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Learn how to install and run self-hosted Mattermost instance on Linux VPS! This article provides a comprehensive guide to install and run self-hosted Mattermost instance on Linux VPS (Ubuntu/Debian). This guide will set up Mattermost with PostgreSQL and NGINX as a reverse proxy with HTTPS. What is Mattermost? Mattermost is a self-hosted, open-source collaboration platform designed for secure team communication. It offers features similar to Slack or Microsoft Teams but gives organizations full control over data, deployment, and customization. Key Features Team Messaging (channels, DMs, threads) File Sharing Voice and Video Calls (with plugins like Calls or Jitsi) Integrations & Webhooks (Jira, GitHub, CI/CD tools) Custom Commands and Bots Granular Permissions and Roles Mobile and Desktop Apps Why Use Mattermost? ✅ Self-hosted: Run it on your own servers. ✅ Security-first: No third-party access to your messages. ✅ Open-source: Source code is public, extensible, and customizable. ✅ DevOps Friendly: Built with developers and tech teams in mind—great for integrating DevOps workflows. ✅ DevOps Friendly: Avoid potential vendor lock-in scenarios of cloud-based services. Mattermost vs Slack Feature Mattermost Slack Hosting Self-hosted or Cloud Cloud-only Open-source ✅ Yes ❌ No Custom integrations Unlimited Limited on Free Plan Data privacy Full control Vendor-controlled Cost Free (Team Ed.) + Paid options Free + Paid tiers Editions Team Edition: Free, core functionality, ideal for small teams. Enterprise Edition: Adds LDAP, compliance, HA, etc. for large orgs. Cloud: Hosted by Mattermost Inc. (optional). Common Use Cases Developer teams Remote/distributed teams Government, finance, or healthcare orgs (privacy-focused) Incident response and DevOps collaboration In short: Mattermost is a powerful, private alternative to Slack that puts you in control. How to Install and Run Self-Hosted Mattermost Instance on Linux VPS This guide assumes the following environment variables exist in your system. Attempting to perform the installation steps on a system that does not satisfy the conditions listed below can lead to unexpected behavior. Prerequisites VPS with Ubuntu 20.04+ (we recommend Ubuntu 24.04 LTS) Root (or sudo) access Domain name pointing to your server (e.g. chat.yourdomain.com) ~2GB RAM minimum (4GB+ recommended for production) Open ports: 80, 443 (HTTP/S) To install and run self-hosted Mattermost instance on Linux VPS, please follow the steps provided below: Update System sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y Install PostgreSQL Mattermost uses PostgreSQL for data storage. sudo apt install postgresql postgresql-contrib -y Configure PostgreSQL sudo -u postgres psql Inside the PostgreSQL prompt: CREATE DATABASE mattermost; CREATE USER mmuser WITH PASSWORD 'strongpassword'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE mattermost TO mmuser; \q Create Mattermost User and Group sudo useradd --system --user-group --create-home --shell /sbin/nologin mattermost Explanation: --system: Creates a system user (UID < 1000, no login by default). --user-group: Creates a group with the same name (mattermost). --create-home: Sets up a home directory (optional, but useful). --shell /sbin/nologin: Prevents direct login access. Download and Install Mattermost wget https://releases.mattermost.com/9.5.0/mattermost-9.5.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz tar -xvzf mattermost-9.5.0-linux-amd64.tar.gz sudo mv mattermost /opt sudo mkdir /opt/mattermost/data Give permissions: sudo chown -R mattermost:mattermost /opt/mattermost sudo chmod -R 770 /opt/mattermost Configure Mattermost Edit the config: sudo nano /opt/mattermost/config/config.json Change: "DriverName": "postgres" "DataSource": "postgres://mmuser:strongpassword@localhost:5432/mattermost?sslmodedisable" Also update "SiteURL": "https://chat.yourdomain.com" Save and exit. Create Systemd Service sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/mattermost.service Paste the following: DescriptionMattermost Afternetwork.target postgresql.service Typesimple Usermattermost Groupmattermost WorkingDirectory/opt/mattermost ExecStart/opt/mattermost/bin/mattermost Restartalways LimitNOFILE49152 WantedBymulti-user.target Enable and start: sudo systemctl daemon-reexec sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable mattermost sudo systemctl start mattermost Install and Configure NGINX sudo apt install nginx -y Create NGINX config sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/mattermost Paste: server { listen 80; server_name chat.yourdomain.com; location / { proxy_pass http://localhost:8065; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_http_version 1.1; proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade; proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade"; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for; proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme; } } Enable the config: sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/mattermost /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ sudo nginx -t sudo systemctl reload nginx Secure with Let's Encrypt SSL sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y sudo certbot --nginx -d chat.yourdomain.com Set up automatic renewal: sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer Test It Out Open your browser and visit: https://chat.yourdomain.com You should see the Mattermost setup page. Create the first admin user and you're in! Harden and Monitor Enable UFW or iptables firewall Monitor Mattermost service: sudo journalctl -u mattermost Backups: regularly back up /opt/mattermost and the PostgreSQL database Consider setting up email notifications (SMTP) in config.json Summary Component Details App Mattermost Team Edition 9.5.0 DB PostgreSQL Web Server NGINX with SSL Directory /opt/mattermost Service Name mattermost URL https://chat.yourdomain.com You now know how to install and run Self-hosted Mattermost instance on Linux VPS. Next, we will further configure our self-hosted Mattermost instance to apply important security and performance improvements and setup monitoring and logging of the Mattermost service. Let's proceed. Implement Best-Practices for Self-hosted Mattermost Best-practices to run self-hosted Mattermost instance include implementing the following additional security measures, optimizing performance, and configuring reliable monitoring and service logging. Security Best Practices Enable HTTPS Only Redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS in your NGINX config. Use HSTS to enforce SSL: add_header Strict-Transport-Security "max-age63072000; includeSubDomains; preload" always; Secure Configuration Files Set correct permissions on config.json and environment files: sudo chmod 640 /opt/mattermost/config/config.json Regularly Update Packages Keep the OS, Mattermost, and dependencies up to date: sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Enforce 2FA for all users via System Console → Authentication → MFA. System & Performance Tuning Enable System Swap Prevent OOM kills: sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile sudo chmod 600 /swapfile sudo mkswap /swapfile sudo swapon /swapfile Optimize PostgreSQL Adjust shared buffers and work memory for your RAM size in /etc/postgresql/XX/main/postgresql.conf. Run Mattermost Behind a Reverse Proxy Let NGINX handle SSL and compression, freeing Mattermost to focus on app logic. Monitoring & Logging Enable Application Logs Set logging level to INFO or ERROR in config.json. Store logs outside the Mattermost directory (e.g., /var/log/mattermost/). Monitor with Tools Use tools like: Netdata for server metrics Uptime Kuma for endpoint monitoring Fail2Ban to monitor failed logins and ban malicious IPs Systemd Health Checks Ensure mattermost.service restarts on crash with: Restartalways RestartSec5 Conclusion You now know how to install and run self-hosted Mattermost instance on Linux VPS. If you followed the guide, you've also implemented the hardened server security, performance optimizations, and configured monitoring and logging of the Mattermost service.

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