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You can host Home Assistant on a conventional VPS by running Home Assistant Container on a 64-bit Linux server with Docker Engine and persistent storage for its configuration. This is not the same as installing the Home Assistant OS appliance: Container gives you control of the Linux host, but you maintain Linux, Docker and Home Assistant yourself, and Container installations do not have access to Home Assistant apps. For remote access, use a VPN, Home Assistant Cloud or an HTTPS reverse proxy rather than leaving the default port exposed as a public HTTP service.
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What a VPS installation gives you—and what it does not
A VPS is a rented virtual server in a provider’s data center. For most conventional VPS plans, the practical Home Assistant installation is Home Assistant Container: Home Assistant runs in a Docker container on Linux, while you manage the operating system and container runtime. Home Assistant OS is the appliance-style option and is recommended for most users, but it is a realistic VPS choice only when the provider offers a suitable virtual-machine environment for it.
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The distinction matters before you choose a server. Home Assistant says that Container installations “don’t have access to apps.” Container users bring their own Linux system and container orchestration, such as Docker, and handle updates manually. The trade-off is more host control in exchange for more responsibility. Home Assistant OS manages more of the stack and includes apps; Container leaves those operating-system and container tasks to you.
| Installation | Best fit | Apps | Maintenance and updates | VPS fit |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Home Assistant OS | Appliance-style installation and users who want Supervisor and apps | Yes | Home Assistant manages most of the stack | Only if the provider supports a suitable VM environment |
| Home Assistant Container | Linux and Docker users who want control of the host | No | You maintain Linux, Docker and Home Assistant updates | Direct fit for most conventional VPSs |
Home Assistant’s 2025 deprecation announcement says Core and Supervised are no longer the forward-looking supported installation methods. For a new VPS deployment, choose between OS and Container rather than building around those legacy methods. The project is also retiring legacy 32-bit architectures.
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Check whether a VPS is suitable before ordering
Architecture and capacity
- CPU architecture: select a 64-bit
amd64oraarch64Linux image. Avoidi386,armhfandarmv7; Home Assistant marks these 32-bit architectures unsupported and says they stop receiving updates. - Memory and CPU: start with at least 2 GB RAM and 2 vCPUs. Home Assistant publishes those minimums for its virtual-machine installation; Container resource use varies with recorder history, companion services, databases, voice processing and other workloads. Treat the VM minimum as a starting reference, not a guarantee that every Container setup will have enough headroom.
- Operating system: use a current Debian- or Ubuntu-family server image. The server needs SSH access, a non-root administrator account and a way to control network traffic through a firewall or provider security group.
Network and provider checks
Choose a VPS with an assigned public IP address or a stable DNS name, and check that you can administer firewall rules. A provider’s product page may advertise CPU and memory without making the rest of the operating environment clear, so verify these points before committing:
- Whether the plan provides a supported 64-bit image and the architecture you intend to use.
- Whether the allocated memory, vCPUs and disk are adequate for the Home Assistant instance and any services you plan to run beside it.
- Whether the provider offers snapshots or backups, what those cover and how often they run. Provider snapshots are not a replacement for Home Assistant backups.
- Whether IPv4, IPv6, DNS, network egress and firewall controls match your remote-access design.
- The recurring total cost, including any separately billed backups or network services. Provider pricing and included features vary; confirm them with the provider before ordering.
A cloud server is not automatically a good match for every Home Assistant setup. If your plan depends on a USB radio connected directly to the Home Assistant host, first establish how that hardware can be reached from the VPS. A cloud VPS usually has no local USB radio.
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Home Assistant’s official Linux installation guide requires Docker Engine 23.0.0 or later and documents both docker run and Docker Compose. Install Docker Engine, not Docker Desktop. Install Docker Engine and Compose using the distribution’s packages or Docker’s current official instructions; the exact package commands depend on the Linux release, so do not paste a command intended for a different distribution.
- Create the VPS. Select a supported 64-bit Linux image, a non-root administrator, SSH-key access and automatic security updates where available. Set the provider firewall or security group to allow SSH only from trusted administration addresses.
- Secure SSH access. Use SSH keys and set
PermitRootLogin nofor SSH-based systems. Keep administrative access limited to the addresses or private network you actually use. - Install Docker Engine and Compose. Follow the current instructions for your Linux distribution and verify that Docker Engine meets the 23.0.0 minimum. Do not expose Docker’s API to the public internet.
- Create persistent configuration storage. Make a directory such as
/opt/homeassistant/config. The directory must remain on the VPS when the container is recreated and survive a host reboot; keeping configuration only inside a replaceable container risks losing it during maintenance.
Deploy Home Assistant Container with Docker Compose
Create a file named compose.yaml in a directory you use to manage the service. This follows Home Assistant’s documented Compose pattern. Replace the time zone with the VPS location or the household’s chosen IANA time-zone name, and make sure the host-side configuration path matches the directory you created.
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services:
homeassistant:
container_name: homeassistant
image: ghcr.io/home-assistant/home-assistant:stable
volumes:
- /opt/homeassistant/config:/config
- /etc/localtime:/etc/localtime:ro
- /run/dbus:/run/dbus:ro
restart: unless-stopped
stop_grace_period: 60s
privileged: true
network_mode: host
environment:
TZ: Europe/AmsterdamThe /opt/homeassistant/config:/config mapping is the essential persistence step: Home Assistant stores its configuration in the host directory rather than relying on the container’s disposable filesystem. The local-time and D-Bus mounts, restart policy, stop grace period, privileged setting and host networking are part of the documented example. Understand the privileges and host access in the configuration before changing it; a cloud VPS’s device availability is not the same as a local Home Assistant host’s.
- From the directory containing
compose.yaml, start the container withdocker compose up -d. - Allow the service to start, then connect to the VPS on port
8123to complete onboarding. The documented host-networking example makes Home Assistant reachable athttp://<host>:8123. - If the firewall blocks access during initial setup, open port 8123 only for the time needed to complete onboarding, and restrict the source address if your firewall allows it. Close that temporary public access when you switch to your intended secure remote-access method.
- Create a strong, unique administrator password and enable multi-factor authentication. Do not store passwords, tokens or other secrets in a public repository.
Home Assistant’s default local listener is port 8123. Host networking is convenient for this deployment pattern, but it does not make a raw public HTTP endpoint an appropriate finished remote-access design.
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Decide how you will reach Home Assistant remotely before treating the deployment as complete. Home Assistant documents several approaches. Each changes what must be reachable from the internet and what configuration you maintain.
| Method | How it works | What to consider |
|---|---|---|
| VPN | A phone or computer joins a private network, then connects to Home Assistant through it. | Install and manage the VPN on the devices and server involved. Tailscale is one example; another VPN can also suit the setup. |
| Home Assistant Cloud | Provides a managed remote URL without router port forwarding or certificate setup. | This is a managed option rather than a self-managed reverse proxy. Home Assistant describes Cloud as the easiest and safest option for most people. |
| TLS reverse proxy | Caddy, Nginx, Traefik or a provider edge proxy terminates HTTPS, then forwards requests to Home Assistant. | Configure Home Assistant’s HTTP integration to trust the proxy correctly. Incorrect trusted-proxy settings cause requests to be blocked. |
For a reverse-proxy setup, expose HTTPS on port 443 and keep the VPS firewall limited to that service plus SSH from trusted administration addresses. The proxy must be configured to forward traffic to Home Assistant, and Home Assistant must be configured to trust the proxy as required by its HTTP integration. A TLS certificate alone is not enough if the application does not trust the proxy correctly. Home Assistant’s security guidance also calls for unique passwords, multi-factor authentication and regular updates.
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Do not leave http://VPS-IP:8123 open to everyone as the permanent remote-access plan. The default listener uses port 8123, but a direct public HTTP connection is not the same as a properly secured remote setup. Prefer a VPN, Home Assistant Cloud or correctly configured HTTPS reverse proxy, and keep firewall access aligned with the method chosen.
Plan for radios and devices before moving a setup to the cloud
A VPS does not automatically include the local USB hardware often attached to a home server. In particular, do not assume that a cloud instance can directly see a Zigbee, Thread, Z-Wave or Bluetooth radio. The VPS may have no local USB radio at all.
If your planned integrations depend on Bluetooth or a serial radio, identify the required device and how it will be presented to Home Assistant before deployment. The Compose example includes device-related host access, but the presence of a mount or privileged mode does not create a physical radio on a remote virtual server. Plan a network coordinator or another supported architecture where needed. If the required hardware cannot be reached by the VPS, choose a different architecture rather than assuming the cloud host will provide it.
Back up the instance and keep a recovery path
Home Assistant backups are encrypted compressed archives. Configure automatic backups in Settings → System → Backups, download and protect the emergency kit, and retain multiple restore points. Add a second backup location outside the VPS and, ideally, keep at least one copy off-site.
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A backup stored only in a local /backup directory is still on the VPS. It will not protect you if the VPS is deleted, its disk fails or the provider account is compromised. Store the backup and emergency kit somewhere protected from the same failure or account access that could affect the server.
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Also retain the operational files needed to rebuild the service: the Compose file, reverse-proxy configuration, firewall rules, DNS records and emergency kit. Keep these in a separate secured repository or storage location, not a public code repository. For a business-critical installation, test a restore on a spare VM so the recovery steps are known to work before an outage.
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Container users are responsible for Home Assistant updates as well as Linux and Docker maintenance. Before each Home Assistant update, read the release notes for backward-incompatible changes and create a fresh backup. Then pull the new stable image and recreate the container from the Compose configuration:
docker compose pull homeassistant
docker compose up -dBecause the configuration is mounted from the persistent host directory, recreating the container does not mean replacing that directory. Keep the Compose file under your control and make changes to it deliberately; it describes the image, mounts, network mode and restart behavior used to run the service. Schedule host security updates as part of the same maintenance routine rather than assuming the Home Assistant image updates the operating system.
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Common deployment problems and what to check
The setup page does not load
- Confirm that the container was started with
docker compose up -dfrom the directory containing the Compose file. - Check that the VPS firewall or provider security group allows the connection you are currently using. For initial onboarding, port 8123 may need a temporary, restricted opening if local access is unavailable.
- Confirm that you are connecting to the VPS address or DNS name on port 8123 and that the Compose configuration uses host networking as shown.
Home Assistant loses its configuration after a container change
Check that the host-side directory in the Compose volume mapping exists and is the same directory you intend to keep. The mapping must point to /config inside the container. If configuration has been stored only in the container filesystem, recreating that container may not preserve it; restore from a Home Assistant backup if needed.
A reverse proxy request is rejected
Review the Home Assistant HTTP integration’s trusted-proxy configuration and confirm that it matches the proxy forwarding requests. Incorrect trusted-proxy settings can cause Home Assistant to block requests. Also verify that the proxy, DNS and firewall are configured for the route you intend to use rather than relying on port 8123 as a public endpoint.
A radio-based integration cannot find its device
Check whether the VPS actually has access to the required hardware. A cloud VPS generally does not include a local USB radio, and adding a container mount cannot make absent hardware available. Use a network coordinator or another supported architecture if the integration depends on a radio that cannot be attached to the VPS.
The server runs out of headroom
Reassess the workload, not just the base Home Assistant install. Recorder history, companion services, databases, voice processing and other workloads affect Container resource needs. The 2 GB RAM and 2 vCPU starting point comes from Home Assistant’s virtual-machine minimums; it is not a universal capacity guarantee for every Container deployment.
Is a VPS the right Home Assistant host?
A VPS is a good fit when you want a remotely hosted Linux server, can maintain Docker and the operating system, and do not require a USB radio that the provider cannot expose. It is less suitable when your priority is an appliance-like installation with apps and minimal host administration, or when integrations depend on local hardware that cannot be made available to a cloud server.
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1Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems2Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches3Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFor a conventional VPS, the core design is Home Assistant Container on supported 64-bit Linux, Docker Engine 23.0.0 or later, persistent storage for /config, and remote access through a VPN, Home Assistant Cloud or a correctly configured HTTPS reverse proxy. Build backups and hardware access into the decision from the beginning; they are part of whether the deployment will remain usable, not optional finishing touches.
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