Deploy Documenso

The open-source DocuSign alternative. We aim to be the world’s most trusted document signing platform.

⭐ 8.0k stars📜 AGPL-3.0🔴 Advanced⏱ ~20 minutes

What You’ll Get

A fully working Documenso instance running on your server. Your data stays on your hardware — no third-party access, no usage limits, no surprise invoices.

Prerequisites

A server with Docker and Docker Compose installed (setup guide)
A domain name pointed to your server (optional but recommended)
Basic terminal access (SSH)

The Config

Create a directory for Documenso and add this docker-compose.yml:


# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# 🚀 Created and distributed by The AltStack
# 🌍 https://thealtstack.com
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
version: '3.8'
 
services:
  documenso:
    image: documenso/documenso:latest
    container_name: documenso
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql://documenso:documenso@db:5432/documenso
      - NEXTAUTH_URL=http://localhost:3000
      - NEXTAUTH_SECRET=supersecret
 
  db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: documenso-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=documenso
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=documenso
      - POSTGRES_DB=documenso
    volumes:
      - documenso_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
 
volumes:
  documenso_db_data:

Let’s Ship It


# Create a directory
mkdir -p /opt/documenso && cd /opt/documenso
 
# Create the docker-compose.yml (paste the config above)
nano docker-compose.yml
 
# Pull images and start
docker compose up -d
 
# Watch the logs
docker compose logs -f

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Required
`DATABASE_URL`	`postgresql://documenso:documenso@db:5432/documenso`	No
`NEXTAUTH_URL`	`http://localhost:3000`	No
`NEXTAUTH_SECRET`	`supersecret`	No
`POSTGRES_USER`	`documenso`	No
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`documenso`	No
`POSTGRES_DB`	`documenso`	No

Post-Deployment Checklist

Service is accessible on the configured port
Admin account created (if applicable)
Reverse proxy configured (Caddy guide)
SSL/HTTPS working
Backup script set up (backup guide)
Uptime monitor added (Uptime Kuma)

The “I Broke It” Section

Container won’t start?


docker compose logs documenso | tail -50

Port already in use?


# Find what's using the port
lsof -i :PORT_NUMBER

Need to start fresh?


docker compose down -v  # ⚠️ This deletes volumes/data!
docker compose up -d