Install on a VPS

Install an Zugoid Server on your own Debian or Ubuntu VPS with one command, then claim it as Owner.

The VPS installer runs one Zugoid Server on your machine with Docker Compose and HTTPS through Caddy. It installs a pinned, checksum-verified release and never builds source code on the VPS.

This page is the short path. For operations, backups, restore and configuration, see VPS.

Before you start

  • A dedicated amd64 VPS with Debian 12 or 13, or Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, at least 2 GiB RAM and 5 GiB free disk.
  • A domain whose A/AAAA records point at the VPS. A domain is required; there is no fallback hostname.
  • Inbound TCP ports 80 and 443 open.
  • Root access (sudo).

If Docker is missing, the installer installs Docker Engine and Compose from Docker's official repository. An existing Docker needs Engine 24 or newer and Compose 2.24.4 or newer; it is never replaced.

1. Get the install command

  1. Open zugoid.com/create and choose the On a VPS tab.
  2. Enter Server domain, for example chat.example.com.
  3. Enter Owner username.
  4. Optional: check Let agents run code on this VPS to add a compute node, then confirm I trust the code and people using this VPS. See Compute nodes.
  5. Select Copy.

Copy the install command

The command looks like this:

curl -fsSL https://zugoid.com/install.sh | sudo env \
  ZUGOID_DOMAIN='chat.example.com' \
  ZUGOID_ADMIN_USERNAME='you' \
  bash

2. Run it on the VPS

Run the command on the VPS as root. The installer verifies the release, sets up the Server in /opt/zugoid, waits for HTTPS and checks that the Server answers at your domain.

When it finishes, it prints a private link ending in /setup#claim=….

Warning

The setup link is private. Anyone who has it can claim your Server before you do. Do not paste the terminal output into shared logs or chats.

3. Claim the Server as Owner

  1. Open the printed link in your browser.
  2. Enter Your name, a Password and Confirm password.
  3. Select Sign in as owner.

To reach it from another Server you use, see Connect to a Server.

If something fails

Fix the cause, such as DNS or a closed port, and run the same command again. Rerunning the installer keeps the existing configuration, credentials and Server UUID.

Check status and logs with:

sudo zugoid status
sudo zugoid logs

Next steps