Drone CI

Development256MB+ RAM

Container-native CI/CD platform

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Deploy Drone CI in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Drone CI

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Manual Deployment Guide

Manual Drone CI Setup

For terminal enthusiasts: deploy Drone CI manually with these simple steps.

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/drone
cd ~/apps/drone

Set Up Container Configuration

Set up the container stack using this Docker Compose configuration:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  drone:
    image: drone/drone:latest
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      - DRONE_GITHUB_CLIENT_ID=<your-github-client-id>
      - DRONE_GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET=<your-github-client-secret>
      - DRONE_RPC_SECRET=<your-rpc-secret>
      - DRONE_SERVER_HOST=<your-server-host>
      - DRONE_SERVER_PROTO=http
    volumes:
      - drone_data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

  drone-runner:
    image: drone/drone-runner-docker:latest
    environment:
      - DRONE_RPC_HOST=drone
      - DRONE_RPC_SECRET=<your-rpc-secret>
      - DRONE_RUNNER_CAPACITY=2
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - drone

volumes:
  drone_data:

Environment Configuration

PORTHost port(default: 80)

GITHUB_CLIENT_IDGitHub ID

GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRETGitHub secret

RPC_SECRETRPC secret

SERVER_HOSTServer host

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 Drone CI without touching the command line. Server Compass gives you a clean UI for one-click deployments.

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 Drone CI with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup

Create GitHub OAuth app

Activate repos

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Drone CI FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Drone CI

How do I deploy Drone CI with Server Compass?

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

Drone CI requires a minimum of 256MB RAM. We recommend a VPS with at least 1024MB RAM for optimal performance. Any modern Linux server with Docker support will work.

Can I migrate my existing Drone CI data?

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

How do I update Drone CI to the latest version?

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

Is Drone CI free to self-host?

Drone CI 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.