Installing Rocket.Chat with Docker on Your VPS<\/h2>\n
To install Rocket.Chat with Docker and use it. You'll first download the official Rocket.Chat<\/span> docker compose<\/span> file, set up environment variables, run the container, then secure it with an SSL certificate. This is everything you need to have a fully functional self-hosted communications platform.<\/p>\n We originally published this Rocket.Chat tutorial back in 2017 after a highly publicized series of Slack service outages<\/a>. When your entire team is reliant on an externally-hosted solution, that\u2019s a risk you run.<\/p>\n Additionally, Slack isn\u2019t entirely free, as it requires you to purchase a plan for unlimited message history and other basic features. Rocket.Chat offers this and more, with control and flexibility. By self-hosting a Slack alternative, you avoid depending on third-party services and gain full ownership of your data.<\/p>\n Once you've SSH-ed into your VPS, and you have Docker up and running, you can get started on setting up First, create a nice space for our Now that you're in the You'll now set up your Rocket.Chat environment with a Open a new Add the following configuration to it:<\/p>\n The two uncommented lines are as follows:<\/p>\n Start your docker-compose Rocket.Chat container using the following command:<\/p>\n This will download and start both the Rocket.Chat service and a MongoDB<\/a> service to enable live backups.<\/p>\n You should see an output similar to the following:<\/p>\n You can now access your Rocket.Chat interface using your domain and port 3000.<\/p>\n If you are facing issues with the installation, check the Rocket.Chat<\/a> container logs using the following command. This will give you detailed information in case of any configuration errors:<\/p>\n If properly configured, the logs will show a result similar to the following:<\/p>\n Once again, check It is important to secure your Rocket.Chat server with encrypted HTTPS connections. To do this, it is recommended that you use Traefik, an HTTP reverse proxy and load balancer for deploying self-hosted applications.<\/p>\n First, open your Update the following variables:<\/p>\n Change your root URL from\u00a0 Remember to change\u00a0 Download the official Traefik template for Rocket.Chat:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Force recreate your Rocket.Chat container:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Finally, start the Traefik container:<\/p>\n<\/div>\n Generating an SSL certificate will take some time. After it is generated, use the\u00a0 Now that Rocket.Chat shows that it's running via\u00a0 You'll see the following screen:<\/p>\n Click on the Register a new account<\/strong> link to create your administrator account.<\/p>\n Once you verify your email, you'll be able to log into your Rocket.Chat instance, which will launch you into the primary Rocket.Chat interface:<\/p>\n There are not many places for this Rocket.Chat install to go wrong, considering we're only changing one variable within the If something isn't working right, be sure to run If you do<\/em> have an issue like this, correct your I hope this tutorial has been useful\u2014both helping you install a Rocket.Chat instance, but also in reducing your reliance on third-party services.<\/p>\n If this tutorial has given you the self-hosting bug, be sure to check out our massive guide of\u00a0self-hosted alternatives<\/a> for dozens more opportunities.<\/p>\nWhy Use a Self-hosted Slack Alternative?<\/h2>\n
What You Need to Install Rocket.Chat with Docker<\/h2>\n
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sudo<\/code>\u00a0user.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nStep 1 - Downloading the Rocket.Chat Docker Compose File<\/h2>\n
docker compose<\/code> to automate the process of deploying your Rocket.Chat app.<\/p>\ndocker-compose.yml<\/code> file. You can place this wherever you'd like, but I think your user's home<\/code> directory is a good choice.<\/p>\n$ cd<\/span> ~\r\n$ mkdir rocket.chat && cd<\/span> rocket.chat\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\nrocket.chat<\/code> folder, you can download the official docker-compose.yml<\/code> file to tell Docker how you want the system configured:<\/p>\ncurl<\/span> -L<\/span> https:\/\/raw.githubusercontent.com\/RocketChat\/Docker.Official.Image\/master\/compose.yml -O<\/span><\/code><\/pre>\nStep 2 - Configuring Your Rocket.Chat Environment<\/h2>\n
.env<\/code> file. This file will contain environment variables to configure your Rocket.Chat application, such as your domain name, your preferred Rocket.Chat release, and other configurations.<\/p>\n.env<\/code> file inside your rocket.chat<\/code> directory:<\/p>\nnano .env\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n### Rocket.Chat configuration\r\n\r\n# Rocket.Chat version\r\n# see:- https:\/\/github.com\/RocketChat\/Rocket.Chat\/releases\r\nRELEASE=6.11.0\r\n# MongoDB endpoint (include ?replicaSet= parameter)\r\n#MONGO_URL=\r\n# MongoDB endpoint to the local database\r\n#MONGO_OPLOG_URL=\r\n# IP to bind the process to\r\n#BIND_IP=\r\n# URL used to access your Rocket.Chat instance\r\nROOT_URL=http:\/\/rocket.example.com\r\n# Port Rocket.Chat runs on (in-container)\r\n#PORT=\r\n# Port on the host to bind to\r\n#HOST_PORT=\r\n\r\n### MongoDB configuration\r\n# MongoDB version\/image tag\r\n#MONGODB_VERSION=\r\n# See:- https:\/\/hub.docker.com\/r\/bitnami\/mongodb\r\n\r\n### Traefik config (if enabled)\r\n# Traefik version\/image tag\r\n#TRAEFIK_RELEASE=\r\n# Domain for https (change ROOT_URL & BIND_IP accordingly)\r\n#DOMAIN=\r\n# Email for certificate notifications\r\n#LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n\n
RELEASE=6.11.0<\/code> : The Rocket.Chat latest release as of this article\u2019s current version. Replace 6.11.0<\/code> with your preferred release from the official Rocket.Chat releases<\/a> page.<\/li>\nROOT_URL=http:\/\/rocket.example.com<\/code> : Change rocket.example.com<\/code> to your domain name.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\nStep 3 - Starting Rocket.Chat<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
docker compose up -d\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n![\"Rocket.Chat](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/docker-compose-up-d-1024x777.webp\")
<\/p>\nhttp:\/\/rocket.example.com:3000\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\ndocker compose logs -f rocketchat\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\nrocketchat-1 | +------------------------------------------------+\r\nrocketchat-1 | | SERVER RUNNING |\r\nrocketchat-1 | +------------------------------------------------+\r\nrocketchat-1 | | |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Rocket.Chat Version: 6.11.0 |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | NodeJS Version: 14.21.3 - x64 |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | MongoDB Version: 5.0.24 |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | MongoDB Engine: wiredTiger |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Platform: linux |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Process Port: 3000 |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Site URL: http:\/\/rocket.example.com |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | ReplicaSet OpLog: Enabled |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Commit Hash: 640d569eeb |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | Commit Branch: HEAD |\r\nrocketchat-1 | | |\r\nrocketchat-1 | +------------------------------------------------+<\/code><\/pre>\ndocker ps<\/code> to make sure Rocket.Chat is running. You should see something similar to the following:<\/p>\n![\"Rocket.Chat](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/docker-ps-1024x249.webp\")
<\/p>\nStep 4 - Setting up Let's Encrypt for Rocket.Chat<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n
.env<\/code> file:<\/p>\nnano .env\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\nROOT_URL=<\/span>http:<\/span>\/\/<\/span>rocket.<\/span>example.<\/span>com\r\n#BIND_IP=<\/span>\r\n#DOMAIN=<\/span>\r\n#LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=<\/span>\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\nhttp<\/code>\u00a0to\u00a0https<\/code>\u00a0and uncomment the other variables and set them as follows:<\/p>\n<\/div>\nROOT_URL=<\/span>https:<\/span>\/\/<\/span>rocket.<\/span>example.<\/span>com\r\nBIND_IP=<\/span>127.0<\/span>.<\/span>0.1<\/span>\r\nDOMAIN=<\/span>rocket.<\/span>example.<\/span>com\r\nLETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=<\/span>your_email@example.<\/span>com\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\nrocket.example.com<\/code>\u00a0with your domain name, and your_email@example.<\/span>com<\/code>\u00a0with your email.<\/p>\n<\/div>\ncurl -<\/span>LO \\\r\n \u00a0 \u00a0 https:<\/span>\/\/<\/span>raw.<\/span>githubusercontent.<\/span>com\/<\/span>RocketChat\/<\/span>Docker.<\/span>Official.<\/span>Image\/<\/span>master\/<\/span>traefik.<\/span>yml\u00a0<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\ndocker compose up -<\/span>d rocketchat -<\/span>-<\/span>force-<\/span>recreate\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\ndocker compose -<\/span>f traefik.<\/span>yml up -<\/span>d\r\n<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\nhttps<\/code> protocol to access your Rocket.Chat server. Note that you don't need to add a :3000<\/code> port to the URL:<\/p>\n<\/div>\nhttps:<\/span>\/\/<\/span>rocket.<\/span>example.<\/span>com<\/code><\/pre>\n<\/div>\nStep 5 - Getting Started with Rocket.Chat<\/h2>\n
docker<\/code> commands, it's time to connect to your Rocket.Chat web interface. Open up your web browser of choice and direct it toward the ROOT_URL<\/code> you specified earlier.<\/p>\n![\"Rocket.Chat:](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/RocketChat-Setup-1024x424.webp\")
<\/p>\n<\/div>\n![\"Rocket.Chat](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/RocketChat-Setup2-1024x452.webp\")
\nNext, you'll be asked to verify your email:
\n![\"Slack](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/email-verification-1024x276.webp\")
<\/p>\n![\"Rocket.Chat](\"https:\/\/www.ssdnodes.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/RocketChat-general-channel.webp\")
<\/p>\nTroubleshooting<\/h2>\n
docker-compose.yml<\/code> file.<\/p>\ndocker compose logs -f rocketchat
\n<\/code>\u00a0to see output from the container. That should give you some insight into what might be going wrong. Most likely, you've set up your ROOT_URL<\/code> incorrectly.<\/p>\ndocker-compose.yml<\/code> file and re-run docker compose up -d rocketchat<\/code>\u2014Docker will recreate the containers using this new configuration while retaining your data.<\/p>\nWelcome to a Slack-free future!<\/h2>\n