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How to Self-Host Convex With Coolify

Coolify has no native Convex template, but a Docker Compose resource can run Convex with public API, HTTP-actions, and dashboard domains. This guide covers compose selection, URL configuration, admin-key generation, storage, and troubleshooting.
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Coolify does not provide a native Convex template. The practical route is to create a Docker Compose resource in Coolify, supply Convex’s self-hosted compose definition, publish the backend, HTTP-actions service, and dashboard through Coolify’s proxy, then connect your application with a generated admin key. The deployment is straightforward only if you replace the compose file’s localhost defaults and plan storage before exposing it to users.

What the Coolify deployment looks like

A self-hosted Convex installation has three application-facing pieces:

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  • Backend: the Convex API and stateful service. The default local port is 3210.
  • HTTP actions endpoint: the service used for Convex HTTP actions. The default local port is 3211.
  • Dashboard: the administrative web interface on port 6791.

Your own frontend remains a separate application, although it can be deployed on the same server. The backend stores data in SQLite by default. Convex’s official self-hosting documentation recommends using a separate SQL database for production, while a community Coolify compose example also adds MinIO for file storage.

Coolify supplies the server orchestration, reverse proxy, domains, and deployment controls; it does not turn Convex into a one-click application. The working model is therefore “Convex compose file managed by Coolify,” not “Convex template selected from a catalog.”

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Requirements and sizing

Server capacity

A third-party sizing guide from Bitdoze (2026) recommends at least 2 GB of RAM and 2 CPU cores, with 4 GB of RAM preferred when PostgreSQL is also running. Treat those figures as practical starting guidance rather than an official Convex or Coolify requirement. Actual capacity depends on database size, concurrent traffic, HTTP actions, file usage, and whether PostgreSQL and MinIO share the host.

Network and DNS

You need a Coolify server that can run Docker Compose and DNS names you control. Plan three HTTPS hostnames or subdomains:

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Convex component Container port Purpose
Backend API 3210 Client API and Convex runtime access
HTTP actions 3211 Public HTTP action requests
Dashboard 6791 Browser-based administration

The exact hostnames are your choice. What matters is that each hostname is routed by Coolify to the corresponding internal port and that the public URL values in the compose configuration match those hostnames instead of the local defaults.

Credentials and source control

You will generate a Convex admin key after the containers are running. That key grants full administrative access, so treat it like a root credential: store it in a password manager or secret store, restrict access, and never commit it to a repository.

Choose the compose definition

There are two reasonable starting points, and they serve different priorities.

Option Strength Important limitation
Official Convex compose file Maintained with the self-hosted Convex project and the best reference for current service definitions It is not written specifically for Coolify, so you must adapt domains, proxy routing, and secrets in Coolify
Community Coolify compose example Shows Coolify-oriented wiring, including the instance-name setting and a MinIO service It is a community example, not an official Convex or Coolify guide, and its exact variable names should be checked against the current compose file

The official compose file is kept in the Convex backend repository under self-hosted/docker. A community Coolify gist is more explicit about Coolify-specific setup. Because the Coolify steps have not been verified in an official guide, compare the compose file you use with the current upstream files before deploying and after major Convex updates.

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Create the Docker Compose resource in Coolify

  1. Create a Docker Compose resource. In the Coolify project and environment where Convex will live, choose the Docker Compose resource type rather than looking for a Convex template. Coolify has no official Convex template.
  2. Provide the compose content. Paste or import the selected Convex compose definition. If you use the community example, retain its service names because later commands refer to the backend service as backend.
  3. Review exposed services. Confirm that the compose file contains the backend and dashboard services. If you need Convex file storage, check whether the selected example includes its MinIO service; the official minimal setup and the community Coolify example do not represent exactly the same storage arrangement.
  4. Set persistent storage. Ensure the volumes declared by the compose file are attached to persistent server storage. A container restart must not erase your Convex state or object-storage data.
  5. Save the resource before deploying. Do not generate the admin key until the backend container is healthy and running.

Set the Convex instance name

The community Coolify compose example exposes an instance-name value in the Coolify UI. In that example, the value is used both as the Convex instance name and as the PostgreSQL database name. Choose a stable name without changing it casually after production data exists; changing a database name or connection setting later can point the application at a different database.

This behavior belongs to the community compose example, not a universally documented Coolify setting. If you use the official compose file, inspect its environment section and database configuration to identify the equivalent setting.

Publish the three Convex endpoints through Coolify

Assign public HTTPS domains through Coolify’s proxy. Create one proxy route for each service:

Public endpoint Route to What uses it
Backend API hostname Port 3210 Convex client traffic and the self-hosted backend URL
HTTP actions hostname Port 3211 Requests to Convex HTTP actions
Dashboard hostname Port 6791 Browser access to the Convex dashboard

Use HTTPS for all three public names. After DNS resolves to the Coolify server, let Coolify issue or attach the certificates according to your normal proxy configuration. Do not expose the container’s loopback addresses directly; the compose defaults bind the backend and HTTP actions services to 127.0.0.1 locally, while Coolify provides the public proxy layer.

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Replace localhost URL defaults

The compose defaults assume a local installation. A public deployment must replace those values with the actual HTTPS hostnames you assigned in Coolify. At minimum, check every setting that describes the backend origin, site or HTTP-actions origin, dashboard URL, and any callback or storage origin used by the selected compose file.

Two names often shown in third-party examples are CONVEX_CLOUD_ORIGIN and CONVEX_SITE_ORIGIN. Their exact meaning and required values are not established by an official Coolify-specific guide, so do not add them blindly. Open the current compose file, read the comments or environment declarations, and use the variable names and formats that file currently defines. The important rule is functional: every public URL advertised to the browser or to your application must resolve to the corresponding Coolify HTTPS route, not to localhost or 127.0.0.1.

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Deploy and generate the admin key

  1. Save the environment values and domain routes in Coolify.
  2. Deploy the Docker Compose resource and wait for the backend, dashboard, and any storage service to start.
  3. Open the service logs and confirm that the backend remains running rather than repeatedly restarting. Resolve configuration or volume errors before creating credentials.
  4. Run the key-generation command from the compose project or container context:
docker compose exec backend ./generate_admin_key.sh

The command runs the generator inside the backend container and prints an admin key. Copy it once, store it securely, and avoid putting it in shell history, screenshots, tickets, or source control. The key has full administrative access to the Convex instance; anyone who obtains it can administer the deployment.

Sign in to the dashboard

Open the dashboard hostname you assigned to port 6791. Use the generated admin key when the dashboard requests authentication. If the page is unreachable, test the dashboard route and certificate first; a working backend route does not automatically prove that the dashboard proxy route is correct.

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Connect an application to the self-hosted instance

In the Convex project that should use this server, set the self-hosted URL and admin key in the local environment file:

CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_URL=https://your-backend-hostname.example
CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY=your-generated-admin-key

The names above are the connection variables specified for a self-hosted Convex project. Replace the example values with your real backend HTTPS URL and generated key. Keep the file out of source control, and configure equivalent encrypted environment variables in your deployment platform rather than baking the admin key into a frontend bundle.

The admin key is for administration and server-side configuration. Do not expose it to browser JavaScript or ship it as a public client variable. Your application’s normal Convex client configuration should use the public endpoint intended for client traffic, while privileged operations remain on a protected server.

Storage choices: SQLite, PostgreSQL, and MinIO

SQLite default

Convex stores state in SQLite by default. SQLite is the simplest way to bring up a test or small installation because it avoids a separate database service. It also means the database file and its volume are critical persistent data; deleting or replacing that volume can remove the instance state.

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PostgreSQL for production

The official Convex README recommends a separate SQL database for production. PostgreSQL adds another service to operate, but it separates the primary database from the backend container and is the more appropriate starting point for a production deployment. The community Coolify compose example’s instance-name setting also names the PostgreSQL database, so verify that the database service, credentials, volume, and connection variables all agree before the first deployment.

Storage arrangement Best fit Trade-off
SQLite in the Convex deployment Evaluation, development, or a deliberately small installation Fewer services, but the database volume is tightly coupled to the host and requires careful file-level persistence and backup planning
Separate PostgreSQL service Production deployments that need a separately managed SQL database More RAM, CPU, credentials, upgrades, and backup operations; Bitdoze’s 2026 guidance prefers 4 GB RAM when PostgreSQL shares the server

Object storage with MinIO

The community Coolify compose adds MinIO for file storage. MinIO is not the same thing as the Convex state database: it stores objects, while SQLite or PostgreSQL stores application state. If your workload uses file storage, persist the MinIO data volume and protect its credentials. If you do not need that service, use a compose definition whose storage requirements match your application rather than adding unneeded infrastructure.

Verification checklist after deployment

  • The backend hostname reaches the service routed to port 3210 over HTTPS.
  • The HTTP-actions hostname reaches port 3211.
  • The dashboard hostname reaches port 6791 and accepts the generated admin key.
  • No public URL environment value still points to localhost or 127.0.0.1.
  • The backend container’s persistent volume is present and survives a restart.
  • If PostgreSQL is enabled, the configured database name, credentials, host, and persistent volume match the compose file.
  • If MinIO is enabled, its object-data volume and credentials are configured independently from the SQL database.
  • The application’s .env.local or deployment secret configuration contains CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_URL and CONVEX_SELF_HOSTED_ADMIN_KEY, with the latter unavailable to client-side code.
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Troubleshooting common failures

The deployment starts, but the browser still uses localhost

Inspect the compose environment values and replace every public-origin default with the HTTPS hostname assigned in Coolify. Restart or redeploy after changing environment values. Also verify that the application’s self-hosted URL points to the public backend hostname rather than a container name or loopback address.

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The backend works, but HTTP actions fail

Confirm that a separate Coolify proxy route targets port 3211. Publishing only port 3210 is insufficient for HTTP actions. Check the HTTP-actions origin value in the current compose file and ensure it matches the second HTTPS hostname.

The dashboard is unreachable

Verify the route to port 6791, DNS, and the certificate separately from the backend route. A healthy API container can coexist with a missing dashboard proxy rule.

docker compose exec backend cannot find the service

The command assumes the service is named backend, as in the community Coolify compose example. If you selected a different compose definition, inspect its service names and use the name assigned to the Convex backend. Do not rename services casually if other environment settings or health checks refer to them.

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The admin key was lost

Generate a replacement from the running backend with the same generator command, then update the protected environment where the old key was stored. Revoke or remove the old key wherever your deployment process has a mechanism to do so, and treat the incident as credential exposure if the original value may have been copied.

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Data disappears after a redeploy

Check that the database and, when applicable, MinIO volumes are persistent and attached to the current resource. A compose redeploy that creates fresh unnamed storage can appear healthy while presenting an empty Convex instance.

Operational and upgrade considerations

Coolify makes redeployment convenient, but Convex remains a stateful system. Keep the compose file under controlled version management, record the image versions and environment values used for each release, and review upstream compose changes before upgrading. The Mintlify Docker guide was reported as roughly 225 days old at the time of the October 14, 2026 review, so version-specific variable names and instructions may have changed.

Back up the database and object-storage volumes according to the storage arrangement you selected. For PostgreSQL, use the backup and restore procedure appropriate to the PostgreSQL service you operate; for SQLite, protect the database file and verify that a restore can be mounted by a fresh backend. Test restoration before relying on the deployment for important data. Keep the dashboard and admin key restricted to the people and networks that need administrative access.

When this approach is appropriate

  • Choose Coolify with the official compose file when upstream maintenance and a close match to Convex’s documented self-hosting layout matter most, and you are comfortable wiring the proxy and environment values yourself.
  • Choose the community Coolify compose example when you want an example that already shows Coolify-oriented domains, instance naming, and MinIO, while accepting that it is unofficial and must be checked against current upstream definitions.
  • Start with SQLite for a disposable evaluation or a small installation where the simplest service graph is the priority.
  • Use PostgreSQL when the instance is production data and you can operate the additional database service, persistent storage, credentials, and backups.

The reliable sequence is to deploy the compose resource, publish ports 3210, 3211, and 6791, replace localhost origins, generate and protect the admin key, and then connect the application through its self-hosted environment variables. The two areas requiring the most care are URL configuration and persistent storage; neither is safely handled by accepting the compose defaults unchanged.

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