Authentik

Development1024MB+ RAM

Modern identity provider with advanced features

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Deploy Authentik in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Authentik

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Manual Setup Guide

Set Up Authentik from Terminal

Get your hands dirty: manual Authentik deployment guide for developers.

Connect to Your VPS via SSH

Fire up your terminal application and establish a connection to your remote server.

terminal

# Access your VPS
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

# With SSH key authentication
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-private-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

First time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Initialize Project Folder

Create a folder to house your Docker Compose configuration.

terminal

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

Create Docker Configuration

Define your services in a docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  authentik:
    image: ghcr.io/goauthentik/server:latest
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
      - "9443:9443"
    environment:
      - AUTHENTIK_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
      - AUTHENTIK_REDIS__HOST=redis
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__HOST=db
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__USER=authentik
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__NAME=authentik
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
    command: server
    volumes:
      - authentik_media:/media
      - authentik_templates:/templates
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

  worker:
    image: ghcr.io/goauthentik/server:latest
    command: worker
    environment:
      - AUTHENTIK_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
      - AUTHENTIK_REDIS__HOST=redis
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__HOST=db
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__USER=authentik
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__NAME=authentik
      - AUTHENTIK_POSTGRESQL__PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
    volumes:
      - authentik_media:/media
      - authentik_templates:/templates
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=authentik
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
      - POSTGRES_DB=authentik
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

  redis:
    image: redis:7-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  authentik_media:
  authentik_templates:
  postgres_data:

Environment Variables

PORTHTTP port(default: 9000)

HTTPS_PORTHTTPS port(default: 9443)

SECRET_KEYSecret key

DB_PASSWORDDB password

Execute the Deployment

Start your containers and verify they're running correctly.

terminal

# Launch the stack
docker compose up -d

# Verify container status
docker compose ps

# Follow the logs
docker compose logs --follow

Allow Network Access

Update UFW rules to allow traffic on the application port.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 9000/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:9000

Skip the Terminal

Don't want to type commands? We've got you.

Why type commands when you can click? Deploy Authentik the easy way with Server Compass.

No terminal required
Point-and-click setup
Auto SSL certificates
Rolling deployments
Health monitoring
Instant rollbacks

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

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

Complete initial setup wizard

Create applications and providers

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Authentik FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Authentik

How do I deploy Authentik with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Authentik 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 Authentik?

Authentik requires a minimum of 1024MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 2048MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Authentik data?

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

How do I update Authentik to the latest version?

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

Is Authentik free to self-host?

Authentik 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.