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Quickstart (self-host)

Install opendesk on your own server with one command, then create the first account and set up email.

Self-hosted opendesk is free forever and runs the same code as the hosted service. One command installs it with Docker, generates every secret and serves it over HTTPS. When it is done, your server runs this:

A self-hosted install on one server and one domain. Browsers reach Caddy over HTTPS on port 443. Caddy sends /socket to the realtime gateway and everything else to opendesk. opendesk, which runs the API, the workers, the web app and an embedded NATS, publishes events over NATS to the realtime gateway and keeps its data in Postgres. Realtime, opendesk and Postgres sit on an internal network; only Caddy is published.desk.example.com, one serverinternal networkBrowserweb app, appsand chat widgetcaddyHTTPS, ports 80, 443realtimelive events, presenceopendeskAPI, workers, web appNATS, embeddedpostgresthe only datastore:443/socketeverything elseevents over NATSSQLthe only published service
Four containers behind one domain. Only Caddy is published; the rest talk on an internal network.

  1. Get a server

    Any Linux machine on amd64 or arm64 with Docker works; 2 vCPUs and 4 GB of RAM is a good start for a small team. The installer offers to install Docker if it is missing. See Requirements.

    Terminal window
    docker compose version     # Docker with the Compose plugin

  2. Point a domain at it

    Create a DNS A record (and AAAA for IPv6), such as desk.example.com, with the server’s address, and open ports 80 and 443. Caddy needs both to get and renew the certificate.

    Terminal window
    dig +short desk.example.com      # should print the server's address

  3. Run the installer

    Terminal window
    curl -fsSL https://opendesk.sh/install.sh | sh

    It asks for your domain and an email address for the TLS certificate. To answer up front:

    Terminal window
    curl -fsSL https://opendesk.sh/install.sh | sh -s -- --domain desk.example.com --email [email protected]

    To read the script before running it, see Verify before running.

  4. Check that it is up

    The installer waits for opendesk to answer, then prints its address. opendesk-ctl shows the containers and their health:

    Terminal window
    /opt/opendesk/opendesk-ctl status

  5. Create the first account

    Open https://desk.example.com and sign up. The first account becomes the workspace owner. Then name your workspace and connect a mailbox, as in the Cloud quickstart, which shows each screen.

  6. Set up email

    Until you configure it, verification, password reset and invitation emails are printed to the log instead of sent:

    Terminal window
    /opt/opendesk/opendesk-ctl logs opendesk

    Set MAIL_DRIVER and your SMTP server in /opt/opendesk/.env, then apply it with opendesk-ctl start. See Email setup.

Next steps

Section titled “Next steps”

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