Server Installation

Install Slipway on your VPS with a single command.

One-Line Install

SSH into your server and run:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/sailscastshq/slipway/main/install.sh | bash

This script will:

1. Check for Docker (install if missing)
2. Create the slipway Docker network
3. Detect your server's public IP
4. Generate secrets (SESSION_SECRET and DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY) and save them to /etc/slipway/.env
5. Start the Caddy reverse proxy
6. Pull and start the Slipway dashboard
7. Add Slipway's ports to UFW or firewalld when either host firewall is active
8. Display your access URL

What Gets Installed

Component	Purpose
Caddy	Reverse proxy with automatic HTTPS
Slipway	The dashboard application
Docker Network	Isolated network for Slipway and deployed apps

Installation Output

After running the install script, you'll see something like:

Installing Slipway...

Docker already installed
Creating Docker network...
Network ready
Detecting server IP...
Server URL: http://203.0.113.50:1337
Generating secrets...
Secrets generated and saved to /etc/slipway/.env
Starting Caddy proxy...
Caddy proxy running
Pulling latest Slipway image...
Starting Slipway dashboard...
Slipway dashboard running

Waiting for Slipway to start...

========================================================
  Slipway installed successfully!
========================================================

  Dashboard: http://203.0.113.50:1337

  Next steps:
  1. Open the dashboard URL above to complete setup
  2. Point a domain to this server (e.g., slipway.yourdomain.com)
  3. SSL will be configured automatically when you add a domain

  To deploy apps, install the CLI:
    npm install -g slipway-cli
    slipway login --server http://203.0.113.50:1337

========================================================

TIP

The actual output uses colored text to highlight status messages. Green indicates success, yellow indicates warnings.

Accessing Slipway

After installation, access your Slipway dashboard at:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:1337

Before Custom Domain

Until you configure a custom domain, Slipway runs on port 1337 with HTTP. For production use, you should configure a custom domain to enable HTTPS.

Provider Firewall

The installer can configure an active firewall on the server, but it cannot change a firewall or security group managed by your VPS provider. Allow the required ports in the provider's control panel too. See Network Requirements for the complete port list.

Manual Installation

If you prefer to install manually or customize the setup:

1. Install Docker

curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
systemctl enable docker
systemctl start docker

2. Create Network

docker network create slipway

3. Generate Secrets

SESSION_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)
DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$(openssl rand -base64 32)

# Persist secrets for future updates
sudo mkdir -p /etc/slipway
echo "SESSION_SECRET=$SESSION_SECRET" | sudo tee /etc/slipway/.env
echo "DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY=$DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY" | sudo tee -a /etc/slipway/.env
sudo chmod 600 /etc/slipway/.env

4. Start Caddy

docker run -d \
  --name slipway-proxy \
  --network slipway \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 80:80 \
  -p 443:443 \
  -p 1337:1337 \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro \
  -v slipway-certs:/data \
  -e CADDY_INGRESS_NETWORKS=slipway \
  lucaslorentz/caddy-docker-proxy:latest

5. Start Slipway

docker run -d \
  --name slipway \
  --network slipway \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
  -v slipway-db:/app/db \
  -e NODE_ENV=production \
  -e PORT=1337 \
  -e SLIPWAY_URL="http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:1337" \
  -e SESSION_SECRET="$SESSION_SECRET" \
  -e DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY="$DATA_ENCRYPTION_KEY" \
  -l "caddy=:1337" \
  ghcr.io/sailscastshq/slipway:latest

Troubleshooting

Docker Permission Denied

If you see permission errors, add your user to the docker group:

sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in for changes to take effect

Port Already in Use

If port 1337, 80, or 443 is already in use:

# Find what's using the port
sudo lsof -i :1337

# Stop the conflicting service or change Slipway's port

Container Won't Start

Check the logs:

docker logs slipway
docker logs slipway-proxy

What's Next?

Once Slipway is installed, proceed to Initial Setup to create your admin account and configure your instance.