Install and Configure ListMonk on Ubuntu VPS

Here is a step-by-step guide to install and configure ListMonk (a high-performance, self-hosted newsletter and mailing list manager) on an Ubuntu VPS.

✅ What is ListMonk?

ListMonk is a fast, open-source newsletter and mailing list manager built with Go and PostgreSQL. It supports email templating, subscriber management, campaign analytics, and more.

• Website: https://listmonk.app
• Backend: Go (Golang)
• Database: PostgreSQL

🧰 Prerequisites

• Ubuntu 20.04 or newer VPS
• Root or sudo access
• Domain name (optional, but recommended)
• SMTP credentials for sending emails

🛠️ How to Install and Configure ListMonk on Ubuntu VPS

1. Update Your System

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Dependencies

   Install required packages:

   sudo apt install curl git unzip postgresql postgresql-contrib -y

3. Set Up PostgreSQL

   Create a database and user for ListMonk:

   sudo -u postgres psql

   Inside the PostgreSQL shell:

   CREATE DATABASE listmonk; CREATE USER listmonk_user WITH PASSWORD 'your_secure_password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE listmonk TO listmonk_user; \q

4. Download ListMonk

   Create a directory and download the latest release:

   cd /opt sudo git clone https://github.com/knadh/listmonk.git cd listmonk sudo ./build.sh

   This builds the listmonk binary from source using Go. If you prefer, you can download a precompiled binary from the Releases.

5. Configure ListMonk

   Copy the default config:

   cp config.example.toml config.toml

   Edit the config:

   nano config.toml

   Change the following:

   [app] address = "0.0.0.0:9000" # You can change the port admin_username = "admin" admin_password = "changeme" [db] host = "localhost" port = 5432 user = "listmonk_user" password = "your_secure_password" database = "listmonk" ssl_mode = "disable" [smtp] host = "smtp.yourprovider.com" port = 587 username = "your@email.com" password = "your_smtp_password" from_email = "your@email.com" from_name = "Your Name or Brand"

   Save and close the file.

6. Run Database Migrations

   Initialize the database schema:

   ./listmonk --install --yes

7. Start ListMonk

   Run the server:

   ./listmonk

   Access the web UI at:

   http://your-server-ip:9000

   Login with the credentials you configured (admin / changeme by default).

8. 🔁 Optional: Run ListMonk as a Systemd Service

   Create a systemd unit file:

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/listmonk.service

   Paste the following:

   [Unit] Description=ListMonk Newsletter Manager After=network.target [Service] Type=simple User=root WorkingDirectory=/opt/listmonk ExecStart=/opt/listmonk/listmonk Restart=always [Install] WantedBy=multi-user.target

   Enable and start the service:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reexec sudo systemctl enable --now listmonk

9. 🔐 (Optional) Secure with NGINX and HTTPS

   If using a domain, you can reverse-proxy ListMonk via NGINX and add Let’s Encrypt SSL.

   Install NGINX:

   sudo apt install nginx -y

   Create a reverse proxy config:

   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/listmonk

   server { listen 80; server_name yourdomain.com; location / { proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:9000; proxy_set_header Host $host; proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr; } }

   Enable the config:

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/listmonk /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ sudo nginx -t sudo systemctl restart nginx

   Set up HTTPS with Certbot:

   sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

10. ✅ Final Checks

    • Visit: https://yourdomain.com or http://your-ip:9000
    • Login using admin credentials
    • Add SMTP details under Settings (if not added in config)
    • Create lists, subscribers, and start sending campaigns!

📦 Useful Commands

📚 Resources

• Docs: https://listmonk.app/docs/
• GitHub: https://github.com/knadh/listmonk

Conclusion

You now know how to install and configure ListMonk on Ubuntu VPS.