Self-host Outline
updated Jul 2026deployed by usprices checked · Jul 2026Install verified on Ubuntu 26.04 · Jul 2026 · how we test
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A polished, real-time collaborative team knowledge base with a great editor and search. Heavier to run, but the closest self-hosted feel to Notion.
Key facts
Our recommendation
Pick Outline when you want the editor that feels most like the SaaS it replaces — real-time collaboration, comments and threads, Markdown with slash commands and embeds — and you already run an identity provider. Outline has no email-and-password login: the sample config requires at least one of Slack, Google, Microsoft Entra, Discord or a generic OIDC provider, so a homelab pairs it with Authentik, Keycloak or Pocket ID. Read the license before you standardise on it: it is Business Source License 1.1, not open source.
Follow the Outline deploy guide →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
- About an afternoon — budget time for troubleshooting
Where to host itaffiliate disclosure
Hetzner Cloudrun it on
From $23.59/mo · 2 vCPU / 4 GB / 80 GB · EU + USKamaterafree trial
From $4/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 20 GB · US + EU + AsiaDigitalOceanalso works on
From $6/mo · 1 vCPU / 1 GB / 25 GB · US + EU + AsiaPaid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.
Install with Docker Compose
Save this as compose.yml and run docker compose up -d:
# Outline: the shape of the stack, not a file to run as-is (as written, Postgres and Outline exit within seconds)
services:
outline:
image: outlinewiki/outline:latest
ports: ["3000:3000"]
environment: { DATABASE_URL: postgres://outline:secret@db/outline, REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379 }
db: { image: postgres:16 }
redis: { image: redis:7 }
# to run it: give db POSTGRES_USER/PASSWORD/DB, give outline SECRET_KEY + UTILS_SECRET (openssl rand -hex 32) and one auth provider (OIDC/Google/Slack) per the docs → http://SERVER_IP:3000deploy guideHow to Deploy Outline on a VPSvps picksBest VPS for self-hostingbenchmarked quarterly · re-priced monthly
What you take on
Outline is polished, but its licence and its login model are the two things that surprise people after install:
non-negotiableThe licence is BSL 1.1 from General Outline, Inc. Each version converts to Apache 2.0 on its own change date (2030-09-09 for the current one), and the additional use grant forbids using it to offer a "Document Service". Fine for a company wiki; not fine if you planned to host it for others.
non-negotiable"Outline does not support email + password authentication natively" (hosting docs). The .env.sample is explicit that at least one third-party sign-in provider is required "or you'll have no sign-in options" — the providers shipped are Slack, Google, Microsoft Entra / Azure AD, Discord and generic OIDC.
non-negotiableIt is a three-service stack — Outline, PostgreSQL and Redis — with URL, DATABASE_URL, REDIS_URL and SECRET_KEY as the documented minimum and UTILS_SECRET also expected; generate both secrets with openssl rand -hex 32. Attachments go to local disk or S3-compatible storage.
non-negotiableFORCE_HTTPS defaults to true, so a production instance redirects to HTTPS — put a TLS-terminating proxy in front before first login or you will be redirected to a port nothing is listening on.
non-negotiableThe 1 GB floor is our estimate for the three containers; the hosting docs we read publish no RAM figure.
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