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Learn how to deploy Netbird on Debian VPS! This article provides a guide to deploy Netbird on Debian VPS. What is Netbird? Netbird is an open-source, WireGuard-based overlay network platform that simplifies secure, peer-to-peer connectivity between devices. It enables Zero Trust Network Access (ZTNA) without complex firewall rules or VPN gateways, automatically connecting computers, servers, and cloud resources. It can be self-hosted or used via their cloud service. Deploy Netbird on Debian VPS This is a complete step-by-step guide demonstrating how to deploy Netbird on Debian VPS. Prerequisites A Debian VPS with a public IP address (minimum: 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, 20 GB disk) A domain name with DNS access (e.g., vpn.example.com) Docker and Docker Compose installed Ports open: 80, 443 (HTTP/HTTPS), 3478 (TURN/UDP), 49152–65535 (TURN relay/UDP), 10000 (Signal/gRPC) Architecture Overview Internet │ ▼ │ ├──► NetBird Management (HTTPS :443 → :8080) ├──► NetBird Dashboard (HTTPS :443 → :8081 or static build) ├──► NetBird Signal (gRPC :10000) └──► Authentik (HTTPS :443 → :9000) ← UDP :3478 + relay range Here’s a current step-by-step guide to deploy Netbird on Debian VPS using Netbird’s official quickstart method. Netbird’s current self-hosted quickstart expects a Linux VM with at least 1 vCPU, 2 GB RAM, a public domain pointed at the VPS, and inbound access on TCP 80, TCP 443, and UDP 3478. It also requires Docker with the Compose plugin, plus curl and jq. How to Deploy Netbird on Debian VPS To deploy Netbird on Debian VPS, follow the steps below: Prepare the VPS Use a fresh Debian 12 or Debian 13 VPS. Docker’s official docs currently support Debian 13 (Trixie), Debian 12 (Bookworm), and Debian 11 (Bullseye) for Docker Engine installs. Update the system first: sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade sudo reboot Reconnect after the reboot. Point a domain to the VPS Create an A record for something like: netbird.example.com -> your_vps_public_ip Netbird’s self-hosted quickstart requires a public domain name that resolves to the VM’s public IP. You can verify DNS from the server: dig +short netbird.example.com That should return your VPS public IP. Open the required firewall ports Allow: 80/tcp 443/tcp 3478/udp Those are the required public ports in Netbird’s quickstart. If you use UFW: sudo apt install -y ufw sudo ufw allow 22/tcp sudo ufw allow 80/tcp sudo ufw allow 443/tcp sudo ufw allow 3478/udp sudo ufw enable sudo ufw status If your provider also has a cloud firewall or security group, open the same ports there too. Install Docker Engine and Compose plugin Netbird requires Docker with the Compose plugin or Docker Compose v2+. Docker’s official Debian install method is to use Docker’s apt repository. Run: sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg echo \ "deb https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \ $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | \ sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin Verify Docker: sudo systemctl enable --now docker sudo docker run hello-world docker compose version Docker’s docs note that container-exposed ports can bypass some firewall expectations, so keep your firewalling deliberate. Install Netbird prerequisites Netbird’s quickstart calls for curl and jq. Install them: sudo apt install -y curl jq Create a working directory Netbird’s generated deployment files are stored in the directory where you run the setup script. Netbird’s configuration reference lists files such as docker-compose.yml, config.yaml, and dashboard.env in that working directory. Create a dedicated folder: mkdir -p ~/netbird cd ~/netbird Run Netbird’s official self-hosted setup script Netbird’s current self-hosted quickstart is based on the official getting-started.sh script. Run: curl -fsSL https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/releases/latest/download/getting-started.sh | bash During the interactive setup, you’ll typically provide: your Netbird domain, such as netbird.example.com whether to use the built-in reverse proxy option email/domain details used for certificate and deployment setup, depending on the prompts At the end, the script generates the deployment files in your current directory and starts the stack with Docker Compose. Netbird’s docs confirm these files are auto-generated by the script. Check that the containers are running From the same directory: docker compose ps Then inspect logs if needed: docker compose logs -f The Netbird quickstart deployment uses generated Compose and config files in that folder, so always run docker compose commands from there unless you specify -f. Open the Netbird dashboard Visit: https://netbird.example.com Visit the Netbird dashboard in your browser. You should get the Netbird web dashboard over HTTPS once the stack is up and certificates are issued. The quickstart is meant to expose the deployment on your chosen public domain. Install the Netbird client on a Debian server or workstation Once your self-hosted control plane is online, install the Netbird client on any Debian/Ubuntu node you want to join. Netbird’s Linux install docs provide both the one-line installer and the APT repository method. Fast method curl -fsSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/install.sh | sh Debian APT method sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg curl -sSL https://pkgs.netbird.io/debian/public.key | sudo gpg --dearmor --output /usr/share/keyrings/netbird-archive-keyring.gpg echo 'deb https://pkgs.netbird.io/debian stable main' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/netbird.list sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y netbird Those package-repository steps are from Netbird’s official Linux installation page. Register the client with your self-hosted Netbird From the Netbird dashboard, create a setup key for a machine or a reusable enrollment flow, then run something like this on the client: sudo netbird up \ --management-url https://netbird.example.com \ --setup-key YOUR_SETUP_KEY For interactive/user-based enrollment, the dashboard may instead guide you through login-based setup depending on how you configure identity. Netbird’s general getting-started flow uses netbird up --setup-key ... to enroll a Linux machine. After joining, verify: netbird status Validate peer connectivity Once two or more machines are enrolled, confirm they received Netbird addresses and can communicate according to your policies. Useful commands: netbird status ip a ping Then use the dashboard to define groups, routes, and access policies as needed. Know where the important files live Netbird’s configuration reference says the standard self-hosted deployment created by getting-started.sh includes at least: docker-compose.yml config.yaml dashboard.env and sometimes reverse-proxy-specific files, depending on your selected setup. So your main working folder will look roughly like: ~/netbird/ ├── docker-compose.yml ├── config.yaml ├── dashboard.env └── ... Back up the deployment Netbird’s backup docs recommend copying the generated configuration files and then copying the server database from the container after stopping the server container. Example: cd ~/netbird mkdir -p backup cp docker-compose.yml dashboard.env config.yaml backup/ docker compose stop netbird-server docker compose cp -a netbird-server:/var/lib/netbird/ backup/ docker compose start netbird-server Upgrade later Netbird’s official upgrade steps are: cd ~/netbird docker compose pull netbird-server dashboard docker compose up -d --force-recreate netbird-server dashboard If your setup includes the reverse proxy container, pull and recreate that too. Netbird’s upgrade guide also recommends reviewing release notes and taking a backup first. Current GitHub releases show active 2026 releases such as v0.66.4. Troubleshooting checklist If the install does not come up cleanly, check these first: DNS not pointing correctly Make sure your domain resolves to the VPS: dig +short netbird.example.com Required ports blocked Confirm inbound access on: 80/tcp, 443/tcp, 3478/udp Those are hard requirements for the quickstart deployment. Docker not running Check: sudo systemctl status docker docker compose version Containers failing Inspect: cd ~/netbird docker compose ps docker compose logs --tail100 Wrong working directory Because the generated config is stored in the directory where you ran the script, running docker compose from somewhere else can make it look like the stack is missing. Minimal command summary sudo apt update && sudo apt -y upgrade sudo reboot sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg jq sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg echo "deb https://download.docker.com/linux/debian $(. /etc/os-release && echo "$VERSION_CODENAME") stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null sudo apt-get update sudo apt-get install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin sudo systemctl enable --now docker mkdir -p ~/netbird cd ~/netbird curl -fsSL https://github.com/netbirdio/netbird/releases/latest/download/getting-started.sh | bash cd ~/netbird docker compose ps docker compose logs -f Conclusion You now know how to deploy Netbird on Debian VPS.

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