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VPS installation and configuration guide for Coolify

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VPS installation and configuration guide for Coolify

Posted on  - February 8, 2025 by Andy Cinquin

VPSCoolifyCloudflare

Complete Guide: VPS Setup and Coolify Installation

Introduction

This guide will walk you through the step-by-step process of setting up a VPS to host Coolify, including purchasing a domain name from Cloudflare. We'll cover all the necessary steps to achieve a secure and functional environment.

Table of Contents

  1. VPS Purchase and Initial Configuration
  2. Domain Name Configuration with Cloudflare
  3. Server Security Setup
  4. Coolify Installation

1. VPS Purchase and Initial Configuration

Choosing a Host

There are several reputable VPS providers:
  • Hetzner
  • Netcup (recommended)
  • OVH
  • Scaleway
  • Contabo
For this tutorial, we recommend Hetzner or Netcup for their excellent value for money.
To run Coolify comfortably, choose at minimum:
  • 2 CPU cores
  • 4 GB RAM
  • 40 GB SSD storage

First Connection

After purchasing your VPS, you'll receive by email:
  • Your server's IP address
  • The initial root password
Connect via SSH:
ssh root@your_ip

Initial System Update

apt update && apt upgrade -y
Installing essential packages:
apt install 

2. Domain Name Configuration with Cloudflare

  1. Create an account on Cloudflare.com

  2. Add your domain to Cloudflare

  3. In the DNS section, add two A records:

    First record (main domain):

    • Type: A
    • Name: coolify (or your chosen subdomain, or your main domain)
    • Content: Your_VPS_IP
    • Proxy status: Disabled (gray icon)

    Second record (wildcard for subdomains):

    • Type: A
    • Name: * (asterisk)
    • Content: Your_VPS_IP
    • Proxy status: Disabled (gray icon)
This wildcard configuration (*.your-domain.com) will allow Coolify to automatically create subdomains for each of your deployed applications. For example:
  • app1.your-domain.com
  • api.your-domain.com
  • staging.your-domain.com
  • etc.
All these subdomains will automatically point to your VPS server, and Coolify will handle routing traffic to the correct application based on the subdomain used.

3. Server Security Setup

Creating a Non-Root User

SSH Keys Configuration

On your local machine:

Secure SSH Configuration

On the server:
Modify/add the following lines:
PubkeyAuthentication yes
PasswordAuthentication no
PermitRootLogin yes
Restart SSH service:

Firewall Configuration

4. Coolify Installation

System Prerequisites

Coolify requires Docker to be installed on the system. The automatic installer will handle this for us.

Automatic Installation

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

Initial Setup

  1. Access your Coolify instance at: http://your_ip:8000
  2. Create your admin account
  3. Configure the following settings:
    • Custom domain name
    • SSL activation with Let's Encrypt
    • Backup configuration

Security Best Practices

  1. Enable two-factor authentication
  2. Configure regular backups
  3. Monitor logs regularly
  4. Keep the system updated

Maintenance

Updates

To update Coolify:

Backups

Configure automatic backups in the Coolify interface:
  1. Settings > Backups
  2. Configure frequency and retention
  3. Test restoration regularly

Conclusion

You now have a secure VPS server running Coolify, accessible via your custom domain name. Remember to:
  • Regularly monitor security updates
  • Maintain up-to-date backups
  • Document your custom configurations
  • Monitor resource usage

Additional Resources




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