How to Install Uptime Kuma on Debian VPS

Here’s how to install Uptime Kuma on Debian VPS—the fastest and cleanest way to deploy it.

What is Uptime Kuma?

Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted, open-source monitoring tool that allows you to track the availability and uptime of websites, services, and servers in real time. It is often referred to as a free alternative to commercial uptime monitoring platforms like UptimeRobot, Pingdom, or StatusCake.

✅ Prerequisites

• Debian 11/Debian 12 VPS
• Root/sudo access
• Docker and Docker Compose installed

🐳 How to Install Uptime Kuma on Debian VPS

To install Uptime Kuma on Debian VPS, follow the steps below:

1. Update System and Install Docker

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   sudo apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release
   
   # Add Docker’s GPG key
   sudo mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings
   curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg
   
   # Add Docker repo
   echo \
     "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian \
     $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
   
   # Install Docker and Docker Compose
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin
   

   Verify Docker is working:

   sudo docker run hello-world
   

2. Create Uptime Kuma Docker Setup

   mkdir -p ~/uptime-kuma-docker
   cd ~/uptime-kuma-docker
   

   Create a docker-compose.yml file:

   nano docker-compose.yml
   

   Paste the following:

   version: '3'
   
   services:
     uptime-kuma:
       image: louislam/uptime-kuma:latest
       container_name: uptime-kuma
       restart: always
       volumes:
         - ./uptime-kuma-data:/app/data
       ports:
         - "3001:3001"
   

   Save and close.

3. Start the Container

   sudo docker compose up -d
   

   Uptime Kuma will now be running in the background on port 3001.

4. Access Uptime Kuma

   Visit: http://your-server-ip:3001
   You’ll be greeted by the setup screen.

5. Set Up Reverse Proxy with Nginx (Optional but Recommended)

   1. Install Nginx:

      sudo apt install nginx -y
      

   2. Create an Nginx config:

      sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma
      

      Paste the following:

      server {
          listen 80;
          server_name uptime.example.com;
      
          location / {
              proxy_pass http://localhost:3001/;
              proxy_set_header Host $host;
              proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
          }
      }
      

   3. Enable the site:

      sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
      sudo nginx -t
      sudo systemctl reload nginx
      

   4. Use Let’s Encrypt for HTTPS:

      sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
      sudo certbot --nginx -d uptime.example.com
      

      Access the web dashboard: https://uptime.example.com:


6. Useful Docker Commands

   sudo docker ps                         # Show running containers
   sudo docker logs uptime-kuma          # Show logs
   sudo docker compose down              # Stop and remove container
   sudo docker compose restart           # Restart container
   

Conclusion

You now know how to install Uptime Kuma on Debian VPS-isolated, portable, and easy to update. To update:

sudo docker compose pull
sudo docker compose up -d