Self-host Saleor

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

We earn commissions when you shop through the links below. Full disclosure →

A headless, GraphQL-first commerce platform: products and variants, multi-channel and multi-currency selling, checkout, orders, warehouses and promotions, run from a React admin Dashboard. The stack is a Python and Django API, Celery workers, PostgreSQL and a Redis-compatible cache; it ships the API and Dashboard, not a customer-facing storefront, so you build or adopt one against the GraphQL API. The API and the Dashboard are both BSD-3-Clause.

Key facts

CategoryE-commerce

LicenseBSD-3-Clause

StackPython, Django, GraphQL, PostgreSQL, Celery

Min RAM4096 MB

Official imageyes

Measured idle RAM1152 MB

Last commitOctober 23, 2026

Last release3.23.44, October 20, 2026

CheckedGitHub, October 25, 2026

Difficulty

Sourcegithub.com/saleor/saleor

Websitesaleor.io

Runs on a VPS from $23/mo (Kamatera 8GB, 8 GB RAM) · prices checked Sep 2026

Our recommendation

Pick Saleor when you want a headless, API-first store you build your own storefront against: products and variants, channels with their own currencies and pricing, checkout, orders, warehouses and promotions behind a GraphQL API, with a React Dashboard for the people running the shop. It is a Python and Django service with Celery workers on PostgreSQL and a Redis-compatible cache, and the code is BSD-3-Clause. It is not a one-click shop: there is no customer-facing storefront in the stack, so someone has to build or adopt one. If your team writes TypeScript and wants a Node.js framework with modules you extend in code, Medusa is the catalog's other headless option.

What you need

Any VPS with at least 4096 MB of RAM
A domain you control — most self-hosted setups need HTTPS in front of them
About the better part of a day

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 →

Paid link — we earn a commission if you shop through it.

Install

Run these commands on your server:

# Saleor — official Docker setup from the saleor-platform repo (the one docs.saleor.io points to), pinned to commit ab6315b with the API and Dashboard images pinned to 3.23.41 and 3.23.39. saleor-platform's README says it is for local development, not production: the override below closes the published database and tool ports, and you still need HTTPS and your own secrets. Replace SERVER_IP with your server's address.
git clone https://github.com/saleor/saleor-platform.git && git -C saleor-platform checkout ab6315bd59c58b4815175df4c679107ff9695be4
cd saleor-platform
sed -i -e 's|ghcr.io/saleor/saleor:3.23|ghcr.io/saleor/saleor:3.23.41|' -e 's|saleor-dashboard:3.23|saleor-dashboard:3.23.39|' docker-compose.yml
sed -i "s|SECRET_KEY=changeme|SECRET_KEY=$(openssl rand -hex 32)|" backend.env
# serve the API and Dashboard on the server's address, and publish only ports 8000 and 9000 (the stock file also publishes Postgres, Valkey, Jaeger and Mailpit)
cat > docker-compose.override.yml << 'EOF'
services:
  api:
    environment:
      - DASHBOARD_URL=http://SERVER_IP:9000/
      - ALLOWED_HOSTS=localhost,127.0.0.1,api,SERVER_IP
  dashboard:
    environment:
      - API_URL=http://SERVER_IP:8000/graphql/
  db:
    ports: !reset []
  cache:
    ports: !reset []
  jaeger:
    ports: !reset []
  mailpit:
    ports: !reset []
EOF
docker compose run --rm api python3 manage.py migrate
docker compose run --rm -e DJANGO_SUPERUSER_PASSWORD='choose-a-password' api python3 manage.py createsuperuser --email admin@example.com --noinput
docker compose up -d
# sign in to the Dashboard at http://SERVER_IP:9000 (the GraphQL API is at http://SERVER_IP:8000/graphql/)

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

What you take on

Saleor's own repositories are clear about where the Docker setup stops being a production deployment:

non-negotiableThe Docker setup that docs.saleor.io points to is the saleor-platform repository, and its README says it is for local development and is not meant to be deployed in any production environment. It publishes Postgres, Valkey, Jaeger and Mailpit ports, ships a SECRET_KEY=changeme, a database password of saleor and HTTP_IP_FILTER_ALLOW_LOOPBACK_IPS=True; the snippet closes the published ports and generates a key, and you still own HTTPS, secrets and backups.

non-negotiableThe compose file tracks the 3.23 image tag and the Dashboard defaults to http://localhost:8000 for the API. For a real server we pinned patch releases and set API_URL on the Dashboard and ALLOWED_HOSTS and DASHBOARD_URL on the API; upstream's Docker page says Dashboard minor versions match the same Core minor version, so upgrade them together.

non-negotiablePlan for memory. The README asks Docker Desktop users for at least 5 GB; we measured the seven-container stack well under that when idle on an empty catalog, but a populated store with workers and a search load will use more.

non-negotiableSaleor sends anonymous usage telemetry by default (version, counts of products, channels and apps, configured currencies); set SEND_USAGE_TELEMETRY=false to turn it off.

An alternative to

Shopify →

Head-to-head

E-commerceOct 2026

Saleor

Medusa

A TypeScript commerce framework on Node.js vs. a GraphQL-first Python and Django platform.

Read the verdict →

More self-hosted tools

E-commerce