Budibase

Development1024MB+ RAM

Open-source low-code platform for building internal tools

Download Server Compass Install Budibase to server

nocodelow-codeinternal-tools

Deploy Budibase in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Budibase

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Step-by-step deployment guide

Deploy Budibase on a VPS with Server Compass

Use the Budibase template in Server Compass to deploy a self-hosted low-code app builder on your VPS, then verify the Budibase web UI in a browser.

About 7 minutesBrowser verified

Step 1

Open the server Apps tab

Select your VPS, open the Apps tab, and start a new app deployment. Keep sensitive server details hidden before capturing or sharing screenshots.

Server Compass Apps tab before creating a Budibase app

Step 2

Choose an app template

Click New App and choose the template deployment path so Server Compass can load the built-in catalog.

Choosing to deploy an app from a Server Compass template

Step 3

Search for Budibase

Use the template picker search to find Budibase in the Server Compass template catalog.

Searching for Budibase in the Server Compass template picker

Step 4

Select the Budibase template

Choose the Budibase template. Server Compass fills the Budibase web service, JWT secret, file-storage keys, internal API key, CouchDB user, and CouchDB password.

Budibase template selected in Server Compass

Step 5

Review the Budibase settings

Confirm the app name and compose services. In this run, the app was named budibase-demo and used host port 3001.

Reviewing Budibase project settings and compose services

Step 6

Deploy Budibase

Review the generated environment values, confirm the port is available, and click Deploy Now.

Reviewing Budibase environment variables and port before deployment

Step 7

Watch the deployment progress

Keep the deployment modal open while Server Compass uploads the compose file, pulls the Budibase image, starts the container, and verifies the stack.

Server Compass deploying the Budibase template on the VPS

Step 8

Confirm Budibase is running

After deployment finishes, return to the Apps tab and confirm the Budibase app is marked Running with its application URL available.

Budibase template running in the Server Compass Apps tab

Step 9

Open Budibase in the browser

Open the application URL in a browser. The Budibase web UI confirms the stack is reachable.

The deployed Budibase web UI loaded in a browser

After Budibase Opens

Create the first Budibase admin account before production use.
Configure HTTPS, workspace permissions, SMTP, app builder settings, and integration credentials before production use.
Add a domain and HTTPS before exposing Budibase to users.
Back up the Budibase data volume before relying on it for production apps.

Verified Result

The Budibase web UI loaded successfully in a browser.

Download Server Compass Docs

Budibase deployment questions

What does the Budibase template deploy?

It deploys the Budibase all-in-one service with a persistent data volume.

Which port did the tutorial use?

The tutorial verified Budibase on host port 3001, which maps to the Budibase web service on container port 80.

Why does the guide stop at the first-run web UI?

The tutorial verifies the clean Budibase first-run web UI because admin setup, apps, data sources, and external integrations depend on the production server.

Should this become a blog post?

No. The deployment guide should live on the Budibase template detail page and be linked from the reusable template deployment docs page.

CLI Deployment

Deploy Budibase Yourself

Want full control? Here's how to deploy Budibase yourself using Docker Compose.

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/budibase
cd ~/apps/budibase

Create Docker Configuration

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

docker-compose.yml

services:
  budibase:
    image: budibase/budibase:latest
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      - JWT_SECRET=<your-jwt-secret>
      - MINIO_ACCESS_KEY=<your-minio-access-key>
      - MINIO_SECRET_KEY=<your-minio-secret-key>
      - INTERNAL_API_KEY=<your-internal-api-key>
      - COUCHDB_USER=admin
      - COUCHDB_PASSWORD=<your-couchdb-password>
    volumes:
      - budibase_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  budibase_data:

Required Settings

PORTHost port to expose(default: 80)

JWT_SECRETJWT secret

MINIO_ACCESS_KEYMinIO access key

MINIO_SECRET_KEYMinIO secret key

INTERNAL_API_KEYInternal API key

COUCHDB_USERCouchDB username(default: admin)

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 80/tcp
sudo ufw reload

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

Skip the Terminal

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

Skip the terminal and deploy Budibase with a visual interface. Configure everything with clicks, not commands.

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 Budibase with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Create your admin account

Create your first app

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Budibase FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Budibase

How do I deploy Budibase with Server Compass?

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

Budibase 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 Budibase data?

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

How do I update Budibase to the latest version?

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

Is Budibase free to self-host?

Budibase 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.

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Ready to Self-Host Budibase?

Download Server Compass and deploy Budibase to your VPS in under 3 minutes. No Docker expertise required.

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