Links checked 2026-10-14
Self-hosting Docmost
The self-hosted route instead of Confluence, Notion.
The documented path is a compose stack with two dependencies, and the page is explicit that you must substitute the default secrets. Straightforward for anyone comfortable editing a compose file, and not a one-click install.
What it is
A collaborative wiki and documentation tool — spaces, groups, permissions and page editing — published as containers. Its documentation separates the free install from the edition features that need a licence key.
What you actually need
This is the reader's own hardware and configuration, not a price. We describe what a job needs; we do not put a figure on what self-hosting costs, because that depends on the provider, the term and the disk you choose.
- The server
- A VPS running three containers: the application, PostgreSQL and Redis.
- How it installs
- Docker Compose, per the project's installation page: download the compose file, replace the default secrets, start the stack.
- Data store
- PostgreSQL, which holds the workspace content.
- What grows
- Volumes for the database and the application; attachments and page history are what accumulate.
Before it is safe to expose
- Replace the default database password and the application secret the compose file ships with, before anything is reachable
- A reverse proxy and TLS
- A PostgreSQL backup you can restore, and a note of which version you are on
The trade-offs, specifically for Docmost
- The docs name the capabilities that need an enterprise licence — SSO, audit logs, SCIM provisioning and AI features — so the free install is the core wiki rather than the whole product.
- The compose file ships default credentials and asks you to substitute your own. An install that skips that step is an open wiki.
- Three containers to keep updated and backed up, with PostgreSQL as the one that matters most.
- There is no managed fallback behind this install: if the box is gone, the wiki is gone.
And the six things you own from now on
These are true of every tool in this section, including Docmost. They are also the reason to decide against self-hosting, which is a legitimate decision.
- You own the updates. Security releases have to be applied by you, on your schedule, and a project that stops publishing releases becomes your problem to notice.
- You own the backups, and a backup is not a backup until you have restored from it once.
- You own the uptime. There is no status page to watch and no support line to call when it stops answering.
- You own the security patches, the TLS certificate, the reverse proxy and the firewall in front of it.
- You are the on-call rota. The failure mode nobody plans for is being the only person who knows how the thing was set up.
- The hardware has a running cost and a lifetime. Disks fail, and the replacement is on you.
What you give up
- The paid edition's SSO, audit logging and provisioning
- Managed hosting, upgrades and support
What you gain
- Documentation stays on your infrastructure and survives a change of tools
- No per-seat subscription for the core wiki
Elsewhere in the index
The box it runs on
A VPS running three containers: the application, PostgreSQL and Redis. That machine is the purchase this page is really about, and it is the one number we will not invent for you: the right size depends on the provider, the term and the disk, so check it on the provider's own page.
Hostinger
Hostinger's VPS product is the closest fit to a self-hosted application: its own page advertises root access, Docker and NVMe storage, with data centres in several regions.
See Hostinger's plansRead Hostinger's published pricing ↗DigitalOcean
Virtual machines billed as you use them, with separate volumes, snapshots and object storage for the parts you want to keep outside the server.
See DigitalOcean's plansRead DigitalOcean's published pricing ↗Hetzner
Cloud instances and dedicated servers with rates published per instance size, so the cost of a bigger box is visible before you move.
See Hetzner's plansRead Hetzner's published pricing ↗What to check before you buy
- A virtual machine you have root on, not a website plan with a control panel bolted on top.
- Snapshots or automated backups, and where those backups are stored.
- Block storage or object storage for the data that will outgrow the server's own disk.
- What the monthly rate renews at, rather than the first-term rate on the signup page.
- Where the data centre is, if the data has a jurisdiction attached to it.
The “See plans” links go through our own /go/ redirect and some are affiliate links, which pay us if you sign up. The descriptions and trade-offs on this page are written from the project's own documentation and are unaffected. The plain pricing link under each provider is not an affiliate link. See our disclosure.
Frequently asked questions about self-hosting Docmost
Answers restate the notes on this page or point at the project's own documentation. Self-hosting moves work to you rather than removing it, and these answers say so.
What is Docmost?
A collaborative wiki and documentation tool — spaces, groups, permissions and page editing — published as containers. We cover it as a replacement for Confluence, Notion.
What do you need to run Docmost yourself?
Docker Compose, per the project's installation page: download the compose file, replace the default secrets, start the stack. The requirements table on this page lists the server, the data store, what grows and what else to arrange first. Setup steps are at Docmost's installation documentation.
How hard is Docmost to run yourself?
We rate it Moderate. The documented path is a compose stack with two dependencies, and the page is explicit that you must substitute the default secrets. Straightforward for anyone comfortable editing a compose file, and not a one-click install.
What are the trade-offs of self-hosting Docmost?
Our notes list these costs. The docs name the capabilities that need an enterprise licence — SSO, audit logs, SCIM provisioning and AI features — so the free install is the core wiki rather than the whole product. The compose file ships default credentials and asks you to substitute your own. An install that skips that step is an open wiki.
What do you give up by running Docmost yourself?
You take on what Confluence, Notion used to do for you. The paid edition's SSO, audit logging and provisioning. Managed hosting, upgrades and support. Self-hosting moves that work to you rather than removing it.
What do you gain by running Docmost yourself?
Our notes list these. Documentation stays on your infrastructure and survives a change of tools. No per-seat subscription for the core wiki.