Install on an Ubuntu Public Server

Use this path for a production deployment reachable by customers through a public domain.

When to use it

• External customers must open public offer links.
• Email messages should contain working links.
• You want direct control over the server instead of a PaaS layer.

What will not work without proper setup

• Public links fail if DNS does not point to the server.
• Public links fail if the browser URL differs from CORS configuration.
• HTTPS certificate issuance fails if ports 80/443 are blocked.
• Email links fail if SMTP is missing or if messages are rejected by the recipient’s mail provider.
• Dynamic home IP deployments need DDNS and router port forwarding; a VPS is usually simpler.

Prerequisites

• Ubuntu LTS server or VPS.
• Public DNS record, for example crm.example.com, pointing to the server.
• Ports 80 and 443 open from the internet.
• Docker Engine 24.0+ and Docker Compose v2.
• SMTP account for email delivery.
• At least 4 GB RAM and 20 GB free disk space (recommended for production).
• Backup destination and a restore procedure.
• A 64-bit x86 host (linux/amd64). ARM devices, including ARM-based NAS models, are not supported.

Verify Docker:

docker --version        # Should show 24.0+
docker compose version  # Should show v2.x

Step 1 — Create a project directory

mkdir quotenode && cd quotenode
curl -fsSLO https://quotenode.dev/releases/v0.9.8-alpha/quotenode-deploy-v0.9.8-alpha.tar.gz
tar -xzf quotenode-deploy-v0.9.8-alpha.tar.gz --strip-components=1

This downloads the deployment package of release v0.9.8-alpha: docker-compose.yml with every image pinned by digest, env.example, release.json (the release identity) and operator/ (backup and restore tools).

Known issue in v0.9.5-alpha: its env.example contains an active sample line, BACKUP_RCLONE_REMOTE=s3:mybucket/backups, that makes every backup fail. The settings in this guide do not contain it; if you copy settings from env.example, leave that line out (details).

Step 2 — Create the configuration file

Create a file named .env. Replace crm.example.com with your real domain. The secret values below are filled with fresh random values in your browser on each page load — use the ↻ New secrets button on the block to regenerate them, then copy the result. (Prefer to generate them yourself? See Deployment environment variables.)

# Database
DB_URL=jdbc:postgresql://postgres:5432/quotenode
DB_USERNAME=quotenode
DB_PASSWORD=change-me-to-something-random-32-chars
DB_NAME=quotenode

# ============================================================
# SECURITY SECRETS — UNIQUE to this installation.
# SAVE THIS FILE and keep a secure backup.
# ============================================================
DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY=0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef0123456789abcdef
TIMING_TOKEN_SECRET=change-me-timing-secret-min-32-chars
PUBLIC_LINK_PASSWORD_SESSION_SECRET=change-me-session-secret-min-32

# Public domain — replace with your real domain
CORS_ALLOWED_ORIGINS=https://crm.example.com
DOMAIN=crm.example.com

# Email delivery
SMTP_HOST=smtp.example.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USERNAME[email protected]
SMTP_PASSWORD=your-smtp-password
SMTP_AUTH=true
SMTP_STARTTLS=true

# Notification preference links (must match your public domain)
NOTIFICATIONS_PUBLIC_PREFERENCES_URL=https://crm.example.com/notifications/preferences

# Application
LOG_LEVEL=INFO
SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE=prod

# Client IP is auto-detected behind internal proxies and CDNs (Cloudflare included) — leave empty.
# Set only for an unusual proxy whose transport peer is a PUBLIC address to trust (IP/CIDR or hostname).
SECURITY_TRUSTED_PROXIES=

Back up your .env file before first production use. Store it in a password manager or a physical safe. The DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY is critical — losing it means encrypted data is gone forever.

SMTP alternative: You can skip the SMTP_* variables from .env and configure email later in Settings > Email SMTP inside QuoteNode. The admin panel stores the SMTP password encrypted with DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY, keeping it out of your .env file.

Step 3 — Review the Docker Compose file

The package’s docker-compose.yml runs release v0.9.8-alpha with every image pinned by digest. Do not edit it: all settings go into .env, and an upgrade replaces this file with the next release’s version. For reference:

x-json-file-logging: &json-file-logging
  driver: json-file
  options:
    max-size: "${DOCKER_LOG_MAX_SIZE:-10m}"
    max-file: "${DOCKER_LOG_MAX_FILE:-5}"

# ==========================================================================
# QuoteNode — standalone deployment (docker compose)
# GENERATED by scripts/render-deployment.mjs — do not edit by hand.
# Release v0.9.8-alpha (commit ff74453ca68f3c40bd86a32f0b0b813aaffc7aea, build 28); platforms: linux/amd64.
# API image:      ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-api@sha256:0ed701f952c27ea0e1db168a00de75facb231f7c6d5f6b4f0f3b77ef98d4f140
# Frontend image: ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-frontend@sha256:40a1cdc4fca5cebd9f43d34daef4ba059a88000ff08af821e199566f07260606
#
# Settings: the .env file in this directory (start from env.example, the commented catalogue of every
# setting; postgres, backend and backup-worker read it). Start: docker compose up -d
# DOMAIN: public host name for automatic HTTPS, or :80 / http://<address> for plain HTTP on a trusted LAN.
# Only the caddy entry point publishes ports (HTTP_PORT/HTTPS_PORT, default 80/443).
# Upgrades: replace this file with the next release package version; volumes keep the data.
# ==========================================================================

services:
  postgres:
    # Database (PostgreSQL 18); internal network only, data in the database volume.
    image: postgres:18-alpine@sha256:77f585114c32fbca283dc835b0596f4e52b51b4c6662d7810b2f4084f60a1873
    # JIT is off by default: for this OLTP workload most queries fall below jit_above_cost,
    # so JIT compilation rarely helps and can add latency. Set PG_JIT=on to re-enable.
    command: ["postgres", "-c", "jit=${PG_JIT:-off}"]
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: ${DB_NAME}
      POSTGRES_USER: ${DB_USERNAME}
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${DB_PASSWORD}
      POSTGRES_INITDB_ARGS: "--data-checksums"
      # postgres:18 refuses to start on a bare /var/lib/postgresql/data mount (new default layout).
      # Pin PGDATA to the legacy path so the existing volume mount keeps working; major upgrades go
      # through a logical dump/restore, never an in-place upgrade of the data directory.
      PGDATA: /var/lib/postgresql/data
    volumes:
      - postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${DB_USERNAME} -d ${DB_NAME}"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 10
    # CPU ceilings are opt-in (*_CPUS): 0 = no ceiling, all host cores. Docker refuses a ceiling above the
    # host's core count, so a fixed default would stop the stack on smaller hosts (minimum: 2 cores).
    cpus: ${POSTGRES_CPUS:-0}
    # Ceiling, not a reservation: PG sits at tens of MB until working set/connections grow.
    # Default 512m fits the 4 GB-VM profile; raise POSTGRES_MEM_LIMIT for larger tiers.
    mem_limit: ${POSTGRES_MEM_LIMIT:-512m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging
    # No published host port: the database is reachable only on the internal network.

  gotenberg:
    # PDF rendering (Chromium) for the backend; internal network only, keeps no data.
    image: gotenberg/gotenberg:8@sha256:aa552cc115db488e0f0bcb07446aac13071ad51505b642c84bb894500907b42b
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-fsS", "http://localhost:3000/health"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5
    cpus: ${GOTENBERG_CPUS:-0}
    # Chromium PDF rendering: measured ~188 MiB peak rendering a real offer template, so
    # 448m keeps ~2.4x headroom. Freed budget goes to backup-worker (closer to its limit).
    mem_limit: ${GOTENBERG_MEM_LIMIT:-448m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging

  backend:
    # API server (Java): business logic and web jobs; uploads, PDFs and the GeoIP database live in volumes.
    image: ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-api@sha256:0ed701f952c27ea0e1db168a00de75facb231f7c6d5f6b4f0f3b77ef98d4f140
    # Time Docker gives the backend between SIGTERM and SIGKILL. 60 s = the SMTP handoff hard limit
    # (mail.handoff.deadline-ms + end-of-data-allowance-ms = 25 s) + 5 s to record its outcome + the HTTP
    # graceful drain phase (30 s). A ceiling, not a delay: an idle backend exits in seconds.
    stop_grace_period: 60s
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
      gotenberg:
        condition: service_healthy
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE: prod
      JOBS_MODE: web
      # The caddy edge below is the backend's only HTTP peer, so it is the trusted proxy by default (security
      # finding #80); without it every request would appear to come from the edge container. Override only
      # for a custom proxy chain.
      SECURITY_TRUSTED_PROXIES: ${SECURITY_TRUSTED_PROXIES:-caddy}
      BACKUP_LOCAL_DIR: /app/data/backups
    volumes:
      - backend_uploads:/app/data/uploads
      - backend_pdfs:/app/data/pdfs
      - backend_backups:/app/data/backups
      - backend_geoip:/app/data/geoip
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-fsS", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
      interval: 15s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 45s
    cpus: ${BACKEND_CPUS:-0}
    # Heap auto-scales to 70% of this limit (MaxRAMPercentage); default 1536m → ~1 GB heap,
    # fits the 4 GB-VM profile. Raise BACKEND_MEM_LIMIT for heavier load (see resource docs).
    mem_limit: ${BACKEND_MEM_LIMIT:-1536m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging

  backup-worker:
    # Scheduled backups: same image as the backend, JOBS_MODE=backup-only; archives go to the backups volume.
    image: ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-api@sha256:0ed701f952c27ea0e1db168a00de75facb231f7c6d5f6b4f0f3b77ef98d4f140
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
      backend:
        condition: service_healthy
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      SPRING_PROFILES_ACTIVE: prod
      JOBS_MODE: backup-only
      BACKUP_LOCAL_DIR: /app/data/backups
      # Worker runs pg_dump in a shell (out-of-JVM) and never does web/import heap work,
      # so it needs little heap. On this small 768m container the ~350 MB fixed non-heap
      # cost makes the global MaxRAMPercentage=70 (538 MB heap → 888 MB total) unsafe.
      # Cap heap lower so heap_max + non-heap stays well under the limit.
      JAVA_OPTS: "-XX:MaxRAMPercentage=45.0 -XX:+UseG1GC -XX:G1PeriodicGCInterval=300000"
    volumes:
      - backend_uploads:/app/data/uploads
      - backend_pdfs:/app/data/pdfs
      - backend_backups:/app/data/backups
      - backend_geoip:/app/data/geoip
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-fsS", "http://localhost:8080/health"]
      interval: 15s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
      # JVM boots a large Spring context (CPU-bound); the grace window must outlast
      # cold start to avoid a false-unhealthy restart loop under load.
      start_period: 300s
    # CPU is a ceiling (idle cost ~0); give the worker enough to boot fast and to run
    # pg_dump + age-encryption/compression bursts without throttling. Idles near zero CPU.
    cpus: ${WORKER_CPUS:-0}
    # Default 832m: measured backup peak (JVM idle + pg_dump + tar + gzip) is ~607 MiB, so
    # this keeps a ~27% margin. Do NOT set WORKER_MEM_LIMIT below ~768m or backups risk OOM.
    mem_limit: ${WORKER_MEM_LIMIT:-832m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging

  frontend:
    # Web UI: the static build served by Caddy, reached through the caddy entry point.
    image: ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-frontend@sha256:40a1cdc4fca5cebd9f43d34daef4ba059a88000ff08af821e199566f07260606
    depends_on:
      backend:
        condition: service_healthy
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-fsS", "http://localhost:80/"]
      interval: 15s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3
    cpus: ${FRONTEND_CPUS:-0}
    # Prod frontend is Caddy serving the static build (measured ~46 MiB peak under load); 96m is ample.
    # CPU is a free ceiling, so headroom for concurrent connections costs nothing at idle.
    mem_limit: ${FRONTEND_MEM_LIMIT:-96m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging

  caddy:
    # Entry point: the only published ports (HTTP_PORT/HTTPS_PORT, default 80/443), TLS for DOMAIN, routing, security headers.
    image: ghcr.io/lesisty7/quotenode/quotenode-frontend@sha256:40a1cdc4fca5cebd9f43d34daef4ba059a88000ff08af821e199566f07260606
    # The released frontend image carries the edge config (frontend/caddy/Caddyfile.edge) and the Cloudflare
    # ranges, so the edge needs no host files. Same image digest as the frontend service.
    command: ["caddy", "run", "--config", "/etc/caddy/Caddyfile.edge", "--adapter", "caddyfile"]
    depends_on:
      backend:
        condition: service_healthy
      frontend:
        condition: service_healthy
    environment:
      # Site address for frontend/caddy/Caddyfile.edge: a public host name enables automatic HTTPS; ":80" or
      # "http://host" serves plain HTTP on a trusted LAN. Required: an empty site address is not a valid config.
      DOMAIN: ${DOMAIN:?set DOMAIN to the public host name, or :80 for plain HTTP on a LAN}
      # Optional: address(es) of an operator reverse proxy in front of this edge (default: trust none).
      EDGE_TRUSTED_PROXIES: ${EDGE_TRUSTED_PROXIES:-}
    ports:
      - "${HTTP_PORT:-80}:80"
      - "${HTTPS_PORT:-443}:443"
      - "${HTTPS_PORT:-443}:443/udp"      # HTTP/3 (QUIC)
    volumes:
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config
    # caddy is the single ingress (TLS, HTTP/3/QUIC, proxying all traffic); give it
    # cores for handshake/encryption bursts under load. CPU idle cost ~0.
    cpus: ${CADDY_CPUS:-0}
    # 96m fits the 4 GB / light-traffic profile. Under heavy TLS load (many concurrent
    # handshakes, large QUIC buffers) raise CADDY_MEM_LIMIT — this ingress is untested at scale.
    mem_limit: ${CADDY_MEM_LIMIT:-96m}
    restart: unless-stopped
    logging: *json-file-logging

# Persistent data: database, uploads, generated PDFs, local backup archives, GeoIP database and the entry
# point's certificates/config. Docker prefixes each name with the Compose project name (by default the
# directory name), so keep the project name across upgrades.
volumes:
  postgres_data:
  backend_uploads:
  backend_pdfs:
  backend_backups:
  backend_geoip:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:

DOMAIN selects how the caddy entry point serves QuoteNode: a public host name (crm.example.com) gets an automatic HTTPS certificate; http://<address> or :80 serves plain HTTP on a trusted network. If ports 80/443 are already in use, set HTTP_PORT / HTTPS_PORT in .env. Behind your own reverse proxy, set DOMAIN=:80 and list the proxy address in EDGE_TRUSTED_PROXIES.

Step 4 — Configure the firewall

Open only what is needed:

ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 80/tcp
ufw allow 443/tcp
ufw enable

Do not expose PostgreSQL publicly. It stays on the Docker network.

Step 5 — Start QuoteNode

docker compose up -d

Watch the startup:

docker compose logs -f backend

Wait until you see Started QuoteNodeApplication. The entry point container (caddy) automatically obtains a Let’s Encrypt certificate for the host name in DOMAIN.

Step 6 — Open QuoteNode

Navigate to https://crm.example.com in your browser.

Default login credentials:

Field	Value
Email	[email protected]
Password	Admin123!

Change the default password immediately after logging in.

Post-deploy checks

1. Login and change the admin password.
2. Create a test offer.
3. Generate a PDF.
4. Create and open a public link from another device.
5. If SMTP is configured, send a test notification and verify the email links work.

What is running?

Container	What it does	RAM usage
postgres	Stores all your data	~256 MB
backend	Java API server, business logic	~512 MB – 1.5 GB
gotenberg	Converts HTML to PDF (Chromium-based)	~200 MB
frontend	Serves the web interface	~20 MB
backup-worker	Runs scheduled backups (same image as the backend)	~300 MB
caddy	Entry point: HTTPS certificates, routing, security headers	~20 MB

Total: approximately 1.5 – 2.5 GB RAM.

Common commands

# Check service status
docker compose ps

# View logs
docker compose logs -f backend

# Stop QuoteNode
docker compose down

# Upgrade: replace docker-compose.yml with the next release package (see the upgrade guide)

Upgrade checklist

Before every upgrade:

1. Confirm the current app version in the admin area.
2. Back up .env.
3. Run or verify a fresh database backup.
4. Pull the new images and restart.
5. Check backend health, login, PDF generation, and a public offer link.

Keeping your secrets safe

Secret	What it protects	If lost
DB_PASSWORD	Database access	Recoverable — reset via PostgreSQL admin tools
DB_ENCRYPTION_KEY	MFA codes, SMTP password, FX API key, PII fields	Permanently unreadable
TIMING_TOKEN_SECRET	Anti-timing-attack tokens	Regenerate — users re-authenticate
PUBLIC_LINK_PASSWORD_SESSION_SECRET	Public link sessions	Regenerate — active sessions expire

Store .env in a password manager (1Password, Bitwarden). For maximum safety, print the secrets and keep the printout in a physical safe. Never commit .env to version control.

Recovery if .env is lost

If you lose your .env file but have an unencrypted database backup (the default):

1. Create a fresh .env with new secrets.
2. Restore the database from your backup.
3. All business data will be accessible.
4. Lost: MFA codes (users re-enroll), SMTP password (re-enter), FX API key (re-enter). If ENCRYPT_PII=true was enabled, encrypted customer data is also lost.