Deploy Rocket.Chat

The Secure CommsOS™ for mission-critical operations

⭐ 44.5k stars📜 Other🔴 Advanced⏱ ~20 minutes

What You’ll Get

A fully working Rocket.Chat 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 Rocket.Chat and add this docker-compose.yml:


# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
# 🚀 Created and distributed by The AltStack
# 🌍 https://thealtstack.com
# -------------------------------------------------------------------------
 
version: '3.8'
 
services:
  rocketchat:
    image: registry.rocket.chat/rocketchat/rocket.chat:latest
    container_name: rocketchat
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - mongo
    ports:
      - "3002:3000"
    environment:
      - MONGO_URL=mongodb://mongo:27017/rocketchat
      - ROOT_URL=http://localhost:3002
      - PORT=3000
 
  mongo:
    image: mongo:5.0
    container_name: rocketchat-mongo
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: mongod --oplogSize 128 --replSet rs0 --storageEngine=wiredTiger
    volumes:
      - ./data/db:/data/db
 
  mongo-init-replica:
    image: mongo:5.0
    container_name: mongo-init-replica
    restart: unless-stopped
    command: bash /init-replica.sh
    depends_on:
      - mongo
    volumes:
      - ./init-replica.sh:/init-replica.sh

Let’s Ship It


# Create a directory
mkdir -p /opt/rocketchat && cd /opt/rocketchat
 
# 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
`MONGO_URL`	`mongodb://mongo:27017/rocketchat`	No
`ROOT_URL`	`http://localhost:3002`	No
`PORT`	`3000`	No
`storageEngine`	`wiredTiger`	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 rocketchat | 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