Paperless-ngx

Application1024MB+ RAM

Document management system with OCR

Download Server Compass View Documentation

documentsocrmanagementpaperless

Deploy Paperless-ngx in 3 Steps

Connect Your VPS

Add your server credentials to Server Compass

Select Paperless-ngx

Choose from our template library

Deploy & Configure

Fill in settings and click Deploy

No Docker knowledge required

CLI Deployment

Deploy Paperless-ngx Yourself

Want full control? Here's how to deploy Paperless-ngx 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/paperless-ngx
cd ~/apps/paperless-ngx

Create Docker Configuration

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

docker-compose.yml

services:
  paperless:
    image: ghcr.io/paperless-ngx/paperless-ngx:latest
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    environment:
      - PAPERLESS_REDIS=redis://redis:6379
      - PAPERLESS_DBHOST=db
      - PAPERLESS_DBNAME=paperless
      - PAPERLESS_DBUSER=paperless
      - PAPERLESS_DBPASS=<your-db-password>
      - PAPERLESS_SECRET_KEY=<your-secret-key>
      - PAPERLESS_URL=<your-paperless-url>
    volumes:
      - paperless_data:/usr/src/paperless/data
      - paperless_media:/usr/src/paperless/media
      - paperless_consume:/usr/src/paperless/consume
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis

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

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

volumes:
  paperless_data:
  paperless_media:
  paperless_consume:
  postgres_data:

Required Settings

PORTHost port(default: 8000)

PAPERLESS_URLPublic URL

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 8000/tcp
sudo ufw reload

# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:8000

Skip the Terminal

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

Skip the terminal and deploy Paperless-ngx 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

Paperless-ngx FAQ

Common questions about self-hosting Paperless-ngx

How do I deploy Paperless-ngx with Server Compass?

Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Paperless-ngx 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 Paperless-ngx?

Paperless-ngx 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 Paperless-ngx data?

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

How do I update Paperless-ngx to the latest version?

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

Is Paperless-ngx free to self-host?

Paperless-ngx 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.