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Step 1Open 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.
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ZITADEL
Development512MB+ RAM
Cloud-native identity management platform
authidentitycloud-native
Deploy ZITADEL in 3 Steps
1
Connect Your VPS
Add your server credentials to Server Compass
2
Select ZITADEL
Choose from our template library
3
Deploy & Configure
Fill in settings and click Deploy
No Docker knowledge required
Step-by-step deployment guide
Deploy ZITADEL on a VPS with Server Compass
Use the ZITADEL template in Server Compass to deploy a self-hosted identity and access management server with Postgres on your VPS, then verify the ZITADEL web UI in a browser.
About 7 minutesBrowser verified
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Step 2Choose an app template
Click New App and choose the template deployment path so Server Compass can load the built-in catalog.
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Step 3Search for ZITADEL
Use the template picker search to find ZITADEL in the Server Compass template catalog.
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Step 4Select the ZITADEL template
Choose the ZITADEL template. Server Compass fills the ZITADEL web service, external URL settings, master key, initial admin password, and Postgres password.
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Step 5Review the ZITADEL settings
Confirm the app name and compose services. In this run, the app was named zitadel-demo and used host port 8080.
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Step 6Deploy ZITADEL
Review the generated environment values, confirm the external domain and port match the public URL, and click Deploy Now.
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Step 7Watch the deployment progress
Keep the deployment modal open while Server Compass uploads the compose file, pulls the ZITADEL image, starts the container, and verifies the stack.
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Step 8Confirm ZITADEL is running
After deployment finishes, return to the Apps tab and confirm the ZITADEL app is marked Running with its application URL available.
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Step 9Open ZITADEL in the browser
Open the application URL in a browser. The ZITADEL web UI confirms the stack is reachable.
After ZITADEL Opens
- Sign in with the initial admin account and rotate the password before production use.
- Configure HTTPS, organizations, projects, applications, identity providers, SMTP, and production mode before exposing ZITADEL to users.
- Add a domain and HTTPS before exposing ZITADEL to users.
- Back up the ZITADEL Postgres volume before relying on it for production identity data.
ZITADEL deployment questions
What does the ZITADEL template deploy?
It deploys ZITADEL with a Postgres database service.
Which port did the tutorial use?
The tutorial verified ZITADEL on host port 8080, which maps to the ZITADEL web service on container port 8080.
Why does the guide stop at the first-run web UI?
The tutorial verifies the clean ZITADEL web UI because organizations, projects, applications, users, and identity providers depend on the production server.
Should this become a blog post?
No. The deployment guide should live on the ZITADEL template detail page and be linked from the reusable template deployment docs page.
DIY Deployment
Self-Host ZITADEL with Docker
Take the DIY route and deploy ZITADEL on your own server using Docker.
1
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_IPFirst time? Ensure Docker is installed first: curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
2
Initialize Project Folder
Create a folder to house your Docker Compose configuration.
terminal
# Create and navigate to project directory
mkdir -p ~/apps/zitadel
cd ~/apps/zitadel3
Create Docker Configuration
Define your services in a docker-compose.yml file:
docker-compose.yml
services:
zitadel:
image: ghcr.io/zitadel/zitadel:latest
command: start-from-init --masterkeyFromEnv --tlsMode disabled
ports:
- "8080:8080"
environment:
- ZITADEL_MASTERKEY=<your-master-key>
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_HOST=db
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_PORT=5432
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_DATABASE=postgres
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_USER_USERNAME=postgres
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_USER_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_ADMIN_USERNAME=postgres
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_ADMIN_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
- ZITADEL_DATABASE_POSTGRES_USER_SSL_MODE=disable
- ZITADEL_EXTERNALSECURE=false
- ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_HUMAN_USERNAME=admin
- ZITADEL_FIRSTINSTANCE_ORG_HUMAN_PASSWORD=<your-admin-password>
restart: unless-stopped
depends_on:
db:
condition: service_healthy
db:
image: postgres:16-alpine
environment:
- POSTGRES_USER=postgres
- POSTGRES_PASSWORD=<your-db-password>
- POSTGRES_DB=postgres
volumes:
- postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
restart: unless-stopped
healthcheck:
test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U postgres"]
interval: 10s
timeout: 5s
retries: 5
volumes:
postgres_data:
Configurable Options
PORTHost port(default: 8080)MASTER_KEYMaster keyADMIN_PASSWORDAdmin passwordDB_PASSWORDDB password4
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 --follow5
Allow Network Access
Update UFW rules to allow traffic on the application port.
terminal
# Allow the application port through firewall
sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp
sudo ufw reload
# Access your app at:
# http://your-server-ip:8080Skip the Terminal
Don't want to type commands? We've got you.
Forget SSH and YAML files. Deploy ZITADEL visually with Server Compass in just a few clicks.
- 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 ZITADEL with Server Compass, complete these steps to finish setup
1
Login with admin credentials
2
Create organization
3
Configure identity providers
Need help? Check out our documentation for detailed guides.
ZITADEL FAQ
Common questions about self-hosting ZITADEL
How do I deploy ZITADEL with Server Compass?
Simply download Server Compass, connect to your VPS, and select ZITADEL 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 ZITADEL?
ZITADEL 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 ZITADEL data?
Yes! Server Compass provides volume mapping that allows you to import existing data. You can also use standard ZITADEL backup and restore procedures.
How do I update ZITADEL to the latest version?
Server Compass makes updates easy. Simply click the Update button in your deployment dashboard, and the latest ZITADEL image will be pulled and deployed with zero downtime.
Is ZITADEL free to self-host?
ZITADEL 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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