Official Coolify one-liner on Ubuntu, first admin user, server registration and your first app behind automatic HTTPS. Real commands for 22.04/24.04.
Coolify turns any Ubuntu VPS into a small Heroku: git push, build, containers, databases and automatic HTTPS on hardware you own. The installer is official and free — ten minutes from a fresh server to a live panel. Full pitch and plan table: Coolify on VPS.
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP apt update && apt install -y ufw ufw allow OpenSSH && ufw allow 80/tcp && ufw allow 443/tcp && ufw --force enable curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | bash
The script installs Docker, the Coolify services and its reverse proxy, then prints the panel address. Docker first-timer? The install Docker guide explains what the script does under the hood.
Open `http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000` and register the first account — it becomes the admin. Then open Settings → Instance and set the public FQDN you will use for the panel itself (e.g. `coolify.example.com`) and point an A record at the server; Coolify's own proxy will put the panel behind HTTPS.
# Servers → New → Standalone → this server. # Coolify shows a public key — add it to the root user: mkdir -p ~/.ssh && chmod 700 ~/.ssh echo 'PASTE_COOLIFY_PUBLIC_KEY_HERE' >> ~/.ssh/authorized_keys chmod 600 ~/.ssh/authorized_keys # back in the panel: Test connection → should turn green
Standalone + this-server means Coolify manages the machine it runs on — enough for most people. Remote servers, Docker Swarm and k8s are there when you grow into them.
Applications → + New → Public Repository, paste any repo with a Dockerfile or a detected build pack, choose the server, add a domain (`app.example.com`) — Coolify creates the resource, builds it, wires the proxy and issues the certificate. Databases and services live next door in their own tabs; cron jobs and workers are just extra entries per app.
Core VPS 4 (€12/mo, 8 GB) runs the panel plus two or three small apps comfortably. Add the Core VPS 6 NVMe (€18/mo) when apps get their own Postgres and Redis — NVMe keeps builds and databases snappy. Frequent CI builds want Performance Plus 8 (€75/mo).
The dashboard shows Update — it pulls new images and restarts services; your apps and databases stay in place. Back up first: the whole state lives in Coolify's own database, so snapshot it before big jumps.
PaaS without the invoice: one flat VPS price, any number of apps. Plans from €12/mo →