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Beginner-friendly guide

How to deploy your first tool on DigitalOcean

From signing up on DigitalOcean to your tool live on your own domain — nothing assumed. Every step spells out exactly which button to click and what to type in the console.

  1. 1. Create your DigitalOcean account

    ~3 min

    Before you start you need: a DigitalOcean account (they often offer free welcome credit to get started), your computer (Windows, Mac or Linux), and the tool's page open in another browser tab on AltFreeStack.

    Go to digitalocean.com in your browser. In the top right, click Sign Up. Choose to sign up with Google, GitHub or email, and confirm the verification link in your inbox.

    Add a payment method or PayPal — you're not charged instantly, they only bill for the hours your server is running.

  2. 2. Create your Droplet (server)

    ~4 min

    On DigitalOcean's main dashboard, click the green Create button in the top right and pick Droplets.

    • Choose Region: pick the data center closest to you or your users (e.g. Frankfurt, Amsterdam, New York).
    • Choose an Image: click the Marketplace tab (this is inside DigitalOcean, not AltFreeStack yet). In the search bar type Docker. You'll see a card that says Docker on Ubuntu — click it so it gets marked with a blue outline (this way the server ships with Docker pre-installed).
    • Droplet Type / CPU: pick the Shared CPU tab and the Basic option. In the pricing list, click the left arrow or Regular until you see the cheap option: $6/mo (1 GB RAM / 1 vCPU / 25 GB SSD).
    • Authentication Method: select the Password checkbox. Type a strong password for the root user (uppercase letters, numbers and at least 8 characters) and write it down — you'll need it in step 4.

    Scroll to the bottom of the page, ignore the extra options for now, and click the large green Create Droplet button. Wait about a minute for the progress bar to finish and the IP address to appear next to your server's name.

  3. 3. Copy your Droplet's IP

    ~1 min

    In the Droplets list you'll see a column labeled IPv4. Hover over the 4 numbers separated by dots (e.g. 165.22.10.45) and click Copy. This is the IP you'll use throughout the guide.

  4. 4. Connect from your computer

    ~3 min

    Open the console on your machine:

    • On Windows: press the Windows key, type cmd or "Terminal" and press Enter.
    • On Mac: press Cmd + Space, type "Terminal" and press Enter.

    Type the command, replacing YOUR_IP with the IP you copied:

    ssh root@YOUR_IP

    (Real example: ssh root@165.22.10.45) and press Enter. If you're asked a (yes/no) question, type yes and press Enter. It'll prompt for password: — paste the password you set in step 2 (right-click to paste on Windows; Cmd + V on Mac) and press Enter.

    Remember the console won't move the cursor or show asterisks while you paste the password. It looks like nothing is being typed, but it is — paste it once and press Enter.

    Once you see root@ubuntu-docker:~#, you're connected to DigitalOcean.

  5. 5. Create the working folder

    ~1 min

    In that same console window, paste this and press Enter:

    mkdir app && cd app

    This creates the app folder and puts you inside it.

  6. 6. Create the file and paste AltFreeStack's code

    ~3 min

    In the console, copy, paste and press Enter:

    nano docker-compose.yml

    An empty black screen will open. Go to the AltFreeStack tab, find your tool, and click Copy docker-compose.yml. Back in your terminal, paste the content (right-click on Windows or Cmd + V on Mac).

    Set your passwords: look for lines marked # CHANGE-ME or change-me, use the arrow keys to move there, and replace them with real, secure passwords (or generate one with the "Generate secure secrets" button on the tool's page).

    Save and exit: press Ctrl + O then Enter (saves the file). Press Ctrl + X (exits the editor back to the regular console).

  7. 7. Start the tool

    ~2 min

    In the same console, copy and paste:

    docker compose up -d

    Press Enter. The server will download and start everything automatically (you'll see Pulling, Downloaded, Started). Once the line root@...:~/app# comes back, the app is running.

  8. 8. Open your tool in the browser

    ~1 min

    Open your web browser and type in the address bar:

    http://YOUR_IP:PORT

    Replace YOUR_IP with your Droplet's IP and PORT with the number shown on the AltFreeStack tool page (e.g. http://165.22.10.45:3000). Press Enter and you'll see your tool's initial setup screen.

  9. How do you manage it going forward?

    recurring

    If you ever need to do maintenance, connect the same way as step 4, go into the folder (cd app) and use these commands:

    • Check it's running or look at errors: docker compose ps or docker compose logs -f
    • Turn the tool off: docker compose down
    • Update to the latest version: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Ready to pick your tool?

Head back to the catalog, copy the docker-compose.yml for the one you want, and follow this same guide.

View the full catalog General deployment guide