Coolify is an open-source, self-hostable Platform as a Service (PaaS) — a powerful alternative to Vercel, Heroku, and Netlify. It lets you deploy static sites, full-stack applications, databases, and 280+ one-click services on your own servers with automatic SSL certificates, Git integration, and a beautiful dashboard.
In this tutorial, I'll walk you through the complete installation of Coolify on an Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server.
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Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:
A server (VPS or dedicated) running Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
Root access or a user with sudo privileges
At least 2 vCPUs, 2 GB RAM, and 30 GB of storage
A domain name pointed to your server's IP (optional, but recommended)
Required Ports
| Port |
Protocol |
Description |
| 22 |
TCP |
SSH access |
| 80 |
TCP |
HTTP traffic |
| 443 |
TCP |
HTTPS traffic |
| 8000 |
TCP |
Coolify dashboard |
| 6001 |
TCP |
Coolify WebSocket |
| 6002 |
TCP |
Coolify API |
Updating the Operating System
Step 1 - Update the operating system.
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2 - Install the required dependencies.
sudo apt install -y curl wget git
Configuring the Firewall
Step 3 - If you're using UFW (Ubuntu's default firewall), allow the required ports:
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw allow 8000/tcp
sudo ufw allow 6001/tcp
sudo ufw allow 6002/tcp
Step 4 - Enable the firewall if it isn't already:
sudo ufw enable
Step 5 - Verify the rules:
sudo ufw status
You should see all the ports listed as ALLOW.
Coolify Installation
Step 6 - Run the automated installation script as root:
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash
⚠️ If you're not logged in as root, use sudo:
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | sudo bash
The script will:
Check your system requirements
Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose (if not already installed)
Download and configure Coolify
Start all required containers
This process may take a few minutes depending on your server's internet speed. Once completed, you'll see a success message with the URL to access Coolify.
Accessing the Dashboard
Step 7 - Open your browser and navigate to:
http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000
Replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your server's actual IP address.
Step 8 - Create your admin account by setting a strong email and password.
Step 9 - Coolify will automatically detect your localhost server. Confirm the server configuration and you're ready to go!
Setting Up a Custom Domain (Optional)
Step 10 - Add an A record in your DNS provider pointing to your server's IP:
| Type |
Name |
Value |
| A |
coolify |
YOUR_SERVER_IP |
Step 11 - Log in to the Coolify dashboard, go to Settings → General and set your Instance's Domain to https://coolify.yourdomain.com.
Coolify will automatically generate a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for your domain.
Deploying Your First Application
Step 12 - On the dashboard, click "New Resource".
Step 13 - Select "Public Repository" and paste a Git repository URL (e.g., https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify-examples).
Step 14 - Choose the branch, build pack, and target server, then click Deploy.
Coolify will clone the repository, build the application, and deploy it automatically.
Enabling Auto-Updates
Step 15 - Go to Settings → General and toggle "Auto Update" to enabled.
This ensures you always have the latest features and security patches without manual intervention.
Useful Commands
Check running containers:
docker ps --format "table {{.Names}}\t{{.Status}}\t{{.Ports}}"
View Coolify logs:
docker logs -f coolify
Restart Coolify:
docker restart coolify coolify-realtime coolify-db coolify-redis
Stop Coolify:
docker compose -f /data/coolify/docker-compose.yml stop
Start Coolify:
docker compose -f /data/coolify/docker-compose.yml up -d
Troubleshooting
If port 8000 is not accessible, make sure the firewall allows traffic and reload:
sudo ufw allow 8000/tcp
sudo ufw reload
⚠️ If you're using a cloud provider (AWS, DigitalOcean, Hetzner), also check the Security Groups or Firewall Rules in the provider's dashboard.
If you encounter Docker permission errors, add your user to the Docker group:
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
newgrp docker
If the installation script fails, run it with verbose output to identify the issue:
curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash -x
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