Coolify PAAS

This document provides detailed steps for deploying Coolify, a self-hosted container management platform, on your VPS. It includes configuration for remote HTTPS access and DNS setup with a custom domain.

Prerequisites

• A secured VPS with basic hardening (as outlined in [Initial Server Hardening](./10_12_Initial_Hardening_Setup.md))
• Essential utilities installed (as outlined in [Essential Utilities Setup](./10_13_Initial_Utils_Setup.md))
• A registered domain name that you can configure DNS records for
• SSH access to the server with your non-root user
• Docker installed and running (will be installed as part of this guide if not present)

1. Preparing the Server Environment

Update System Packages

Action: Ensure your system packages are up to date

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Details:

• Updates all packages to their latest versions
• Ensures all security patches are applied before installation
• Prepares the system for new software installation

Install Docker (if not already installed)

Action: Check if Docker is installed

docker --version

Action: If Docker is not installed, install it using the official Docker script

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common

# Create directory for GPG keys if it doesn't exist
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings

# Download Docker's official GPG key
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Ensure the key is readable by all users
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add Docker repository to Apt sources:
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

# Install Docker
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

# Add your user to the docker group (to run docker without sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Apply group changes to current session
newgrp docker

Details:

• Docker is required for running Coolify containers
• Adding your user to the docker group allows running docker commands without sudo
• The installation uses the official Docker repository for the latest stable version

2. Configure DNS for Your Domain

Before installing Coolify, you should set up DNS records for your domain to point to your server.

Action: Configure DNS A record for your domain

Log in to your domain registrar or DNS management portal and create the following A record:

• Type: A
• Host: coolify (or your preferred subdomain, or @ for the root domain)
• Value: Your server's public IP address
• TTL: 3600 (or as recommended by your provider)

Details:

• This points your domain (or subdomain) to your server's IP address
• DNS changes may take time to propagate (usually between a few minutes and 48 hours)
• You can verify propagation using dig coolify.yourdomain.com or online DNS lookup tools

3. Configure Firewall to Allow Web Traffic

Action: Open the necessary ports in your firewall

# Allow HTTP traffic
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp

# Allow HTTPS traffic
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

# Realtime notifications
sudo ufw allow 6001/tcp

# Dashboard Terminal Control
sudo ufw allow 6002/tcp

# Reload firewall to apply changes
sudo ufw reload

# Verify firewall status
sudo ufw status

Details:

• Port 80 (HTTP) is needed for initial setup and Let's Encrypt verification
• Port 443 (HTTPS) is required for secure connections
• Coolify will handle the redirection from HTTP to HTTPS automatically
• The existing SSH port (2222) should remain open from previous configuration

4. Install Coolify

Run the Coolify Installation Script

Action: Install Coolify using the official installation script

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

Details:

• This is the official quick installation method recommended by Coolify
• The script will:
  • Check system requirements
  • Install Docker if needed
  • Download and install Coolify containers
  • Set up initial configuration

Complete the Installation Process

Action: Follow the terminal prompts to complete the installation:

1. When asked if you want to install Coolify as a service, enter y
2. When asked for your server's public IP or domain, enter your full domain (e.g., coolify.yourdomain.com)
3. For any other prompts, follow the on-screen instructions

Details:

• Installing as a service ensures Coolify starts automatically on system boot
• Providing your domain name allows Coolify to configure SSL certificates
• The installation script will guide you through the rest of the setup process

5. Configure Nginx Proxy Manager

Update docker-compose.yml

• browse to NginX proxy manager directory cd /data/nginx-proxy-manager
• update it docker-compose.yml to network coolify

services:
  npm:
    image: "jc21/nginx-proxy-manager:latest"
    container_name: nginx-proxy-manager
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "81:81"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - npm-data:/data
      - npm-letsencrypt:/etc/letsencrypt
    networks:
      - coolify

networks:
  coolify:
    external: true

volumes:
  npm-data:
  npm-letsencrypt:

• than run docker compose up -d to restart the container

Nginx Proxy Manager - create host proxy coolify

1. In the NPM dashboard, navigate to "Hosts" → "Proxy Hosts"
2. Click "Add Proxy Host" button
3. In the "Details" tab:
   • Domain Names: coolify.example.com`
   • Scheme: http
   • Forward Hostname/IP: nginx-proxy-manager
   • Forward Port: 8080
   • ✔️ set "Block Common Exploits"
   • ✔️ set "Cache Assets"
   • ✔️ set "Block Common Exploits"
4. Go to the "SSL" tab:
   • Request a new SSL certificate with Let's Encrypt
   • ✔️ set "Force SSL"
   • ✔️ set "HTTP/2 Support"
   • ✔️ set HSTS
   • ✔️ set HSTS Subdomains
   • Add your email for Let's Encrypt notifications
5. Go to the advanced tab
   • Custom Nginx location configuration for terminal

location /terminal {
proxy_pass http://coolify:8080/terminal;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_read_timeout 86400;
}

location /terminal/ws {
proxy_pass http://coolify-realtime:6002/terminal/ws;
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_read_timeout 86400;
}

1. Click "Save" to create the proxy host

5. Initial Coolify Setup

Action: Access the Coolify dashboard and complete initial setup

create temporary account [email protected] Fryz@67Y

Details:

• This allows you to access the Coolify web interface.
• Registering an account is necessary to manage the platform.
• Skipping onboarding allows you to configure necessary items like SSH keys and servers first.

5.

6. Add Server and SSH Key

Action: Add your server's SSH private key to Coolify

1. In the Coolify menu, go to "Key & Token".
2. Add your login server's SSH private key.

Action: Add your login server details in Coolify

1. In the Coolify menu, go to "Servers".
2. Click "Add Server" and enter the following details:
   • IP: <vps-server-ip>
   • User: name (use the actual non-root username you created)
   • Port: 2222
3. Click "Validate Server".

Details:

• Coolify needs SSH access to manage the server for deployments and other operations.
• Adding the private key allows Coolify to authenticate with your server.
• Configuring the server details tells Coolify how to connect.
• Validation checks if Coolify can successfully connect using the provided details.

7. Start Proxy and Troubleshoot Permissions

Action: Start the Coolify proxy

1. Still on the server page in Coolify, go to the "Proxy" section.
2. Click on "Start Proxy".

8. Start Coolify After Stop

docker compose --env-file .env \
    -f docker-compose.yml \
    -f docker-compose.prod.yml \
up -d  #'-d' for detached mode!

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