Self-host DocuSeal

updated Sep 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Sep 2026 · how we test

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A self-hosted document filling and signing platform: turn PDFs into fillable forms with a WYSIWYG field builder, send them to one or more signers, and get back automatically signed PDFs with an audit log.

Key facts

CategoryE-signature

LicenseAGPL-3.0

StackRuby, Rails, Vue

Min RAM1024 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM208 MB

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/docusealco/docuseal

Websitedocuseal.com

Our recommendation

Pick DocuSeal when you want document signing running in minutes. Upstream's Docker Compose file starts the Rails app, PostgreSQL and Caddy with automatic HTTPS for the `HOST` you pass. The first-run `/setup` page creates the admin and generates the signing certificate. A single `docker run` on SQLite also works, and MySQL is supported. The free AGPL-3.0 edition has a WYSIWYG PDF field builder with 12 field types, multiple signers, SMTP email, disk or S3/GCS/Azure storage, an audit log, webhooks and a basic API. Reminders, SSO, bulk send, conditional fields, white-labelling and embedding are in the paid Pro licence. Upstream publishes no RAM figure; our 1 GB floor is an estimate. If you need embedding or reminders without per-seat pricing, Documenso is the catalog's other e-signature tool.

What you need

Any VPS with at least 1024 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
Under an hour if you've used Docker before

Where to host itaffiliate disclosure

Hetzner Cloudrun it on

From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + US

Get Hetzner Cloud

Kamaterafree trial

From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + Asia

Start free on Kamatera →

DigitalOceanalso works on

From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + Asia

Deploy on DigitalOcean →

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Install

Run these commands on your server:

# DocuSeal — upstream's Docker Compose (app + PostgreSQL + Caddy with automatic HTTPS), per docuseal.com/install
curl https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docusealco/docuseal/3.2.6/docker-compose.yml > docker-compose.yml
sed -i 's|docuseal/docuseal:latest|docuseal/docuseal:3.2.6|' docker-compose.yml
# point your domain's DNS at this server first — Caddy requests the TLS certificate on start
sudo HOST=sign.example.com docker compose up -d
# open https://sign.example.com — the first visit runs /setup, which creates the admin and generates the signing certificate
# single container instead (SQLite): docker run --name docuseal -p 3000:3000 -v.:/data docuseal/docuseal:3.2.6

vps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly

What you take on

DocuSeal's Compose file and pricing page leave a few things to check before real contracts go through it:

non-negotiableThe Compose file tracks docuseal/docuseal:latest and caddy:latest. Pin the app to a release tag such as 3.2.6. It also hard-codes PostgreSQL's user and password as postgres/postgres; the database has no host port, but change them for anything beyond a trial. The app's port 3000 is also published directly on the host, beside Caddy's 80 and 443, so firewall it if you only want HTTPS traffic.

non-negotiableOpen https://HOST straight after the stack starts. Until the first account exists, /setup is open to whoever reaches it first, and that account becomes the admin.

non-negotiableThe free edition's certificate is self-signed, generated at setup, and DocuSeal's pricing table lists a "trusted signing certificate" as a Pro feature. Validity is the same question as with any e-signature tool: DocuSeal lists "legally-binding signing" on every plan, but check the law for your document type.

non-negotiableThe licence is AGPL-3.0 with a section 7(b) term: a covered work "must retain the original DocuSeal attribution in interactive user interfaces". White-labelling and your company logo are Pro features. Pro is $240 per user per year, plus $0.20 per document signed via the API or embedding, per the on-premises page. Automated reminders, user roles, SMS verification, SSO/SAML, bulk send, conditional and formula fields, and the HTML and tagged-PDF template APIs are all Pro.

non-negotiableThe 1 GB floor is our estimate for the app container plus PostgreSQL; DocuSeal publishes no memory requirement. The single-container SQLite mode stores everything under the mounted /data directory, so back that up. With Compose, back up the ./docuseal and ./pg_data directories.