Deploy copyparty with Dokploy

Dokploy is an open-source server management platform that simplifies deploying Docker Compose applications on your VPS. It handles reverse proxy configuration, SSL certificates, and deployment management — making it easy to run copyparty as a self-hosted file server with a feature-rich web UI.

This guide walks you through deploying copyparty with persistent file storage, user authentication, and automatic HTTPS. copyparty is a portable file server with a web UI that supports uploading, downloading, searching, and media playback.

Prerequisites

• A VPS with at least 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, and 10 GB storage (more based on your file storage needs)
• Dokploy installed and running on your server (installation docs)
• A domain name (e.g., files.yourdomain.com) with DNS A record pointing to your server's IP

Docker Compose Configuration

Create a new Compose project in Dokploy and paste the following configuration:

version: "3.8"

services:
  copyparty:
    image: ghcr.io/9001/copyparty:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3923:3923"
    environment:
      - TZ=${TZ:-UTC}
    volumes:
      - ../files/copyparty-data:/w
      - ../files/copyparty-config:/cfg
    command: ["-c", "/cfg/copyparty.conf"]
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "wget -qO- http://localhost:3923/ || exit 1"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 3

Note: copyparty can run without a config file using CLI arguments. The config file approach above provides more flexibility. If you prefer CLI-only setup, replace the command with: command: ["-a", "admin:${ADMIN_PASSWORD}", "-v", "/w::rwmd"] to create an admin account with full access to the shared directory.

Environment Variables

Set these in Dokploy's Environment tab for your compose project:

Variable	Purpose	Example
TZ	Server timezone	America/New_York

In Dokploy, environment variables are set via the Environment editor in the project settings. Do not create a .env file manually — Dokploy manages this for you.

copyparty's primary configuration is handled through its config file or CLI arguments rather than environment variables. To create a configuration file, SSH into your server and create ../files/copyparty-config/copyparty.conf with your desired settings. Example minimal config:

[global]
  # Admin account
  u admin:your-strong-password

[/]
  /w
  accs:
    rwmd: admin
    r: *

This creates an admin user and shares the /w directory with read access for everyone and full access for admin.

Volumes & Data Persistence

This setup uses Dokploy's ../files convention for bind-mounted volumes:

• ../files/copyparty-data — Shared files and uploads
• ../files/copyparty-config — Configuration file and database

The ../files path is relative to the compose file inside Dokploy's project directory. This ensures your data persists across redeployments. Avoid using absolute paths because Dokploy may clean them during redeployment.

If you need S3 backup support, consider using named Docker volumes instead. Named volumes can be backed up with Dokploy's built-in backup features.

Domain & SSL Setup

1. In your Dokploy project, navigate to the Domains tab
2. Click Add Domain and enter your domain (e.g., files.yourdomain.com)
3. Set the container port to 3923
4. Enable HTTPS — Dokploy automatically provisions a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate
5. Save and wait for the certificate to be issued (usually under a minute)

Dokploy's built-in Traefik reverse proxy handles TLS termination and routes traffic to your copyparty container. HTTPS protects uploaded files and login credentials in transit.

Verifying the Deployment

1. In Dokploy, go to your project's Deployments tab and click Deploy
2. Watch the build logs — the copyparty container should start
3. Check the Logs tab for the copyparty service. Look for the listening address message
4. Open https://files.yourdomain.com in your browser — you should see the copyparty file browser
5. Log in with your admin credentials and test uploading a file

Troubleshooting

copyparty shows "config file not found" Create the config file on your server before deploying. SSH into your server and create the file at the path mapped to /cfg/copyparty.conf. Alternatively, remove the -c /cfg/copyparty.conf command and use CLI arguments instead.

Permission errors on file uploads copyparty needs write access to the /w directory. From your server shell, ensure the ../files/copyparty-data directory has appropriate permissions: chmod -R 777 ../files/copyparty-data or set ownership to match the container user.

Large file uploads failing For very large uploads, you may need to increase Dokploy's Traefik proxy timeout and body size limits. copyparty itself supports resumable uploads — use the web UI's drag-and-drop feature which handles chunked uploads automatically.

SSL certificate not issuing Ensure your domain's DNS A record points to your server's IP and has propagated. Dokploy uses Let's Encrypt HTTP-01 challenges, so port 80 must be accessible. Check Traefik logs in Dokploy for certificate-related errors.

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Learn more about copyparty in our complete overview.

Need a VPS? Hostinger VPS starts at $4.99/mo — perfect for running copyparty.

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For more on Docker Compose deployments in Dokploy, see the Dokploy Docker Compose documentation.

App data sourced from selfh.st open-source directory.