Deploy Medusa.js

The open-source alternative to Shopify. Building blocks for digital commerce.

⭐ 24.0k stars📜 MIT🔴 Advanced⏱ ~20 minutes

What You’ll Get

A fully working Medusa.js 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 Medusa.js and add this docker-compose.yml:


# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# 🚀 Created and distributed by The AltStack
# 🌍 https://thealtstack.com
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
version: '3.8'
 
services:
  medusa:
    image: medusajs/medusa:latest
    container_name: medusa
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis
    ports:
      - "9000:9000"
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=postgres://medusa:medusa@db:5432/medusa
      - REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379
      - JWT_SECRET=supersecret
      - COOKIE_SECRET=supersecret
 
  db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    container_name: medusa-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=medusa
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=medusa
      - POSTGRES_DB=medusa
    volumes:
      - medusa_db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
 
  redis:
    image: redis:alpine
    container_name: medusa-redis
    restart: unless-stopped
 
volumes:
  medusa_db_data:

Let’s Ship It


# Create a directory
mkdir -p /opt/medusa && cd /opt/medusa
 
# 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`	`postgres://medusa:medusa@db:5432/medusa`	No
`REDIS_URL`	`redis://redis:6379`	No
`JWT_SECRET`	`supersecret`	No
`COOKIE_SECRET`	`supersecret`	No
`POSTGRES_USER`	`medusa`	No
`POSTGRES_PASSWORD`	`medusa`	No
`POSTGRES_DB`	`medusa`	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 medusa | 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