the code to detect what sort of application you are trying to deploy.

Set Up the Application

You will be prompted to enter specific information. 

• Give the application a meaningful name, such as node-js-app. 
• Set up the application’s domain. 
• Use the automatically generated value provided by Coolify if you just want to test the application. 

It will look something like this:

http://random-name.YOUR_SERVER_IP.sslip.io

• Specify the custom domain that you set up in Step 8. 
• Enter https://app.example.com into the field.

The A record for this domain should be pointing to the same VPS as Coolify. A domain provided by Coolify will already be properly configured. Click on Continue.

Step 10: Configure Environment Variables

Applications will require different environment variables to be set up in most cases. These variables define ports, database connection strings, secrets, and other information. This sample Node.js application needs only one variable: PORT. 

• Go to the Environment Variables tab in your application’s settings. 
• Click + Add Variable. 
• Set up the key (PORT) and the value (5006). 
• Click Save.

You should never commit secrets and other environment variables to the repository. Add them through the application’s Environment Variables tab in Coolify.

Step 11: Deploy the Application

Return to the General tab in your application’s settings. Click Deploy to begin the deployment process. 

Coolify will begin the process of deploying the application. You can view the progress in the Deployments tab. The successfully deployed and built application will be available on the specified subdomain.

Troubleshooting Coolify Installation and Deployment Issues

• If the Coolify dashboard does not open? Make sure that the Coolify containers have been launched and that the required ports are open.
• If your application domain is not working? Check that the A record for the domain name points to the correct IP address.
• If you see an error related to HTTPS? Ensure that ports 80 and 443 are open and that the domain name is correctly entered.
• If the application is built successfully but does not open? Double-check the application’s logs and make sure that the port is correctly set up.

Why Should You Consider Hosting Coolify on HostOnce?

Self-hosting Coolify will provide you with an extremely customizable and convenient way to deploy your applications. An HostOnce VPS can be the perfect choice because it offers full control and flexibility over the server. Start with lower specifications for testing purposes and upgrade to higher ones for production environments.

Do not limit yourself to a single provider or platform in this way. You can purchase additional resources. If you want to host another application, you can launch another instance of Coolify on another server. You can also utilize the resources of the current server to the maximum by hosting multiple applications on the same VPS.

Conclusion

Coolify on a VPS will transform a relatively simple server into a complete application deployment platform. Select a HostOnce VPS plan. Set up the required ports. Launch the Coolify installation script. Spend a few minutes setting up the administrator account and connecting the desired domain. You can then begin deploying applications by connecting the repository, setting up variables, and defining the custom domain. 

Coolify allows you to avoid the complexity and overhead of the traditional infrastructure while still retaining full control and customization options. A HostOnce VPS will give you the flexibility and convenience of resource allocation. That makes it easier to scale your applications and deploy more projects without spending too much money.

FAQs