🚀 How to Deploy Supabase on AlmaLinux VPS (Production-Ready Guide)

This guide walks through the steps required to deploy Supabase on AlmaLinux VPS using Docker and Docker Compose, following a production-oriented setup suitable for self-hosting.

You’ll end with:

• A fully functional Supabase stack
• PostgreSQL, Auth, REST, Realtime, Storage, and Studio
• Reverse proxy with HTTPS (optional but recommended)
• Persistent data volumes
• Systemd-managed services

What is Supabase?

Supabase is an open-source Backend-as-a-Service (BaaS) that provides everything needed to build modern applications without managing custom backend infrastructure.

It is often described as an open-source alternative to Firebase, but it is built around a fully standard PostgreSQL database, giving you full data ownership and SQL power.

Open Source Model

Supabase is built entirely on open-source components, emphasizing transparency and portability. The company maintains repositories on GitHub for its core services, client libraries, and CLI tools, encouraging community contributions and independent hosting. This approach contrasts with closed BaaS providers by avoiding vendor lock-in.

Prerequisites

VPS Requirements

• AlmaLinux 8 or AlmaLinux 9
• 2 vCPU minimum (4 recommended)
• 4 GB RAM minimum (8 recommended)
• 40 GB+ SSD/NVMe storage
• Root or sudo access

Required Software

• Docker
• Docker Compose v2
• Git
• Open ports: 80, 443, 3000, 5432 (or restricted via firewall)

How to Deploy Supabase on AlmaLinux VPS (Production-Ready Guide)

To deploy Supabase on AlmaLinux VPS, follow the steps below:

1. Update the System

   Login via SSH and run the following commands:

   dnf update -y && dnf install -y epel-release nano git curl wget firewalld && reboot
   

   After reboot:

   systemctl enable --now firewalld
   

2. Install Docker on AlmaLinux

   dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo
   dnf install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin
   systemctl enable --now docker
   

   Verify:

   docker version
   docker compose version
   

3. Firewall Configuration

   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3000/tcp
   firewall-cmd --reload
   

   You can later restrict 3000 once a reverse proxy is in place.

4. Clone Supabase Self-Hosting Repo

   mkdir -p /opt/supabase
   cd /opt/supabase
   git clone https://github.com/supabase/supabase.git
   cd supabase/docker
   

   Directory overview:

   /opt/supabase/docker
   ├── docker-compose.yml
   ├── .env.example
   ├── volumes/
   

5. Configure Environment Variables

   cp .env.example .env
   

   Edit:

   nano .env
   

   Critical Values to Set

   POSTGRES_PASSWORD=strong_password_here
   JWT_SECRET=super_long_random_string
   ANON_KEY=generate_jwt_anon
   SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=generate_jwt_service
   SITE_URL=https://supabase.example.com
   API_EXTERNAL_URL=https://supabase.example.com
   

   Generate secure secrets:

   openssl rand -hex 32
   

6. Persistent Storage Volumes

   Create directories:

   mkdir -p volumes/{db,data,storage,functions}
   chmod -R 755 volumes
   

   These ensure PostgreSQL and Supabase data persist across restarts.

7. Start Supabase Stack

   docker compose pull
   docker compose up -d
   

   Monitor logs:

   docker compose logs -f
   

   Services started include:

   • PostgreSQL
   • GoTrue (Auth)
   • PostgREST
   • Realtime
   • Storage API
   • Kong API Gateway
   • Supabase Studio

8. Access Supabase Studio

   Default Studio URL:

   http://SERVER_IP:3000
   

   Login using:

   • Database password from .env
   • Service role key

9. (Recommended) Reverse Proxy with Nginx + HTTPS

   1. Install Nginx & Certbot

      dnf install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
      systemctl enable --now nginx
      

   2. Nginx Config

      nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/supabase.conf
      

      server {
          listen 80;
          server_name supabase.example.com;
      
          location / {
              proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
              proxy_set_header Host $host;
              proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
          }
      }
      

      Reload:

      nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx
      

   3. Enable HTTPS

      certbot --nginx -d supabase.example.com
      

10. Secure PostgreSQL (Optional but Recommended)

    Restrict external DB access:

    firewall-cmd --permanent --remove-port=5432/tcp
    firewall-cmd --reload
    

    Access PostgreSQL internally:

    docker exec -it supabase-db psql -U postgres
    

11. Auto-Start on Boot (Systemd)

    Docker already handles this, but ensure:

    systemctl enable docker
    

    Optional systemd wrapper:

    nano /etc/systemd/system/supabase.service
    

    [Unit]
    Description=Supabase Stack
    After=docker.service
    Requires=docker.service
    
    [Service]
    Type=oneshot
    RemainAfterExit=yes
    WorkingDirectory=/opt/supabase/docker
    ExecStart=/usr/bin/docker compose up -d
    ExecStop=/usr/bin/docker compose down
    TimeoutStartSec=0
    
    [Install]
    WantedBy=multi-user.target
    

    Enable:

    systemctl daemon-reload
    systemctl enable supabase
    

12. Backups

    PostgreSQL Backup Example

    docker exec supabase-db pg_dumpall -U postgres | gzip > /root/supabase_backup_$(date +%F).sql.gz
    

    Automate with cron and off-server storage.

13. Updating Supabase

    cd /opt/supabase/docker
    git pull
    docker compose pull
    docker compose up -d
    

14. Common Troubleshooting

    Issue	Fix
    Studio won’t load	Check port 3000 & Kong logs
    JWT errors	Regenerate JWT_SECRET & keys
    Auth not working	Verify SITE_URL
    DB won’t start	Check volume permissions

    Logs:

    docker compose logs --tail=100
    

Final Notes

This deployment gives you full control over your backend stack—ideal for privacy-focused apps, SaaS platforms, or internal tooling. AlmaLinux provides long-term stability, while Supabase delivers Firebase-like features without vendor lock-in.

Conclusion

You now know how to deploy Supabase on AlmaLinux VPS.