Self-Hosting dotCMS on a VPS: A Complete Production Guide

Deploy dotCMS

1. Get the Docker Compose File#

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Visit the dotCMS Current Releases page and download the Docker Compose file for the version you want. For a demo site with sample content, use the dotCMS Demo Site compose file. For a clean install, use the bare dotCMS compose file.

The compose file includes three services:

• db — PostgreSQL 18 (the recommended database)
• opensearch — for content search and indexing
• dotcms — the main application

2. Deploy via Portainer Stacks#

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1. In Portainer, go to Stacks → Add Stack
2. Give it a name: dotcms
3. Paste the Docker Compose file contents into the web editor
4. Before deploying, review these settings:

Admin password: Find DOT_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD in the environment section. This is the default password for admin@dotcms.com. Either change it from the default admin to something strong, or blank it out and leave the system to generate its own secure password randomly. The generated password can be found in the system logs on its first startup, in a block similar to this one:

#######################################################################
##      NOTICE: admin@dotcms.com password set to Bzqk#s4=TCwe3@      ##
##        WARNING: Once logged in. Please change this password.      ##
#######################################################################

Remove the 8443 and 4000 port mappings if you're using Caddy to handle HTTPS.

1. Click Deploy the Stack

Portainer will pull the images (PostgreSQL, OpenSearch, dotCMS) and start all three containers. This takes 2–5 minutes depending on your connection speed.

Monitor progress by clicking the stack name → selecting the dotcms container → viewing its logs. Look for the starter site download completing.

3. Update Caddy to Route to dotCMS#

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sudo nano /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

dotcms.info {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8082
}

portainer.dotcms.info {
    reverse_proxy localhost:9000
}

Reload Caddy:

caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile

4. Verify dotCMS is Running#

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Open https://dotcms.info in a browser. You should see the dotCMS demo site.

To access the admin panel, go to https://dotcms.info/dotAdmin. Log in with:

• Email: admin@dotcms.com
• Password: the value you set for DOT_INITIAL_ADMIN_PASSWORD

Inside the admin panel you can:

• Navigate to Site → Pages to view and edit content
• Use the Universal Visual Editor (UVE) to edit content inline on the live site
• Manage Content Types, workflows, and user permissions

Quick test: Open a page in UVE, change the headline text, and publish. Refresh https://dotcms.info to confirm the change is live.