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Learn How to Deploy CapRover on Ubuntu VPS! This article provides a guide demonstrating how to deploy CapRover on Ubuntu VPS. What is CapRover? CapRover is a free, open-source Platform-as-a-Service (PaaS) that lets you deploy web applications, databases, and Docker containers with a simple web interface. It provides a Heroku-like experience on your own VPS while automatically handling SSL certificates, reverse proxy configuration, Docker orchestration, and application deployments. This guide walks through deploying CapRover on a fresh Ubuntu VPS. Prerequisites Before you begin, make sure you have: Ubuntu 22.04 or Ubuntu 24.04 VPS Minimum 1 GB RAM (2 GB recommended) Root or sudo access A domain name Access to your DNS provider Ports 80, 443, and 3000 open on the server firewall How to Deploy CapRover on Ubuntu VPS To deploy CapRover on Ubuntu VPS, follow the steps below: Connect to Your VPS SSH into your server: ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP Or if using a sudo user: ssh username@YOUR_SERVER_IP Update the system: apt update && apt upgrade -y Reboot if required: reboot Reconnect via SSH afterward. Install Docker CapRover runs entirely on Docker and requires Docker Engine 25.x or newer. Avoid installing Docker through Snap packages, as CapRover recommends the official Docker installation method. Install Docker dependencies: apt install -y \ apt-transport-https \ ca-certificates \ curl \ gnupg \ lsb-release \ ufw \ nodejs \ npm Add Docker's GPG key: mkdir -p /etc/apt/keyrings curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg \ | gpg --dearmor -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg Add Docker repository: echo \ "deb [arch$(dpkg --print-architecture) \ signed-by/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.gpg] \ https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \ $(lsb_release -cs) stable" \ | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list Install Docker: apt update apt install -y \ docker-ce \ docker-ce-cli \ containerd.io \ docker-buildx-plugin \ docker-compose-plugin Enable Docker: systemctl enable docker systemctl start docker Verify installation: docker --version Example output: Docker version 27.x.x Configure the Firewall Allow the required CapRover ports: ufw allow 22/tcp ufw allow 80/tcp ufw allow 443/tcp ufw allow 3000/tcp Enable the firewall: ufw enable Verify: ufw status If you plan to use Docker Swarm clusters later, also open: ufw allow 2377/tcp ufw allow 7946/tcp ufw allow 7946/udp ufw allow 4789/udp Install CapRover Create the CapRover data directory: mkdir -p /captain Run the CapRover container: docker run -d \ --restartalways \ -p 80:80 \ -p 443:443 \ -p 3000:3000 \ -e ACCEPTED_TERMStrue \ -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \ -v /captain:/captain \ --name captain \ caprover/caprover Check that it is running: docker ps You should see a container named: captain Run the following commands to setup CapRover: npm install -g caprover caprover serversetup Access the CapRover Dashboard Open your browser and visit: http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:3000 Log in using the default password: captain42 Immediately change the password after logging in. Configure DNS CapRover requires a wildcard DNS record because every deployed application receives its own subdomain. Example: If your domain is: example.com Create: Type Host Value A caprover VPS_IP A *.caprover VPS_IP This allows: captain.caprover.example.com app1.caprover.example.com app2.caprover.example.com Wait for DNS propagation. Verify: dig random.caprover.example.com +short It should return your VPS IP. Configure CapRover Root Domain Inside the dashboard: Open CapRover Settings Select Root Domain Enter: caprover.example.com Click Save & Update CapRover will validate your DNS settings. Enable HTTPS Once the root domain resolves correctly: Go to Settings Select Enable HTTPS Click Enable HTTPS CapRover automatically requests and installs Let's Encrypt SSL certificates. After completion, your dashboard becomes: https://captain.caprover.example.com CapRover dashboard Install the CapRover CLI (Optional) On your local machine: npm install -g caprover Verify: caprover --version Login: caprover login Provide: Server URL Password Machine Name The CLI enables deployments directly from your terminal. Deploy Your First Application Create a simple Node.js application. Generate a deployment configuration: caprover deploy Or create a captain-definition file: { "schemaVersion": 2, "dockerfilePath": "./Dockerfile" } Deploy: caprover deploy CapRover will: Build the image Create Docker services Configure Nginx Issue SSL certificates Make the app publicly accessible Installing One-Click Applications CapRover includes a marketplace for common software. Popular one-click deployments include: WordPress PostgreSQL MySQL MariaDB MongoDB Redis Grafana Nextcloud Ghost Portainer Install from: Apps → One-Click Apps/Databases Useful Maintenance Commands View logs: docker logs captain Restart CapRover: docker restart captain Check container status: docker ps Check disk usage: df -h Update CapRover: docker pull caprover/caprover docker restart captain Troubleshooting Dashboard Not Loading Check: docker ps And: docker logs captain Verify port 3000 is open: ss -tulpn | grep 3000 SSL Certificate Fails Verify DNS: dig captain.caprover.example.com Ensure: Port 80 is reachable Port 443 is reachable DNS points directly to the VPS Cloudflare proxy mode is disabled during setup Conclusion You now know how to deploy CapRover on Ubuntu VPS and have a fully functional CapRover installation running on Ubuntu. With Docker, automatic SSL certificates, wildcard subdomains, one-click applications, and Git-based deployments, CapRover provides an excellent self-hosted alternative to Heroku, Render, or Railway while keeping full control of your infrastructure.

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