Coolify VPS Setup Guide: Your Own Vercel

Coolify is a self-hosted PaaS that turns your VPS into a Vercel/Netlify-like platform. Deploy apps from Git, automatic SSL, zero-downtime deployments — all on hardware you control.

What is Coolify?

Coolify handles the infrastructure complexity:

• Git integration — Push to deploy
• Automatic SSL — Let's Encrypt built-in
• Multiple languages — Node, Python, PHP, Go, Rust, static sites
• Databases — One-click PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB
• Docker support — Deploy any Dockerfile
• Webhooks — Automatic deployments on push

Think of it as self-hosted Heroku/Vercel at a fraction of the cost.

Why Coolify vs Vercel?

Factor	Vercel	Coolify on VPS
Cost (3 apps)	$60/mo+	$5-15/mo
Resources	Limited	Full VPS
Vendor lock-in	High	None
Cold starts	Yes	No
Custom domains	Limited free	Unlimited
Database hosting	Extra cost	Included

Break-even point: If you're paying >$20/mo on Vercel, Coolify saves money.

VPS Requirements

Coolify needs:

• Minimum: 2 vCPU, 2GB RAM, 30GB storage
• Recommended: 4 vCPU, 4GB RAM, 50GB+ storage
• OS: Ubuntu 22.04+ or Debian 12+
• Ports: 80, 443, 8000 (dashboard)

Recommended VPS Providers

Provider	Plan	Specs	Price
Hostinger	KVM1	1 vCPU, 4GB RAM	$4.99/mo
Hetzner	CX21	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	€5.39/mo
Vultr	VC2	2 vCPU, 4GB RAM	$24/mo

Best value: Hostinger KVM1 — 4GB RAM for $4.99 handles 5-10 apps easily.

Installation Guide

Step 1: Create Your VPS

Using Hetzner as example:

1. Sign up at Hetzner Cloud
2. Create Project → Add Server
3. Select: Ubuntu 22.04, CX21 (2 vCPU, 4GB RAM)
4. Add your SSH key
5. Create server, note the IP

Step 2: Point Your Domain

Before installing, set up DNS:

A    coolify.yourdomain.com    → your-server-ip
A    *.coolify.yourdomain.com  → your-server-ip

The wildcard is important — each app gets a subdomain.

Step 3: Connect and Prepare

ssh root@your-server-ip

# Update system
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Set hostname (optional but nice)
hostnamectl set-hostname coolify

# Reboot to apply updates
reboot

Step 4: Install Coolify

One command installs everything:

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

This installs:

• Docker Engine
• Coolify application
• Traefik reverse proxy
• PostgreSQL for Coolify data

Installation takes 2-5 minutes.

Step 5: Access Dashboard

Open in browser:

http://your-server-ip:8000

Or if DNS is ready:

http://coolify.yourdomain.com:8000

Create your admin account on first visit.

Step 6: Configure SSL

In Coolify dashboard:

1. Go to Settings → Configuration
2. Set your Instance FQDN to https://coolify.yourdomain.com
3. Enable Let's Encrypt
4. Enter your email for SSL notifications
5. Save and wait for certificate

Now access via https://coolify.yourdomain.com

Deploying Your First App

Option A: From Git Repository

1. Sources → Add GitHub/GitLab
2. Authorize OAuth access
3. Projects → New Project → New Resource
4. Select Public Repository or your connected account
5. Enter repo URL (e.g., https://github.com/you/app)
6. Coolify auto-detects: Node, Python, PHP, static, Docker
7. Click Deploy

Coolify builds and deploys automatically. You get a URL like: https://app-xxxx.coolify.yourdomain.com

Option B: Using Docker Compose

For existing Docker projects:

1. Projects → New Resource → Docker Compose
2. Paste or link to your compose file:

version: '3'
services:
  app:
    image: nginx:alpine
    ports:
      - 80:80

3. Deploy

Option C: Deploy from Dockerfile

1. Create resource → Dockerfile
2. Link to repo containing Dockerfile
3. Coolify builds and deploys

Common Deployments

Next.js App

# In Coolify:
# 1. Add Git source
# 2. Select your Next.js repo
# 3. Coolify auto-detects Node, uses build output

Build command: npm run build Start command: npm start

Python/FastAPI

# Dockerfile
FROM python:3.11-slim
WORKDIR /app
COPY requirements.txt .
RUN pip install -r requirements.txt
COPY . .
CMD ["uvicorn", "main:app", "--host", "0.0.0.0", "--port", "8000"]

Static Site

Just point to a repo with index.html — Coolify serves it automatically.

WordPress

1. New Resource → Services → WordPress
2. One click deploys WordPress + MySQL
3. SSL and domain handled automatically

Adding Databases

PostgreSQL

1. Resources → New Resource → PostgreSQL
2. Set password
3. Deploy

Connection string appears in dashboard:

postgresql://user:password@postgres-xxxx:5432/postgres

Use in your apps via environment variables.

Redis

Same process:

1. New Resource → Redis
2. Deploy
3. Use redis://redis-xxxx:6379 in your apps

MySQL/MariaDB

1. New Resource → MySQL or MariaDB
2. Configure
3. Deploy

Automatic Deployments

GitHub Webhooks

Coolify automatically configures webhooks when you connect GitHub:

1. Push to main branch
2. Webhook fires
3. Coolify pulls, builds, deploys
4. Zero-downtime swap

Manual Triggers

In each app:

• Click Redeploy for manual trigger
• Use API for CI/CD integration:

curl -X POST https://coolify.yourdomain.com/api/v1/deploy \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -d '{"uuid": "app-uuid"}'

Environment Variables

Per-Application

1. Open app in dashboard
2. Environment Variables tab
3. Add key-value pairs:

DATABASE_URL=postgresql://...
API_KEY=secret123
NODE_ENV=production

Shared Across Apps

1. Projects → Select project
2. Shared Variables
3. These inject into all apps in the project

Custom Domains

Add Domain to App

1. Open app → Settings
2. Domains → Add domain
3. Enter: app.yourdomain.com
4. SSL auto-provisioned

Multiple Domains

Add as many as needed:

app.yourdomain.com
www.yourdomain.com
yourdomain.com

All point to the same app.

Backup Strategy

Database Backups

Coolify supports scheduled backups:

1. Open database resource
2. Backups → Enable
3. Set schedule (daily recommended)
4. Configure S3/Minio destination

Application Data

For apps with persistent data:

# On VPS, backup Docker volumes
docker run --rm -v app_data:/data -v /backup:/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/app-backup.tar.gz /data

Full VPS Snapshots

Use your provider's snapshot feature:

• Hetzner: €0.012/GB/month
• Hostinger: Included weekly
• Vultr: 20% of VPS cost

Performance Tips

1. Enable Swap

fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
chmod 600 /swapfile
mkswap /swapfile
swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile swap swap defaults 0 0' >> /etc/fstab

2. Prune Docker Resources

# Weekly cleanup
docker system prune -a --volumes -f

Or enable in Coolify settings.

3. Monitor Resources

# Check container stats
docker stats

Coolify dashboard shows resource usage per app.

4. Scale Horizontally

For high-traffic apps, add more VPS instances and use Coolify's server management to distribute deployments.

Troubleshooting

App Not Deploying

# Check logs
docker logs coolify

# Check app build logs in dashboard
# Resources → App → Deployments → View logs

SSL Not Working

1. Verify DNS is pointing correctly
2. Wait for propagation (up to 24h)
3. Check port 80/443 open in firewall
4. Restart Traefik: docker restart coolify-proxy

Out of Disk Space

# Check usage
df -h

# Clean Docker
docker system prune -a

# Remove old deployments in Coolify settings

Database Connection Refused

1. Ensure database container is running
2. Use internal Docker hostname (e.g., postgres-xxxx)
3. Check credentials in Coolify dashboard

Coolify vs Alternatives

Platform	Complexity	Best For
Coolify	Low	General PaaS, multi-app
Dokploy	Low	Similar to Coolify
CapRover	Medium	Docker-centric
Portainer	Low	Container management
Kubernetes	High	Large scale

Coolify wins on simplicity while offering enough power for most projects.

FAQ

How many apps can Coolify run?

On a 4GB VPS: 5-15 lightweight apps. More with careful resource management.

Is Coolify production-ready?

Yes, many companies use it. The v4 release is stable and actively maintained.

Can I use my own Docker registry?

Yes, configure in Settings → Docker Registries.

Does Coolify support monorepos?

Yes, specify the subdirectory containing your app.

How do I update Coolify?

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

Same install command updates to latest.

Summary

Coolify transforms a $5-15/mo VPS into a deployment platform that rivals Vercel/Netlify. For developers and small teams, it's the sweet spot between DIY Docker and expensive PaaS.

Recommended Setup:

Component	Choice	Cost
VPS	Hostinger KVM1	$4.99/mo
Platform	Coolify	Free
Domains	Cloudflare	Free
Total		$4.99/mo

Start here: Hostinger VPS → Install Coolify → Deploy apps.