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CRM & Supportdocker-ready100% FOSS🟡 Standard · ~1GB

Zammad: Open Source alternative to Zendesk in 2026

Zammad is a support ticketing system with a multichannel inbox, knowledge base and automations, offered as a self-hostable alternative to Zendesk.

Alternative to Zendesk
License AGPL-3.06k starsWebsite GitHub Repository

Audit Snapshot

View notes →

  • License — Matches GitHub

  • GitHub — Active

  • Latest release — 7.3.0-alpha

  • Docker Compose — Partial

  • Production — Not production-tested by AltFreeStack

Zammad vs. Zendesk

Pros

  • More modern interface than other open source helpdesks

Things to consider

  • Elasticsearch adds one more service to maintain

Quick Docker installation guide

Copy this docker-compose.yml, adjust the example passwords and run docker compose up -d on your server. See the full step-by-step guide →

💡 Official SaaS or self-hosted with AltFreeStack?

  • On the official cloud: $19/mo per user on Zendesk.
  • On your own VPS: 100% free software on your own server, with no artificial row, project or user limits.
docker-compose.yml
version: "3.9"
services:
  zammad:
    image: zammad/zammad:7.2.0-0021
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    environment:
      - POSTGRESQL_HOST=zammad-db
      - POSTGRESQL_USER=zammad
      - POSTGRESQL_PASS=zammad
    depends_on:
      - zammad-db
  zammad-db:
    image: postgres:15-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=zammad
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=change-me-postgres-password # REQUIRED: generate a random secret before first run
      - POSTGRES_DB=zammad_production
    volumes:
      - zammad_pg_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
volumes:
  zammad_pg_data:

🚀 Deploy in 1 command

Recommended for beginners

Copy this single command and paste it into your freshly created VPS's console (Vultr, DigitalOcean...). It downloads the script, prints it to your screen so you can see exactly what it's about to do (never a blind direct pipe), and only then installs Docker if needed, writes the files with secrets already generated, and starts everything — no nano, no pasting code blocks.

curl -sSL ".../api/deploy?stack=zammad" -o deploy.sh && cat deploy.sh && bash deploy.sh
See what this script does →

This docker-compose corresponds to an actively maintained project — last commit today.

This docker-compose not working for you? Report it on GitHub →

Technical profile

License
AGPL-3.0
Category
CRM & Support
Replaces
Zendesk
Tech stack
Ruby on RailsPostgreSQLElasticsearch

Under the hood

Database

PostgreSQL

Language

Ruby on Rails

Platforms

Web

Key features

  • Multichannel ticket inbox
  • Built-in knowledge base
  • Automations and SLAs

Frequently asked questions

What is Zammad?

A support ticketing system (AGPL-3.0 license) with a multichannel inbox, built-in knowledge base, and SLA automations — offered as a self-hostable alternative to Zendesk.

What do you need to deploy Zammad?

PostgreSQL and Elasticsearch — one more service to maintain than other helpdesks in this catalog, since Zammad depends on Elasticsearch for its search.

Zammad vs Zendesk: what changes?

Zammad is free and self-hostable (AGPL-3.0), with a modern interface compared to other open source helpdesks. In exchange for not paying a license, you maintain the infrastructure yourself (including Elasticsearch).

💾 Backups in 3 steps (Day 2)

As long as the ./data folder (the "volume" mapped into the container) exists on your server, your data survives any restart or container update — that's the only thing you need to back up.

1. Create a compressed backup on the server

tar -czvf backup-$(date +%F).tar.gz ./data

2. Download it to your computer

From your computer's terminal (not your server's):

scp root@YOUR_IP:~/app/backup-*.tar.gz ./

3. Restore in case of emergency

tar -xzvf backup-file.tar.gz
🌐 Connect your domain with free SSL

Step 1 — Set up the DNS

In your domain registrar's dashboard (Cloudflare, Namecheap, GoDaddy...), create a record:

Type
A
Name/Host
@ (root domain) or a subdomain, e.g. app
Content/Value
Your server's public IP

Wait 5 to 15 minutes for the record to propagate across the internet.

Step 2 — Automatic reverse proxy with Caddy

One single file, no Nginx config or manual certificates — Caddy issues and renews Let's Encrypt HTTPS on its own.

Create a file called Caddyfile:

yourdomain.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:8080
}

Start Caddy with this command (pulls the image and runs it in the background):

docker run -d -p 80:80 -p 443:443 --name caddy --restart always -v $PWD/Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile -v caddy_data:/data caddy