# Install Coolify on a Hostinger VPS: A Self-Hosted Vercel for a Flat Price URL: https://www.savemores.store/vps/install-coolify Author: Mr. Ahmed · Published 2026-10-17 · Updated 2026-10-17 · VPS & deployment ## Short answer - Coolify is a free, open-source platform that gives your own server Vercel- or Heroku-style Git deploys, HTTPS, databases and preview deploys. - It needs at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB RAM, so KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB) is the realistic starting plan; KVM 1 is only for trying it out. - Install it from Hostinger's Coolify OS template or with `curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | sudo bash` on a dedicated server. - Docker bypasses UFW, so close ports 8000, 6001 and 6002 in Hostinger's hPanel VPS firewall once the dashboard is on your domain. - Send Coolify's database backups to S3-compatible storage, because a backup on the same server is lost with the server. ## What Coolify gives you, and who should skip it Coolify is open-source software you install on your own server. It covers most of what Vercel, Netlify or Heroku do: connect a Git repository, push, and it builds and deploys behind HTTPS. It also runs databases (Postgres, MySQL, Redis, MongoDB) and one-click services, and it can spin up a preview deploy for each pull request. It earns its overhead when you run several apps and want one dashboard for all of them. If you have a single app and a deploy script you trust, skip it. The plain route in [the Next.js guide](https://www.savemores.store/vps/deploy-nextjs) plus [GitHub Actions](https://www.savemores.store/vps/github-actions-deploy) is lighter and has fewer moving parts. ## Sizing: builds are what run out of memory Coolify itself wants at least 2 CPU cores and 2 GB of RAM, and by default your builds run on the same machine. Builds are where memory disappears. | Plan | Fits | | --- | --- | | KVM 1 (1 vCPU, 4 GB) | Below the 2-core minimum. It installs, but builds crawl. Fine for evaluation only | | KVM 2 (2 vCPU, 8 GB) | The sensible starting point: a handful of apps and a database or two | | KVM 4 (4 vCPU, 16 GB) | Many apps, frequent builds, or preview deploys for a team | > From the bench: If builds start slowing production down, add a second, cheaper server later and attach it in Coolify. One machine builds and the other serves, or you split apps between them. Separating build load from serving load is the oldest fix in the book and it still works. ## Route 1: Hostinger's Coolify template Coolify is one of Hostinger's VPS OS templates. Choose it when you create the server, or reinstall an existing one from the VPS settings, and Coolify is installed for you on Ubuntu. Then jump to the first-login section. > From the bench: A template reinstall wipes the disk. Snapshot first if anything on the server matters. ## Route 2: run the installer yourself Begin with a fresh Ubuntu 24.04 server you have [secured](https://www.savemores.store/vps/secure-new-vps): SSH keys, updates, firewall. Coolify's installer sets up Docker and everything else it needs. Run it as root or with sudo. Give Coolify a server of its own. It manages Docker, its own reverse proxy and ports 80 and 443, which collides with any Nginx or Caddy you already set up. ```bash curl -fsSL https://cdn.coollabs.io/coolify/install.sh | sudo bash ``` ## First login When the installer finishes, open `http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000` and create the admin account immediately. Until an account exists, whoever opens the URL first can take over the instance. Coolify then asks where to deploy. Pick "This machine" (localhost) to run apps on the same server. - Port 8000 serves the dashboard until you give it a domain. - Ports 6001 and 6002 carry the dashboard's realtime updates and the web terminal. - Ports 80 and 443 belong to Coolify's proxy (Traefik), which serves your apps over HTTPS. ## Move the dashboard onto your domain 1. Add an A record for a subdomain such as `coolify.example.com` pointing at the server ([step-by-step DNS](https://www.savemores.store/vps/point-domain-dns)). 2. Optionally add a wildcard `*.example.com` record so Coolify can give every app its own subdomain automatically. 3. In Coolify, open Settings, enter `https://coolify.example.com` as the instance domain and save. 4. The proxy requests a Let's Encrypt certificate and the dashboard switches to HTTPS. ## Deploy a first app Using a GitHub repository as the example: 1. Go to Projects, Add, choose the production environment, then New resource. 2. Pick a public repository, or connect the Coolify GitHub App for private repos and automatic deploys on push. 3. Choose a build pack. Nixpacks detects Node, Next.js, Laravel, Django and most common stacks; pick Dockerfile or Docker Compose if the repo includes one. 4. Set the port the app listens on (3000 for Next.js), add environment variables, and set the domain, for example `https://app.example.com`. 5. Click Deploy and watch the build log. Later pushes to the branch redeploy on their own. > From the bench: `NEXT_PUBLIC_*` and any other build-time variables must be marked as available at build time in Coolify's environment settings. Otherwise they are undefined in the browser bundle, and the app looks broken for reasons that have nothing to do with your code. ## Close the ports Docker opened Coolify publishes ports through Docker, and Docker installs iptables rules that route around UFW. A UFW rule blocking 8000 does not actually block it. Use Hostinger's VPS firewall in hPanel instead; it filters traffic before it reaches the server. | Port | Keep open? | | --- | --- | | 22 (SSH) | Yes, ideally only from your own IP | | 80, 443 | Yes, for your apps and the dashboard | | 8000 | Close once the dashboard is on your domain | | 6001, 6002 | Close once the dashboard is on your domain; the proxy handles them after that | | Database ports (5432, 3306…) | Only if you made a database public on purpose; keep them internal where you can | > From the bench: If you restrict SSH to your own IP in the hPanel firewall, write down how to reach the hPanel browser terminal first. Home IPs change, and that console is how you get back in when they do. ## Backups and updates Coolify can back up the databases it manages on a schedule, either to the server or to S3-compatible storage such as Cloudflare R2 or Backblaze B2. Configure the S3 target; a backup sitting on the same server is no help if the server goes. Hostinger's weekly VPS backups and snapshots add a second net for the whole disk. Updates are one click in the dashboard, and you can enable automatic updates. On a busy server I would leave auto-update off, read the release notes, take a snapshot, then update. ## Verify it worked Run these checks after the install and again after every Coolify update. - The admin account exists and the dashboard loads on your domain over HTTPS. - A push to the deploy branch triggers a new build in Coolify. - From outside, `http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000` no longer answers once the hPanel firewall rules are in place. - A scheduled database backup has landed in your S3 bucket at least once. On the server and from your laptop: ```bash sudo docker ps # expect: Coolify and its proxy containers running curl -I https://coolify.example.com # expect: a response over HTTPS, no certificate error curl -I https://app.example.com # expect: your first app answering over HTTPS ``` ## Related Coming from Vercel? [The Vercel-to-VPS migration guide](https://www.savemores.store/vps/vercel-to-hostinger-vps) covers DNS, env vars and cut-over. Prefer config files to a dashboard? [Host multiple sites with plain Nginx](https://www.savemores.store/vps/multiple-sites-one-vps). ## FAQ ### Is Coolify free? Yes. The self-hosted edition is open source and free, so you pay only for the server; Coolify also sells a hosted dashboard, Coolify Cloud, that manages your servers for a fee. ### Can Coolify replace Vercel for a Next.js app? For most apps, yes. Git deploys, HTTPS, environment variables and preview deploys all work, but you give up Vercel's global edge network and managed analytics, and the server is now your job. ### Can I run Coolify on KVM 1? Only for testing. It installs, but KVM 1 has one CPU core and Coolify recommends at least two; KVM 2 builds real apps much faster. ### Why is port 8000 still reachable after I blocked it in UFW? Docker writes its own firewall rules that bypass UFW. Block the port in Hostinger's VPS firewall in hPanel, which sits in front of the server.