Self-host with Docker

docker-compose.yml in the repository starts two services: PostgreSQL 16 (db) and the application (app, port 3000). Migrations run automatically every time the app starts.

Where data lives

Three named volumes keep data across docker compose down:

Volume	Contents
postgres_data	The database
media_data	Uploaded images and files (/app/media) for sites without Cloudflare R2
app_data	Application data, including the generated PAYLOAD_SECRET

docker compose down -v removes all three.

Common configuration variables

Set them in the environment or in a .env file next to docker-compose.yml. Running locally needs none of them.

Variable	Default	Meaning
PAYLOAD_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL	http://localhost:3000	Public address of the CMS as browsers see it; also the prefix of media URLs
PAYLOAD_SECRET	empty (generated once)	Session signing secret. Set your own on a server, at least 32 characters
POSTGRES_PASSWORD	kdigi	Database password
APP_PORT / DB_PORT	3000 / 5432	Host ports. The database listens on 127.0.0.1 only
SEED_DEMO	empty	true loads the demo site (safe to re-run)
SKIP_MIGRATIONS	empty	true skips the automatic migration step at container start

The full list, including AI SEO, comment reCAPTCHA, OpenTelemetry and the WordPress importer, is in the repository's .env.example and in the configuration reference.

Running on a server

1. Set PAYLOAD_PUBLIC_SERVER_URL to the real https:// address of the CMS and PAYLOAD_SECRET to a long random string (openssl rand -hex 32).
2. Change POSTGRES_PASSWORD from the default.
3. Put a TLS reverse proxy (Traefik, Caddy, nginx) in front of port 3000.
4. Keep the volumes so updating the image does not lose data.

If you use Coolify, read Deploy on Coolify.

Running the app outside Docker (development)

Start only the database with Compose and run Next.js on your machine:

docker compose up db
cp .env.example .env
pnpm install
pnpm migrate
pnpm dev

Health check

GET /api/health returns 200 while the process is serving HTTP. It does not query the database, so do not treat it as proof that the schema is ready.