Skip to content
GhostRDP
  • DevOps
  • Linux VPS
  • Ubuntu 24.04

Run Portainer on a VPS

Portainer runs well on a GhostRDP Linux VPS Basic plan with 2 vCPU and 6 GB RAM in Germany or the Netherlands, from €5.99/mo.

Portainer Community Edition is a web interface for Docker: start and stop containers, read logs, deploy Compose stacks and manage volumes without the command line. It runs as a container itself.

Order Basic · €5.99/moInstall steps

  • Containers at a glance

    Start, stop, inspect and read logs in the browser.

  • Compose stacks

    Deploy and update stacks from a web editor.

  • Team access

    Give others access without sharing SSH.

Plans for Portainer

Portainer itself is light; plan for the containers you will run. Basic suits a few small services; Standard or Pro for more.

  • Linux VPS Basic

    Recommended

    €5.99/mo

    €5.09/mo billed yearly, save €10/year

    • 2 vCPU
    • 6 GB ECC RAM
    • 40 GB NVMe
    • 1 Gbps port
    Order Basic

  • Linux VPS Standard

    €12.99/mo

    €11.04/mo billed yearly, save €23/year

    • 4 vCPU
    • 8 GB ECC RAM
    • 70 GB NVMe
    • 1 Gbps port
    Order Standard

  • Linux VPS Pro

    €25.99/mo

    €22.09/mo billed yearly, save €46/year

    • 6 vCPU
    • 12 GB ECC RAM
    • 90 GB NVMe
    • 1 Gbps port
    Order Pro

What you need

  • Operating system
    Linux VPS with Ubuntu 24.04
  • Minimum resources
    1 vCPU and 1 GB RAM plus what your containers need
  • Software
    Docker (installed in step 3)

Official site: docs.portainer.io

How to install Portainer

Written for Ubuntu 24.04 from the official instructions. Run the commands as root and replace YOUR_SERVER_IP with your server's address.

  1. 1

    Connect to your server over SSH

    Use the IP address and root password from your welcome email (the server page has a Copy SSH command button). Windows 10 and 11, macOS and Linux all include an SSH client in the terminal.

    Shell
    ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP
  2. 2

    Update the system

    Install the latest security updates before you add anything else.

    Shell
    apt update && apt -y upgrade
  3. 3

    Install Docker

    Docker's official convenience script adds Docker's own package repository and installs Docker Engine with the Compose plugin.

    Shell
    curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sh get-docker.sh
docker --version
  4. 4

    Start Portainer CE

    The official commands: a volume for Portainer's data and the container with the web interface on port 9443 (port 8000 is only needed for Edge agents).

    Shell
    docker volume create portainer_data
docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name portainer --restart=always \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v portainer_data:/data \
  portainer/portainer-ce:lts
  5. 5

    Create the admin user

    Open https://YOUR_SERVER_IP:9443 right away, accept the self-signed certificate warning and create the administrator account.

After installing

  • Ports
    9443 for the web interface (HTTPS with a self-signed certificate), 8000 for Edge agents only.
  • Security
    Portainer controls Docker, which means root on the server. Use a strong password and consider limiting port 9443 to your own IP with a firewall.
  • Updating
    Pull the new image, remove the container and start it again with the same command. Your settings stay in portainer_data.

Portainer questions

Which plan do I need for Portainer?

Portainer runs on Basic. Choose the plan by the containers you plan to run next to it.

Is Portainer free?

Portainer Community Edition (CE) is free and open source. Portainer also sells a Business Edition.

Can Portainer manage other servers?

Yes, with the Portainer Agent or Edge Agent installed on those servers.

Do I still need SSH?

For setup and OS updates, yes. Day-to-day container work can happen in Portainer.

Stuck on a step? Our team answers on live chat and in tickets.

Related apps

More on GhostRDP

Run Portainer on your own server.

Online in minutes. Pay with crypto, no ID needed.

Choose a plan