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


Headless CMS powered by Node.js with PostgreSQL
Add your server credentials to Server Compass
Choose from our template library
Fill in settings and click Deploy
Use the Strapi template in Server Compass to deploy a self-hosted Node.js headless CMS with PostgreSQL on your VPS, then verify the Strapi admin setup screen in a browser.
Select the tutorial-vps VPS, open the Apps tab, and start a new app deployment. Keep sensitive server details hidden before capturing or sharing screenshots.

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

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

Choose the Strapi template. Server Compass fills the Node.js service, PostgreSQL service, persistent app and database volumes, and required Strapi secret values.

Confirm the app name and compose services. In this run, the app was named strapi-demo and used host port 1337.

Review the generated environment values, keep the database password and Strapi secrets masked, confirm the port is available, and click Deploy Now.

Keep the deployment modal open while Server Compass uploads the compose file, pulls the Node.js and PostgreSQL images, initializes the Strapi project on first boot, starts the containers, and verifies the stack.

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

Click Open Application or open the application URL in a browser. The Strapi admin setup screen confirms the deployed app is reachable and ready for the first administrator account.

The Strapi app loaded successfully in a browser and displayed the admin setup screen.
It deploys Strapi v4 on Node.js 20 with a PostgreSQL 16 database, persistent app and database volumes, and generated secret values.
The tutorial used host port 1337, which maps to the Strapi web UI on container port 1337.
A fresh Strapi deployment is considered reachable when the admin setup screen loads. Creating the administrator account is intentionally left to the user because it creates real credentials.
No. The deployment guide should live on the Strapi template detail page and be linked from the reusable template deployment docs page.
Want full control? Here's how to deploy Strapi yourself using Docker Compose.
Fire up your terminal application and establish a connection to your remote server.
# Access your VPS
ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
# With SSH key authentication
ssh -i ~/.ssh/your-private-key root@YOUR_SERVER_IPFirst time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
Create a folder to house your Docker Compose configuration.
# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/strapi
cd ~/apps/strapiDefine your services in a docker-compose.yml file:
services:
strapi:
image: node:20-bookworm-slim
ports:
- "1337:1337"
environment:
- NODE_ENV=development
- HOST=0.0.0.0
- PORT=1337
- DATABASE_CLIENT=postgres
- DATABASE_HOST=db
- DATABASE_PORT=5432
- DATABASE_NAME=strapi
- DATABASE_USERNAME=strapi
- DATABASE_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
- APP_KEYS=<your-app-keys>
- API_TOKEN_SALT=<your-api-token-salt>
- ADMIN_JWT_SECRET=<your-admin-jwt-secret>
- TRANSFER_TOKEN_SALT=<your-transfer-token-salt>
- JWT_SECRET=<your-jwt-secret>
- STRAPI_TELEMETRY_DISABLED=true
volumes:
- strapi_app:/opt/app
working_dir: /opt/app
command: >
sh -c "
if [ ! -f package.json ]; then
echo 'Initializing new Strapi v4 project...';
npx --yes create-strapi-app@4 . --no-run --skip-cloud --dbclient=postgres --dbhost=db --dbport=5432 --dbname=strapi --dbusername=strapi --dbpassword=<your-db-password> --dbssl=false || exit 1;
fi;
[ -f package.json ] || { echo 'Strapi init failed'; exit 1; };
if [ $NODE_ENV = development ]; then npm run develop; else npm run build && npm run start; fi
"
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
restart: unless-stopped
db:
image: postgres:16-alpine
environment:
- POSTGRES_DB=strapi
- POSTGRES_USER=strapi
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
volumes:
- db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
restart: unless-stopped
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U strapi -d strapi"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5
start_period: 30s
volumes:
strapi_app:
db_data:
PORTHost port to expose(default: 1337)NODE_ENVEnvironment mode (development or production)(default: development)DB_NAMEDatabase name(default: strapi)DB_USERDatabase user(default: strapi)DB_PASSWORDDatabase passwordAPP_KEYSComma-separated Strapi APP_KEYSStart your containers and verify they're running correctly.
# Launch the stack
docker compose up -d
# Verify container status
docker compose ps
# Follow the logs
docker compose logs --followUpdate UFW rules to allow traffic on the application port.
# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 1337/tcp
sudo ufw reload
# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:1337Skip the terminal and deploy Strapi with a visual interface. Configure everything with clicks, not commands.
After deploying Strapi with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup
Complete Strapi setup wizard at /admin
Create an admin user and roles
In 'development' mode: Use Content-Type Builder to create collections
For production: Switch NODE_ENV to 'production' and redeploy to disable schema editing
Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.
Common questions about self-hosting Strapi
Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select Strapi from the templates list. Fill in the required configuration and click Deploy. The entire process takes under 3 minutes.
Strapi 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.
Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard Strapi backup and restore procedures.
Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest Strapi image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.
Strapi 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.
Download Server Compass and deploy Strapi to your VPS in under 3 minutes. No Docker expertise required.
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