> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.heygaia.io/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Deploy Options > Run GAIA on a Linux server, DigitalOcean, Coolify, Render or Railway, with cost and test status. Pick where GAIA runs. All options need about **8 GB of RAM**, which is what drives the price. ## Pick one Prices are list prices from 2026-10-14. Check the provider before you buy. | Option | Setup | Status | Monthly cost | | - | - | - | - | | [Linux server](#linux-server) | Run `gaia up` over SSH | Tested | About \$44 to \$48 (DigitalOcean, Lightsail), less on Hetzner, \$0 on Oracle Always Free | | [DigitalOcean](#digitalocean-marketplace) | Click **Create Droplet** | Not listed yet | \$48 | | [Coolify](#coolify) | Paste one Compose file | Not tested yet | Your server | | [Render](#render) | Deploy a Blueprint | Not tested yet | About \$252, plus Cloudinary | | [Railway](#railway) | Create 9 services by hand | Not tested yet | Usage-based, plus Cloudinary | A Linux server is cheapest and is the path we test. Render and Railway bill per service, so the same 8 GB costs several times more. ## Linux server **1. Create the server** Use 4 vCPU and 8 GB RAM. Allow ports 80 and 443 (or 3000 without a domain). **2. Follow the walkthrough** Run the steps in the [walkthrough](https://docs.heygaia.io/self-hosting/walkthrough.md) over SSH. **3. Add a domain (optional)** Point the domain's DNS A record at the server, then: ```bash theme={null} gaia up --domain gaia.example.com ``` ## DigitalOcean Marketplace Once listed, create a Droplet from the GAIA listing (8 GB / 4 vCPU or bigger), wait for first boot, then open `http:///setup`. The image comes with Docker and the CLI, makes its own secrets, and only allows SSH, HTTP and HTTPS. > **Maintainers: building and submitting the image** > > The Packer template lives in [`deploy/digitalocean/`](https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/tree/master/deploy/digitalocean), in the format of DigitalOcean's [marketplace-partners](https://github.com/digitalocean/marketplace-partners) repository. It runs their `03-force-ssh-logout.sh`, `90-cleanup.sh` and `99-img-check.sh` at a pinned commit. > > 1. Install [Packer](https://developer.hashicorp.com/packer/install) and the plugin: `packer plugins install github.com/digitalocean/digitalocean`. > 2. Create a DigitalOcean API token and export it: `export DIGITALOCEAN_TOKEN=...`. > 3. From `deploy/digitalocean/`, run `packer build marketplace-image.json`. The build ends with `99-img-check.sh`; fix every `[FAIL]` before submitting. > 4. Create one Droplet from the snapshot and check that `http:///setup` loads and `sudo -iu gaia gaia doctor` passes. > 5. Submit the snapshot in the [Vendor Portal](https://cloud.digitalocean.com/vendorportal) with the listing copy, the quick-start text from `files/etc/update-motd.d/99-one-click`, and links to these docs. If you have no Vendor Portal login, apply at [marketplace.digitalocean.com/vendors](https://marketplace.digitalocean.com/vendors). ## Coolify Uses [`deploy/coolify/gaia.yaml`](https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/deploy/coolify/gaia.yaml). **1. Create the resource** In your Coolify project choose **New → Docker Compose Empty**, paste the contents of the file, and save. Use a server with at least 4 vCPU and 8 GB of RAM. **2. Set the domain** Under **Domains**, set the domain for the `proxy` service. Coolify issues the certificate and generates the passwords. **3. Add your AI key and deploy** Optionally set `OPENAI_API_KEY` in **Environment Variables**, or add a provider at `/setup` later. Deploy, then open the domain and go to `/setup`. > [!WARNING] > > Not yet tested on a live Coolify. If a service fails, its logs and `GET /health/ready` show which one. Please report what you find. ## Render Uses the Blueprint [`render.yaml`](https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia/blob/master/render.yaml). It needs a [Cloudinary](https://cloudinary.com) account, because a Render disk cannot be shared between services (`BLOB_STORE=cloudinary`). **1. Create the Blueprint** Click the button below, or in the Render Dashboard choose **New → Blueprint** and connect the GAIA repository (or your fork), then apply it. [![Deploy to Render](https://render.com/images/deploy-to-render-button.svg)](https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/theexperiencecompany/gaia) Render asks for the values marked `sync: false`. Enter your `CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME`, `CLOUDINARY_API_KEY` and `CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET`, your `OPENAI_API_KEY` (or leave it empty), and `pending` for the other three for now. **2. Fill in the private addresses** Render gives every private service a hostname with a random suffix, and a Blueprint cannot build a URL from it. Once the services exist, copy each internal address from its **Connect** panel and set these on `gaia-backend` (the worker reads them from there) and `gaia-web`: | Service | Variable | Value | | - | - | - | | `gaia-backend` | `MONGO_DB` | `mongodb:///gaia` | | `gaia-backend` | `RABBITMQ_URL` | `amqp://guest:guest@/` | | `gaia-web` | `API_BASE_URL_INTERNAL` | `http:///api/v1/` | Each address looks like `gaia-mongo-a1b2:27017`. Save, and Render redeploys. **3. Open GAIA** Open the `gaia` service's `onrender.com` URL (or add your domain to it) and go to `/setup`. > [!WARNING] > > Not yet deployed end to end. If a service fails, check its logs and `GET /health/ready` on the `gaia` URL. Please report what you find. Render makes the secrets once and keeps them. Services use `:latest` images. To pin one, put a tag like `v0.7.0` in each image URL. ## Railway There is no template yet, so you create the services yourself. You also need a [Cloudinary](https://cloudinary.com) account, because a Railway volume belongs to one service (`BLOB_STORE=cloudinary`). > **Service list and variables** > > Create these in one project (**New, Docker Image**, or **GitHub Repo** for the proxy). Then add a public domain to `gaia` on port `8080`. > > | Service | Source | Volume | Variables | > | - | - | - | - | > | `gaia` | This repo, `RAILWAY_DOCKERFILE_PATH=deploy/proxy.Dockerfile` | — | `GAIA_SITE_ADDRESS=:8080`, `GAIA_BACKEND_UPSTREAM=${{gaia-backend.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:8000`, `GAIA_WEB_UPSTREAM=${{gaia-web.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:3000` | > | `gaia-web` | `ghcr.io/theexperiencecompany/gaia-web:latest` | — | `API_BASE_URL_INTERNAL=http://${{gaia-backend.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:8000/api/v1/` | > | `gaia-backend` | `ghcr.io/theexperiencecompany/gaia:latest` | — | the shared variables below, plus `WORKER_TYPE=main_app` | > | `gaia-worker` | `ghcr.io/theexperiencecompany/gaia:latest`, start command `python -m arq app.worker.WorkerSettings --custom-log-dict app.workers.config.log_config.ARQ_LOG_CONFIG` | — | the shared variables below, plus `WORKER_TYPE=arq_worker` | > | `mongo` | `mongo:8` | `/data/db` | `GLIBC_TUNABLES=glibc.pthread.rseq=0` (needed on Linux 6.19+) | > | `postgres` | `postgres:18-alpine` | `/var/lib/postgresql` | `POSTGRES_USER=postgres`, `POSTGRES_PASSWORD=`, `POSTGRES_DB=langgraph` | > | `redis` | `redis:8-alpine`, start command `redis-server --appendonly yes` | `/data` | — | > | `rabbitmq` | `rabbitmq:4.1.8-management` | `/var/lib/rabbitmq` | `RABBITMQ_NODENAME=rabbit@localhost` | > | `chromadb` | `chromadb/chroma:1.5.1` | `/chroma/chroma` | `PERSIST_DIRECTORY=/chroma/chroma`, `CHROMA_SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0`, `CHROMA_SERVER_PORT=8000` | > > Shared variables for `gaia-backend` and `gaia-worker` (Project **Settings → Shared Variables**, then reference them): > > ```bash theme={null} > ENV=selfhost > AUTH_MODE=local > PYTHONPATH=/app/apps/api > MONGO_DB=mongodb://${{mongo.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:27017/gaia > REDIS_URL=redis://${{redis.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:6379 > POSTGRES_URL=postgresql://postgres:${{postgres.POSTGRES_PASSWORD}}@${{postgres.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:5432/langgraph > CHROMADB_HOST=${{chromadb.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}} > CHROMADB_PORT=8000 > RABBITMQ_URL=amqp://guest:guest@${{rabbitmq.RAILWAY_PRIVATE_DOMAIN}}:5672/ > # A Railway volume attaches to one service, so files go to Cloudinary. > BLOB_STORE=cloudinary > CLOUDINARY_CLOUD_NAME= > CLOUDINARY_API_KEY= > CLOUDINARY_API_SECRET= > # openssl rand -hex 32 for each; never change them after first boot. > AGENT_SECRET= > BOT_SESSION_TOKEN_SECRET= > EMAIL_UNSUBSCRIBE_SECRET= > SHARE_GRANT_SECRET= > GAIA_BOT_API_KEY= > SANDBOX_EXECUTE_TOKEN_SECRET= > INSTANCE_SECRET= > OPENAI_API_KEY= > ``` > [!WARNING] > > Not yet deployed end to end on Railway. Check `GET /health/ready` on your domain after the first deploy. ## After you deploy **1. Open /setup** Go to your address followed by `/setup`: `http://:3000/setup` for `gaia up` without a domain, `http:///setup`, or your Render, Railway or own domain. **2. Create the admin account** The first account is the admin. Use a password of at least 8 characters. **3. Pick an AI provider** Paste a key for OpenAI, OpenRouter or Gemini, or use a local Ollama. Skip it if you set the key during deploy. Web search, bots and integrations are optional. Add them later in **Settings, Providers & Tools**; see [the walkthrough](https://docs.heygaia.io/self-hosting/walkthrough.md#finish-setup-in-the-browser). | To | Linux server or Droplet | Render, Railway | | - | - | - | | Check health | `gaia doctor` | `GET /health/ready` on your URL | | Update | `gaia update` | Change the image tag, redeploy | | Back up | `gaia backup` | Disk snapshots plus `mongodump` and `pg_dump`; see [Backups](https://docs.heygaia.io/self-hosting/maintenance.md#backups) | This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.