How to Self-Host Coolify: Complete Setup Guide

Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable PaaS — a direct alternative to Heroku, Netlify, and Vercel — that deploys applications straight from a Git repository into Docker containers, with managed databases and automatic HTTPS included. This guide covers how to install Coolify the fast way, as a Contabo 1-Click App, and the manual install script for any other server, followed by your first deployment.

What Is Coolify?

Coolify is an open-source (Apache 2.0 licensed) PaaS you run on your own server. Point it at a Git repository — GitHub, GitLab, Bitbucket, or Gitea — and it builds the app with Nixpacks (auto-detecting your stack) or a Dockerfile/Compose file you provide, then deploys it behind Traefik with a Let’s Encrypt certificate. One-click managed databases cover PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and MariaDB. It’s currently on a stable v4 release, and being free and fully open source is a large part of why it’s become one of the most popular self-hosted PaaS choices.

System Requirements

Coolify itself is light, but the apps and databases you deploy on top of it are what actually consume resources. 4 GB RAM is enough for a personal project with a couple of services; production use with multiple apps and databases wants 8 GB or more, along with 4 vCPU and SSD or NVMe storage.

Step-by-Step: Installing Coolify

The Fast Path: Coolify as a Contabo 1-Click App

Coolify is now selectable as a 1-Click App directly in the Contabo configurator, both when ordering a new Cloud VPS or VDS and via the Reinstall action on a server you already have. Picking it there provisions a working Coolify instance with no script to run at all — the fastest path if you don’t need to customize the install.

Manual Installation via the Official Script

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

Two things worth knowing before running it: Coolify’s installer expects to run as the root user (non-root isn’t fully supported yet), and Docker installed via snap is explicitly not supported — if your server has snap Docker already, remove it first and let the install script set up Docker itself.

First Login and Creating Your Admin Account

Once the script finishes, visit `http://your-server-ip:8000` in a browser — you’ll land on a registration page. Create your admin account immediately: until an account exists, that registration page is open to anyone who finds it, and whoever registers first gets full control of the instance.

Deploying Your First Application

1. Connect a Git provider (GitHub has the smoothest integration; GitLab, Bitbucket, and Gitea are also supported).
2. Create a new resource and point it at your repository.
3. Let Nixpacks auto-detect your stack, or specify a Dockerfile or Docker Compose file if you need more control over the build.
4. Set the domain you want the app to serve on.
5. Deploy — Coolify builds the container, provisions HTTPS, and brings the app online.

Coolify vs. Alternatives: Which Should You Pick?

This guide covers getting Coolify running, not choosing whether it’s the right tool for you — Contabo already has detailed comparisons if you’re still deciding: Coolify vs CapRover, Coolify vs Easypanel, Coolify vs Dokploy, and Coolify vs Portainer each break down the trade-offs for a specific alternative in depth.

Why Self-Host Coolify on Contabo

Coolify’s 1-Click App listing means you can have it running the moment a Cloud VPS or VDS finishes provisioning, without touching the install script at all. Cloud VPS 6 covers a personal project comfortably; move to Performance VPS once you’re running production apps and databases side by side. Still deciding whether Coolify is the right tool in the first place? Contabo’s Coolify comparison articles cover that decision in depth.

FAQ: Self-Hosting Coolify