http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000 to create the admin account. Coolify is an open-source, self-hosted alternative to platforms such as Heroku and Vercel: it deploys apps from your Git repositories, runs databases and issues free SSL certificates.
What you need
- A FlashRDP Linux VPS running Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04 LTS. Coolify also supports other distributions; see its installation docs.
- A fresh server. Don’t install Coolify next to Nginx, Apache or anything else already using ports 80 and 443.
Size the server
A Coolify server runs the Coolify containers plus every app, database and build you deploy. Builds are the peak: a Node.js or Next.js build can briefly use several GB of RAM.- Light use: Coolify’s own minimum is 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM. That covers Coolify and a few small apps, but builds can run out of memory. BRONZE (2 vCPU, 4 GB RAM) suits light use.
- Several apps or client projects: SILVER (4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM) or above keeps a build from starving the apps already running.
- Storage: Coolify builds and stores Docker images, which fill the disk over time. Phoenix servers use NVMe SSD; Paris servers use SATA SSD. Clean up old images from Coolify’s settings or with
docker image prune.
Install Coolify
Log in via SSH as root and run the official installer:This pipes a script from Coolify’s own CDN into a root shell. To review it first, download it with
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh -o install.sh, read it, then run bash install.sh.Open the dashboard
Openhttp://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000 and create your admin account straight away: until you do, anyone who reaches the page can claim it. From there you can connect GitHub, add a PostgreSQL database and deploy your first app.
Host multiple client apps
If you run apps for several clients on one Coolify server:- One database per client: a separate database container per client isolates their data and lets you restore one client without touching the others. Sharing one PostgreSQL instance saves RAM but couples clients’ uptime and backups.
- Off-server backups: configure S3-compatible storage in Coolify and enable scheduled database backups, so client data survives a server problem.
- Server-level backups: turn on backups from your server’s Backups tab in the Billing Portal as a second layer. See Back up and restore your server.
- Lock down the dashboard: give it its own domain with HTTPS and enable two-factor authentication for your Coolify account.
Hosting apps for paying clients? FlashRDP’s Acceptable Use Policy restricts reselling or sub-letting servers without written agreement. If you’re not sure whether your setup is covered, ask the Presale Desk in a ticket before you deploy.