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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsThe reliable production pattern is simple: run Etherpad privately on your Linux VPS at 127.0.0.1:9001, place a reverse proxy such as NGINX, Caddy or Traefik in front of it, terminate TLS at that proxy, and keep the database and uploaded files on persistent storage. The proxy must pass WebSocket upgrade headers or collaborative editing can fall back to slow long-polling or fail.
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You can deploy the official Docker image or install Etherpad from source. Docker is usually easier to reproduce and roll back; a source install gives you more direct control over Node dependencies and plugins. The steps below cover both approaches, HTTPS, proxy configuration, persistence, upgrades and the failures that most often affect a self-hosted instance.
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What a production Etherpad VPS looks like
Etherpad normally listens on TCP port 9001. That port should be reachable only from the local machine or the private network used by your proxy, not directly from the public internet. Public traffic follows this path:
- A DNS record points your chosen hostname to the VPS.
- The VPS firewall allows web traffic on ports
80and443. - NGINX, Caddy, Traefik or another reverse proxy accepts the request and handles TLS.
- The proxy forwards HTTP and WebSocket traffic to
http://127.0.0.1:9001. - Etherpad stores pad data in the database and keeps any uploaded or plugin-managed files on storage that survives container or process replacement.
This layout separates internet-facing concerns from the Etherpad process. It also lets the proxy issue or renew certificates while Etherpad continues to listen on its normal local port.
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Choose Docker or a source installation
| Decision area | Official Docker image | Source install |
|---|---|---|
| Repeatability | Pin an image tag and recreate the same container configuration on another VPS. | Pin the Etherpad revision and Node dependency set yourself. |
| Upgrades and rollback | Pull a tested tag, replace the container, and return to the previous tag if needed. | Update the checkout and dependencies, then restore the previous revision if a change fails. |
| Plugin and dependency control | Use the image’s build and environment model, or build a derived image when customization is required. | Work directly with the application files, plugins and Node installation. |
| Persistence | Explicitly mount durable storage and connect the container to a deliberate database and backup plan. | Keep the database and application-managed files outside disposable deployment artifacts. |
| Documentation reference | The official image is published as etherpad/etherpad and mirrored as ghcr.io/ether/etherpad. The documentation displays tag 2.6.1; verify the current release before pinning it. |
The official FAQ documents a one-line Linux, macOS or WSL installer. |
For a first VPS, Docker generally reduces the number of host-level dependencies and makes a tested rollback easier. A source install is reasonable when your team already operates Node-based services or needs to modify the application and plugins directly.
Prepare the VPS before installing Etherpad
- Use a supported Linux VPS with administrative access. No particular CPU, memory or disk size is prescribed, so choose capacity from your expected concurrent editors, history retention, plugins and backup volume.
- Assign a stable public IP and create a DNS record for the hostname you will publish.
- Allow inbound ports
80and443at the VPS firewall and hosting-provider firewall. Keep Etherpad’s9001listener private. - Decide where the database, uploaded files and plugin-managed files will live before the first production pad is created.
- Install either Docker with its Compose tooling or the host dependencies required by your chosen source-install procedure.
- Plan an administrator credential and store secrets in protected environment variables or a secret store. Restrict permissions on any file that contains them.
Do not publish the database port to the internet. The reverse proxy is the public boundary; Etherpad and its database should remain on private addresses.
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Run a disposable test instance
The official documentation shows a minimal container run. To test the image on a private port, use:
docker run --detach --publish 9001:9001 etherpad/etherpadThe equivalent pattern is docker run --detach --publish <DESIRED_PORT>:9001 <YOUR_USERNAME>/etherpad when using a selected host port or a derived image. A host port other than 9001 changes only the outside mapping; Etherpad still listens on container port 9001.
This test run is not a production persistence plan. A container can be replaced, and a default database fallback can be unsuitable for durable service. Stop here only long enough to confirm that the image starts and the local service answers.
Pin the image for production
The Docker documentation displays tag 2.6.1. Tags change, so check the current Etherpad release and then pin the exact tag you have tested rather than deploying an unqualified latest tag. A pinned run has the following form:
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docker run --detach --name etherpad --publish 127.0.0.1:9001:9001 etherpad/etherpad:2.6.1The loopback binding keeps the application off the public interface. If your proxy runs in another container or on another private host, bind it to the appropriate private network instead and restrict that network with firewall rules.
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Pass configuration through environment variables
The image reads most settings from environment variables. The important names documented for deployment are:
PORT, which defaults to9001.DB_TYPE,DB_HOST,DB_PORT,DB_NAME,DB_USERandDB_PASSfor database connectivity.TRUST_PROXYfor operation behind a TLS-terminating proxy.
Configuration-variable substitution happens when Etherpad loads its settings; it does not rewrite settings.json on disk. Treat the container definition, environment file or secret-store entry as the source of truth and protect it from unprivileged users.
Use durable storage
Mount persistent storage for every database file and application-managed directory that your deployment uses. The image documentation identifies DirtyDB as the default database fallback and SQLite as another file-backed option. For a production VPS, select the database deliberately, document where its files reside, and include those files in a tested backup routine. Do not assume that replacing a container preserves data unless the storage is explicitly outside the disposable container layer.
If you use a separate database service, keep its port on a private network, set the documented DB_* variables, and make sure the database backup is coordinated with backups of uploaded or plugin-managed files.
Compose-style operation
A Compose deployment is useful when Etherpad, its database and the proxy must be recreated together. Keep the image tag, environment values, private network and persistent volumes in version-controlled configuration, while storing passwords outside the repository. Before putting that file into production, confirm that volume paths, ownership and backup jobs survive a complete container replacement.
Install Etherpad from source
The official FAQ documents a convenience installer for Linux, macOS and WSL:
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/ether/etherpad/master/bin/installer.sh | shBecause this command downloads and executes a remote script, review the script and your pinning policy before using it on a production VPS. A safer operational pattern is to inspect the script, decide which revision you trust, and record the resulting Etherpad and Node versions so the installation can be reproduced.
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- Run the installer only on the intended host account and with the privileges it actually requires.
- Confirm that Etherpad starts locally and listens on
127.0.0.1:9001or another private address you have selected. - Place the service under a process supervisor appropriate to your operating system so it restarts after a failure or reboot.
- Keep the application directory, database location and uploaded files on storage covered by your backup plan.
- Record the source revision and dependency state before applying upgrades.
The source route gives direct control over plugins and Node dependencies, but that control becomes your operational responsibility. Test dependency and plugin changes on a separate instance before changing the public service.
Put a reverse proxy in front of Etherpad
The proxy must forward normal HTTP requests and WebSocket upgrade requests to the local upstream. The load-bearing headers are Upgrade and Connection; if they are missing, real-time editing can silently fall back to slow long-polling or break altogether.
Caddy
Caddy’s documented example is intentionally short:
pad.example.com {
reverse_proxy 127.0.0.1:9001
}With this arrangement Caddy handles WebSocket forwarding and certificate issuance. Replace the hostname with the DNS name you actually control, then verify that the proxy can reach the local Etherpad listener.
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NGINX
In NGINX, create a virtual host for the Etherpad hostname and proxy requests to http://127.0.0.1:9001. Ensure the location that handles Etherpad traffic uses HTTP/1.1 and forwards the WebSocket headers, for example:
proxy_http_version 1.1;
proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:9001;Keep the public listeners on ports 80 and 443, and do not add a public listener for port 9001. After every proxy change, open a pad from two browsers and watch for immediate updates rather than assuming that a successful page load proves WebSockets work.
Traefik or another proxy
Traefik can provide the same topology when your services already run in Docker or Kubernetes. The specific labels or routing objects depend on that platform, but the requirements do not change: route the public hostname to Etherpad’s private port, terminate TLS, and preserve the WebSocket upgrade and connection headers.
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Hosting Etherpad below a path
If the public URL is a path such as https://example.com/pad instead of a dedicated hostname, configure the proxy to send X-Proxy-Path. Without that header, Etherpad can generate incorrect asset and API URLs. A dedicated hostname is usually simpler because it avoids path-rewrite errors.
Enable HTTPS and tell Etherpad about the proxy
Recommended: terminate TLS at the proxy
Let the reverse proxy obtain and renew the certificate, then forward encrypted-connection metadata to Etherpad. Set trustProxy: true in Etherpad’s configuration, or set the corresponding Docker environment value TRUST_PROXY. This tells Etherpad to trust the X-Forwarded-* headers, record client addresses correctly and mark cookies secure when appropriate.
Restart Etherpad after changing its settings. If you omit trustProxy, users may see incorrect secure-cookie behavior or misleading client addresses even though the browser shows HTTPS.
Native Etherpad HTTPS
Etherpad also supports terminating TLS itself. Add an ssl block to settings.json with the private-key path, certificate path and, when needed, an intermediate-CA path. Restart the service after editing. Use either native TLS or proxy termination deliberately; do not expose an unprotected Etherpad port while assuming the presence of a certificate elsewhere makes it private.
Make pads and files survive restarts
Persistence is more than keeping the container alive. You need a recovery plan for the database plus any uploaded or plugin-managed files.
- Identify the exact database engine and storage location in your deployment.
- Mount database files on durable storage when using a file-backed engine.
- Back up uploaded and plugin-managed files alongside the database.
- Keep backups off the VPS or on storage that survives VPS replacement.
- Test restoring to a separate Etherpad instance; a backup that has never been restored is only an assumption.
- Document the image or source revision, environment values and proxy configuration needed to rebuild the service.
DirtyDB is the documented default fallback, while SQLite is another file-backed option. A production operator should not leave the default in place accidentally: select the database and backup schedule that match the value and collaboration history you need to retain.
Secure the deployment
- Expose only ports
80and443publicly. Keep port9001and all database ports private. - Use a dedicated service account where your host and deployment model allow it.
- Store administrator passwords and database credentials in protected environment variables or a secret store, not in a publicly readable repository.
- Restrict permissions on
settings.json, environment files and database backups. - Use a real DNS name and valid certificate for the public service.
- Review installed plugins and remove those you do not need; plugin code runs with the privileges available to Etherpad.
- Keep a tested rollback image or source revision before upgrading.
Update without losing collaboration data
- Read the Etherpad release notice and check compatibility with your plugins, proxy and database choice.
- Verify that the latest database and file backups can be read or restored.
- Record the currently running image tag or source revision and retain it as the rollback target.
- For Docker, pull the tested tag and recreate the service. For example, a pinned image update uses
docker pull etherpad/etherpad:2.6.1after you have confirmed that tag is the release you intend to run. Compose-based deployments can pull the new image and rundocker compose up -dwith the reviewed configuration. - For a source deployment, update the checkout and dependencies in a staging or maintenance window, then restart the service under its supervisor.
- Verify the proxy, WebSockets, pad creation, simultaneous editing and reconnect behavior before declaring the upgrade complete.
The Etherpad admin interface can notify you when a newer release is available. Treat that notification as a prompt to test and schedule the change, not as permission to replace a production instance without a backup and rollback path.
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Validate the finished service
- Resolve the public hostname to the VPS and confirm the certificate matches it.
- Open the HTTPS URL and create a new pad.
- Open the same pad in a second browser or private window and type in both sessions. Changes should appear promptly in each session.
- Inspect proxy and Etherpad logs for upgrade failures, repeated reconnects or incorrect forwarded addresses.
- Restart the Etherpad process or container and confirm that the pad remains available.
- Restart the proxy and repeat the collaboration test.
- Simulate a short network interruption, reconnect, and verify that edits are still present.
- Run a restore test against a non-production instance using the latest database and file backup.
Troubleshooting common failures
The page loads, but edits arrive slowly or not at all
Check the proxy’s WebSocket handling first. Confirm HTTP/1.1 is enabled for the upstream and that both Upgrade and Connection headers are forwarded. A normal HTML response does not prove that the real-time channel is working.
The proxy returns a gateway error
Verify that Etherpad is running and listening on the address and port used by the proxy. If Etherpad binds to 127.0.0.1:9001, a proxy in a separate container cannot reach it through its own loopback interface; place both services on a shared private network or bind Etherpad to the private interface required by that topology, while keeping firewall access restricted.
Secure cookies or client addresses are wrong
Set trustProxy: true or the documented TRUST_PROXY environment value when TLS terminates at the proxy. Confirm that the proxy sends the X-Forwarded-Proto and client-address headers.
Pads disappear after a restart
Inspect the database configuration and storage mounts. If the service used DirtyDB or SQLite inside a disposable container layer, replacing that layer can remove the data. Move the database files to persistent storage or use a deliberately managed database, then restore from a known-good backup.
Assets or API calls point to the wrong URL
When serving Etherpad under a path such as /pad, make sure the proxy sends X-Proxy-Path. A dedicated hostname avoids most path-prefix mistakes.
An upgrade breaks plugins or starts but cannot serve pads
Return to the recorded image tag or source revision, restore the compatible dependency state, and keep the database and file backups untouched until the cause is understood. Test the new release on a separate instance before trying the upgrade again.
Quick Recap
Practical deployment checklist
- DNS points the public hostname at the VPS.
- Ports
80and443are allowed; port9001is private. - Etherpad is reachable locally at
127.0.0.1:9001or through the intended private network. - The proxy forwards WebSocket upgrade and connection headers.
- TLS is active and
trustProxyis enabled when TLS terminates at the proxy. - Docker image or source revision is pinned and recorded.
- Database and uploaded or plugin-managed files are on persistent storage.
- Secrets are protected and database ports are not public.
- Backups have been restored successfully in a test environment.
- Two-browser editing and reconnect tests pass after deployment and after upgrades.
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