Open WebUI

Development512MB+ RAM

Self-hosted AI interface for Ollama and OpenAI-compatible APIs with chat, RAG, and model management

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Deploy Open WebUI in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Open WebUI

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

Video Tutorials

Learn How to Deploy Open WebUI

All tutorials

How to self host LLM to your VPS | Deploy Ollama & OpenWebUI in 1 click

Learn how to self-host large language models on your VPS using Server Compass. Deploy Ollama and Open WebUI with one click for a private ChatGPT-like experience.

Watch tutorial

Command Line Setup

Install Open WebUI Manually

Set up Open WebUI yourself using Docker Compose and the command line.

Establish SSH Connection

Connect to your remote server using SSH. Make sure you have your server credentials ready.

terminal

# Log into your server
ssh root@<your-server-ip>

# If using key-based auth
ssh -i ~/.ssh/my-key root@<your-server-ip>

First time? Docker not installed? Run: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh

Create Project Directory

Set up a directory to store your Docker configuration.

terminal

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

Configure Docker Compose

Add this configuration to your docker-compose.yml file:

docker-compose.yml

services:
  open-webui:
    image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
    ports:
      - "3000:8080"
    environment:
      - OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434
      - WEBUI_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
      - ENABLE_SIGNUP=true
    volumes:
      - open_webui_data:/app/backend/data
    extra_hosts:
      - "host.docker.internal:host-gateway"
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  open_webui_data:

Configuration Options

PORTHost port to expose(default: 3000)

OLLAMA_URLOllama URL(default: http://host.docker.internal:11434)

SECRET_KEYSession secret

Start the Services

Execute the deployment and check the container status.

terminal

# Deploy the application
docker compose up -d

# Check container health
docker compose ps

# Monitor logs
docker compose logs -f --tail=100

Allow Incoming Connections

Enable network access by updating your firewall rules.

terminal

# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:3000

Skip the Terminal

Too complicated? Let Server Compass handle it.

No terminal needed. Deploy Open WebUI through a visual dashboard with automatic configuration.

Intuitive dashboard
Deploy in 3 minutes
Free SSL included
Blue-green deploys
Real-time logs
Version history

Download Server Compass$29 one-time • Lifetime license

After Deployment

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

Open the Open WebUI URL in your browser

Create your admin account

Connect to Ollama or configure OpenAI-compatible API endpoints

Start chatting with AI models

Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.

Open WebUI FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Open WebUI

How do I deploy Open WebUI with Server Compass?

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

Open WebUI requires a minimum of 512MB 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 Open WebUI data?

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

How do I update Open WebUI to the latest version?

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

Is Open WebUI free to self-host?

Open WebUI 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.