How to Install Dokploy on Ubuntu 24.04 (Step-by-Step Guide)

If you’re looking for a self-hosted deployment panel that simplifies managing applications, databases, servers, and CI/CD pipelines – Dokploy is an excellent choice. It’s open-source, lightweight, Docker-based, and perfect for developers, agencies, and businesses who want full control without vendor lock-in.

In this guide, we’ll walk you step-by-step through installing Dokploy on Ubuntu 24.04, configuring a reverse proxy, and setting up your first login. Whether you’re hosting on bare metal, a VPS, or a cloud server like Hostomy Linux VPS – the process remains the same.

What You Will Need

Before we begin, ensure you have the following:

1. A server with at least 2GB of RAM and 30GB of disk space
2. Root or sudo access
3. Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
4. Docker & Docker Compose (We will install them if not present)
5. Domain (optional)

If you don’t already have a server, you can choose a NVMe-powered Linux VPS from Hostomy’s global datacenters for the best performance and low latency.

Step 1: Update Your Server

Start by SSH into your Ubuntu server:

ssh username@your_server_ip

Then update system packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures your server is up-to-date and avoids dependency issues later.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Dokploy runs on Docker and Docker Compose v2. Let’s install both.

Install Docker:

sudo apt install ca-certificates curl gnupg -y

Add Docker’s official GPG key:

sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --yes --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg

Set up the repository:

echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \
  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 Engine:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin -y

Verify installation:

docker --version
docker compose version

Step 3: Create Dokploy Directory

Create a directory where Dokploy will store its data:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/dokploy
cd /opt/dokploy

Step 4: Download Dokploy Docker Compose File

Dokploy provides a ready-to-run docker-compose.yml. Download it:

sudo curl -o docker-compose.yml https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Dokploy/dokploy/main/docker-compose.yml

Once downloaded, you can open the file to review it (optional):

nano docker-compose.yml

You don’t need to modify anything for a basic setup.

Step 5: Start Dokploy

To launch Dokploy, simply run:

sudo docker compose up -d

This will pull the required images and start Dokploy’s services in the background.

Check status:

sudo docker compose ps

If everything went well, the panel should now be running.

Step 6: Accessing Dokploy Panel

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://your_server_ip:3000

On first access, Dokploy will ask you to create an admin user. Set:

• Email
• Password

After this, you'll be taken to the dashboard.

Congratulations — Dokploy is successfully installed!

Step 7 (Optional but Recommended): Set Up Domain and HTTPS

If you want to access Dokploy on a domain like panel.example.com, follow these steps.

Point Your DNS

In your domain DNS settings, create an A record:

TypeNameValueApanelServer IP Address

Install Nginx Reverse Proxy

sudo apt install nginx -y

Create a new config file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/dokploy.conf

Paste:

server {
    server_name panel.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}

Enable site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/dokploy.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Enable Free SSL (Let’s Encrypt)

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
sudo certbot --nginx -d panel.example.com

Your Dokploy panel is now secure with HTTPS

Step 8: Start Deploying Apps!

With Dokploy ready, you can now:

• Deploy Docker-based apps with one click
• Launch PostgreSQL, MySQL, MongoDB, Redis, and more
• Set up CI/CD pipelines
• Manage backups and logs
• Deploy frameworks like Node.js, Laravel, Django, WordPress, etc.

Navigate through the UI and explore the features — the interface is very intuitive.

Final Thoughts

Dokploy is one of the most user-friendly self-hosted deployment platforms available today. If you’re looking for a simple but powerful alternative to CapRover, Coolify, and Portainer — Dokploy is a strong candidate.

By hosting it on a reliable server, you gain complete control, better security, and freedom from monthly SaaS fees.

If you need high-performance servers to run Dokploy smoothly, check out Hostomy’s Linux VPS hosting — optimized for developers and agencies, with instant deployments and Indian datacenters for low-latency performance.