Appwrite

Development2048MB+ RAM

Open-source backend-as-a-service - self-hosted Firebase alternative

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baasbackendfirebase-alternative

Deploy Appwrite in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Appwrite

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Do It Yourself

Deploy Appwrite via Command Line

Prefer the command line? Follow this step-by-step guide to deploy Appwrite manually on your VPS.

Start a Secure Shell Session

Open your terminal and connect to your server. Replace the IP address with your VPS IP.

terminal

# SSH into your server
ssh root@your-server-ip

# Using a custom SSH key
ssh -i ~/.ssh/id_rsa root@your-server-ip

First time? Need Docker? Install it: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Prepare Your Workspace

Set up a clean directory for your application.

terminal

# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/appwrite
cd ~/apps/appwrite

Set Up Container Configuration

Set up the container stack using this Docker Compose configuration:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  appwrite:
    image: appwrite/appwrite:1.6
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      - _APP_ENV=production
      - _APP_OPENSSL_KEY_V1=<your-openssl-key>
      - _APP_DOMAIN=<your-app-domain>
      - _APP_DOMAIN_TARGET=<your-app-domain>
      - _APP_REDIS_HOST=redis
      - _APP_REDIS_PORT=6379
      - _APP_DB_HOST=mariadb
      - _APP_DB_PORT=3306
      - _APP_DB_SCHEMA=appwrite
      - _APP_DB_USER=appwrite
      - _APP_DB_PASS=<your-db-password>
      - _APP_INFLUXDB_HOST=influxdb
      - _APP_INFLUXDB_PORT=8086
      - _APP_STORAGE_LIMIT=30000000
      - _APP_FUNCTIONS_TIMEOUT=900
      - _APP_EXECUTOR_SECRET=<your-executor-secret>
      - _APP_LOGGING_PROVIDER=
      - _APP_LOGGING_CONFIG=
    volumes:
      - appwrite_uploads:/storage/uploads
      - appwrite_cache:/storage/cache
      - appwrite_certificates:/storage/certificates
      - appwrite_functions:/storage/functions
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - mariadb
      - redis
      - influxdb

  mariadb:
    image: mariadb:10.11
    environment:
      - MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=<your-db-root-password>
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=appwrite
      - MYSQL_USER=appwrite
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
    volumes:
      - mariadb_data:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "mysqladmin ping -h localhost -u root -p$${MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD} || exit 1"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 60s

  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "redis-cli", "ping"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

  influxdb:
    image: influxdb:1.8-alpine
    volumes:
      - influxdb_data:/var/lib/influxdb
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  appwrite_uploads:
  appwrite_cache:
  appwrite_certificates:
  appwrite_functions:
  mariadb_data:
  redis_data:
  influxdb_data:

Configuration Variables

PORTHost port to expose(default: 80)

OPENSSL_KEYOpenSSL encryption key

DB_PASSWORDDatabase password

DB_ROOT_PASSWORDDatabase root password

EXECUTOR_SECRETExecutor secret

APP_DOMAINDomain or IP where Appwrite is accessed

Bring Up the Application

Launch your application stack in the background.

terminal

# Start the containers in detached mode
docker compose up -d

# Check if containers are running
docker compose ps

# View logs
docker compose logs -f

Configure Firewall

Configure your firewall to permit external connections.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:80

Skip the Terminal

Prefer a visual interface? Use Server Compass.

Deploy Appwrite with a beautiful UI instead. No SSH, no YAML editing, no terminal commands. Just click, configure, and deploy in under 3 minutes.

Visual configuration UI
One-click deployment
Automatic SSL setup
Zero-downtime updates
Built-in monitoring
One-click rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

After deploying Appwrite with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Create your admin account

Create your first project

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Appwrite FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Appwrite

How do I deploy Appwrite with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Appwrite from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.

What are the system requirements for Appwrite?

Appwrite requires a minimum of 2048MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 4096MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Appwrite data?

Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Appwrite backup and restore procedures.

How do I update Appwrite to the latest version?

Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Appwrite image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.

Is Appwrite free to self-host?

Appwrite is open-source software. You only pay for your VPS hosting (typically $5-20/month) and optionally Server Compass ($29 one-time). No subscription fees or per-seat pricing.