Cheapest Way to Host and Deploy Websites: Self-Hosting Coolify on Ubuntu

Looking for the cheapest way to host and deploy your web apps? If you are tired of paying high fees for Vercel, Netlify, Render, or Heroku, Coolify is the perfect self-hosted alternative.

Coolify is an open-source deployment platform that lets you launch and manage applications with an intuitive UI — just like Vercel, Netlify, or Heroku, but at a fraction of the cost.

With Coolify, you can deploy Next.js, React, Node.js, PHP, and more on your own server. Whether you are using Hetzner, AWS, DigitalOcean, or another VPS provider, this guide will show you how to install Coolify on Ubuntu from scratch.

By the end of this guide, you will have a fully operational Coolify server ready to deploy your applications cheaply and efficiently.

What is Coolify?

Coolify is a self-hosted PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service) that allows you to deploy applications without the complexity of Kubernetes. It provides a user-friendly UI, automatic SSL certificates, one-click deployments, and support for applications such as Next.js, Node.js, Laravel, Python, and more.

With Coolify, you get:

• Cheaper hosting than Vercel, Netlify, and Heroku, without high platform fees or hidden costs.
• Support for multiple applications on a single server.
• Automatic SSL through built-in Let’s Encrypt support.
• Docker-based deployments that are easy to manage and scale.
• Database support for PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB, and more.
• GitHub integration for deploying directly from your repositories.
• Built-in CI/CD that can build and deploy applications with every commit.

Coolify gives you much of the power of Vercel, Netlify, Heroku, and Render while keeping the infrastructure under your control.

Prerequisites

Before installing Coolify, make sure your Ubuntu server meets these requirements:

• Ubuntu 20.04 or 24.04, AMD64 or ARM64
• Root or sudo access
• At least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
• A domain name (optional, but useful for SSL)
• 30 GB of free storage

Heads up: if you run builds and Coolify on the same server, monitor resource usage carefully. High load can make your server unresponsive. Consider enabling swap space or upgrading the server when needed.

For the best experience, install Coolify on a fresh server to avoid conflicts with existing applications.

If you are using Hetzner

This video is also useful if you are provisioning a new Hetzner server:

Update and upgrade Ubuntu

Before installing Coolify, update the server package list and upgrade existing packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures that you have the latest security patches and software updates.

Also make sure that:

• You can log in as the root user. Non-root users may not be fully supported by every installation path.
• SSH is installed and ports 80, 443, and 8000 are open in the firewall.
• curl is installed. It is usually available by default.

Quick installation (recommended)

The one-line installer downloads and installs Coolify, Docker, its dependencies, and the initial configuration:

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

Before running it, confirm that you are using a root-capable account and that the server meets the requirements above. For advanced firewall and installation configuration, check the official Coolify documentation.

After the installer finishes, Coolify will be ready to run.

Secure your Coolify server

Coolify uses Traefik as a reverse proxy and handles HTTPS automatically with Let’s Encrypt. Traefik alone is not enough, though — bots and scanners will still reach the server.

To protect your applications and server from abuse, I recommend installing CrowdSec with its community-driven IP blocklist, and optionally enabling the Traefik AppSec WAF for additional protection.

Read the full guide to securing Coolify with CrowdSec and Traefik.

Manual installation

The quick installer is the recommended path, but you can also walk through the main pieces manually.

Make sure you are using the root user or an account with the required sudo access.

1. Install Docker and Docker Compose

Coolify runs on Docker, so install Docker and Docker Compose first.

Install Docker (version 24+)

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

Verify the installation:

docker --version

Enable and start Docker:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker

Install Docker Compose:

sudo apt install docker-compose -y
docker-compose --version

2. Install Coolify

Clone the Coolify repository and run its installation script:

git clone https://github.com/coollabsio/coolify.git
cd coolify/scripts
./install.sh

Follow the on-screen instructions. When the installation finishes, open Coolify in your browser:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000

You will be taken to the registration page to create your first admin account.

Important: create the admin account immediately after installation. If somebody else reaches the registration page first, they could take control of the server.

Congratulations — you have installed Coolify and hosted it on your Ubuntu server. Once the dashboard is live, secure it with the CrowdSec firewall guide.

Final thoughts and tips

• Coolify and Traefik provide a powerful self-hosted deployment stack.
• It works well as a Vercel or Netlify alternative for many projects.
• Combine it with CrowdSec for production-ready security.
• Keep the Coolify server and its applications updated.
• Use CrowdSec and the Traefik AppSec WAF for stronger protection where needed.
• Use your cloud provider’s firewall to block unnecessary traffic.
• Monitor important applications with Grafana and Prometheus.

I use this kind of stack to run more than 100 Next.js sites with full automation.

Next steps

I will guide you through configuring Coolify, securing the setup, and deploying your first application in the next guides:

• Configure Coolify, deploy, and manage your first project
• Secure your Coolify server and websites with CrowdSec

More tutorials are coming — follow the blog for updates.

In production, server security is critical. I highly recommend protecting Coolify with CrowdSec and Traefik. If you need help installing, securing, or managing Coolify, get in touch.

FAQ

Can I use Fail2Ban with Coolify?

Yes. Fail2Ban can still protect services such as SSH. For web traffic, CrowdSec generally provides a more flexible integration with Traefik and Coolify.

What is the best way to secure Coolify?

Use CrowdSec to protect your applications and server, configure Traefik carefully, and avoid exposing ports that are not required.

If you found this useful, you can support my work. Every coffee helps keep these infrastructure guides coming.