Payload CMS installation guide

Payload CMS requires Node.js to run. To install and operate Payload CMS, you need a server environment—either a VPS, dedicated server, or shared hosting—that supports Node.js

server specifications.

• Operating System : Ubuntu 20.04+ (recommended: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS)
• Server Type : VPS or Dedicated Server
• RAM : Minimum 2 GB (recommended: 4 GB or more)
• Storage : Minimum 10 GB free disk space
• Processor : 1 vCPU cores
• Network : 4 TB bandwidth

Software requirements

• Node.js v18+
• pnpm Latest
• Docker v24+
• Docker Compose v2+
• Nginx Latest
• Postgres database

Setting up vps

1. Update Your Server

   sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
   

2. Install Node.js & npm

   curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -
   sudo apt install -y nodejs
   node -v
   npm -v
   

3. Install Docker & Docker Compose

   sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl software-properties-common
   curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg
   echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
   sudo apt update
   sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin
   docker --version
   docker compose version
   

4. Start Docker

   sudo systemctl enable docker
   sudo systemctl start docker
   
   

5. Setup Nginx as Reverse Proxy

   sudo apt install nginx -y
   sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/cosmus.conf
   
   

6. Add the following configuration

   server {
    server_name yourdomain.com;
   
    location /_next/static/ {
        add_header Cache-Control "public, max-age=31536000, immutable";
        proxy_pass http://nextjs_app;
    }
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
   }
   
   

7. Now run nginx server

   sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/cosmus.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
   sudo nginx -t
   sudo systemctl restart nginx