Sellf - Production Deployment Guide

Complete guide for deploying Sellf on a production server using Docker Compose.

Table of Contents

1. Requirements
2. Server Preparation
3. Environment Variables Configuration
4. Database Configuration
5. Starting the Application
6. Domain and SSL Configuration
7. Stripe Webhooks Configuration
8. Initial Setup
9. Monitoring and Logs
10. Updating
11. Backup and Restore
12. Troubleshooting

Requirements

Minimum Hardware Requirements

• CPU: 2 vCPU
• RAM: 4 GB (recommended: 8 GB)
• Disk: 20 GB SSD (recommended: 50 GB)
• Transfer: 100 GB/month

Recommended Server (Sellf + Supabase self-hosted on one machine)

Hetzner CX33 — tested and recommended for early production:

Spec	Value
CPU	4 vCPU (AMD, shared)
RAM	8 GB
Disk	80 GB NVMe
Transfer	20 TB/month
Price	~€6.14/month

Why it works:

• Supabase self-hosted uses ~2.0–2.5 GB RAM (13 containers)
• Sellf (PM2/Next.js) uses ~200–300 MB RAM
• Total: ~2.7 GB in use, 5+ GB free headroom
• Sellf connects to Supabase via localhost → 5–10 ms latency vs. 90–130 ms over the internet
• ~€6/month (~25 PLN) is enough to serve several thousand customers in a fully self-hosted environment — no Supabase Pro (~$25/mo), no platform lock-in

Disk space estimate:

• Docker images (Supabase): ~3–4 GB
• OS + swap: ~3 GB
• App + DB data: growing over time
• 80 GB is sufficient for early production; consider CPX32 (160 GB NVMe) if heavy Supabase Storage usage is planned

Swap (recommended): Hetzner CX33 is a KVM VM with full kernel access — swap works without restrictions. Enable 2 GB swapfile as a buffer for traffic spikes (e.g. Supabase analytics container startup):

sudo fallocate -l 2G /swapfile
sudo chmod 600 /swapfile
sudo mkswap /swapfile
sudo swapon /swapfile
echo '/swapfile none swap sw 0 0' | sudo tee -a /etc/fstab

# Reduce swappiness (default 60 is too aggressive for NVMe)
echo 'vm.swappiness=10' | sudo tee -a /etc/sysctl.conf
sudo sysctl -p

Note: LXC-based VPS (e.g. Mikrus) does not support swap — kernel access is blocked by the host.

Software

• Operating System: Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer (recommended)
• Docker: version 24.0 or newer
• Docker Compose: version 2.20 or newer
• Git: for downloading the code

External Services

• Domain: your own domain with DNS access
• SMTP: email service (SendGrid, AWS SES, Mailgun, etc.)
• Stripe: production account
• Cloudflare Turnstile: account (optional, for CAPTCHA)

Server Preparation

1. System Update

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Docker Installation

# Remove old versions
sudo apt remove docker docker-engine docker.io containerd runc

# Install dependencies
sudo apt install -y \
    apt-transport-https \
    ca-certificates \
    curl \
    gnupg \
    lsb-release

# Add official Docker GPG key
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker repository
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

# Install Docker Engine
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-compose-plugin

# Verify installation
docker --version
docker compose version

3. Docker Configuration (optional but recommended)

# Add user to docker group (avoid sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Log in again or:
newgrp docker

# Configure Docker to start automatically
sudo systemctl enable docker
sudo systemctl start docker

4. Git Installation

sudo apt install -y git

5. Firewall Configuration

# Enable UFW
sudo ufw enable

# Allow SSH
sudo ufw allow 22/tcp

# Allow HTTP and HTTPS
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

# Check status
sudo ufw status

Environment Variables Configuration

1. Download Source Code

# Go to home directory
cd ~

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/your-organization/sellf.git
cd sellf

2. Create Configuration File

# Copy the example file
cp .env.production.example .env.production

# Edit the file
nano .env.production

3. Generate Secure Keys

# Generate JWT_SECRET
openssl rand -base64 32

# Generate REALTIME_SECRET_KEY_BASE
openssl rand -base64 32

# Generate POSTGRES_PASSWORD (long password)
openssl rand -base64 48

4. Fill In All Variables

Below you will find a detailed description of each variable:

Database

POSTGRES_PASSWORD=your_very_secure_postgresql_password

JWT and Authorization

JWT_SECRET=paste_generated_jwt_secret
REALTIME_SECRET_KEY_BASE=paste_generated_realtime_secret
ANON_KEY=get_from_supabase_dashboard
SERVICE_ROLE_KEY=get_from_supabase_dashboard

Note: The ANON_KEY and SERVICE_ROLE_KEY keys can be generated in the Supabase Dashboard or using a JWT generation tool with the appropriate secret.

URLs and Domains

API_EXTERNAL_URL=https://api.your-domain.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL=https://api.your-domain.com
GOTRUE_SITE_URL=https://your-domain.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL=https://your-domain.com
NEXT_PUBLIC_BASE_URL=https://your-domain.com
MAIN_DOMAIN=your-domain.com
GOTRUE_URI_ALLOW_LIST=https://your-domain.com/*,https://www.your-domain.com/*

SMTP (Email)

Example for SendGrid:

SMTP_ADMIN_EMAIL=noreply@your-domain.com
SMTP_HOST=smtp.sendgrid.net
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=apikey
SMTP_PASS=SG.xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
SMTP_SENDER_NAME=Sellf

Example for Gmail:

SMTP_HOST=smtp.gmail.com
SMTP_PORT=587
SMTP_USER=your-email@gmail.com
SMTP_PASS=your-app-password

Stripe - Choose ONE Configuration Method

METHOD 1: .env Configuration (Recommended for developers, Docker, CI/CD)

NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx  # Standard Secret Key or Restricted Key
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_xxxxxxxxxxxxx

METHOD 2: Admin Panel Wizard (Recommended for non-technical users)

NEXT_PUBLIC_STRIPE_PUBLISHABLE_KEY=pk_live_xxxxxxxxxxxxx
STRIPE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=ONIgOXqmoHOYZphEDkhydpL4briQsVlS9IS3o59mW9E=  # Generate: openssl rand -base64 32
STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_xxxxxxxxxxxxx

Then configure the Restricted API Key through the graphical interface in Settings.

Both methods are fully supported. Choose the one that fits your workflow.

Details: See section 5. Stripe Configuration below.

Cloudflare Turnstile (CAPTCHA)

NEXT_PUBLIC_CLOUDFLARE_TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY=1x00000000000000000000AA
CLOUDFLARE_TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY=1x0000000000000000000000000000000AA

5. Stripe Configuration

Sellf supports two equivalent methods for Stripe configuration. Choose the one that best fits your use case.

Method 1: .env Configuration (Recommended for developers)

Advantages:

• ✅ Quick setup (one environment variable)
• ✅ Ideal for Docker, CI/CD, automation
• ✅ Developers are familiar with this pattern
• ✅ Easy rollback (change .env and restart)

Steps:

1. Get the Secret Key from Stripe Dashboard:

   • Test Mode: https://dashboard.stripe.com/test/apikeys
   • Live Mode: https://dashboard.stripe.com/apikeys
   • You can use the Standard Secret Key (sk_test_ or sk_live_)
   • Or a Restricted Key (rk_test_ or rk_live_) with the appropriate permissions

2. Add to .env.production:

   # Test Mode (development)
   STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_test_51ABC...xyz
   
   # OR Live Mode (production)
   STRIPE_SECRET_KEY=sk_live_51ABC...xyz

3. Restart the application:

   docker compose restart admin-panel

4. Verify in Settings:

   • Go to: https://your-domain.com/dashboard/settings
   • You should see a blue banner: “Currently using: .env configuration”

Method 2: Admin Panel Wizard (Recommended for non-technical users)

Advantages:

• ✅ Visual step-by-step guide
• ✅ AES-256-GCM encryption (keys in database)
• ✅ Automatic permission validation
• ✅ Key rotation reminders (every 90 days)
• ✅ No file editing required

Steps:

1. Generate an encryption key (one-time):

   openssl rand -base64 32

2. Add the key to .env.production:

   echo "STRIPE_ENCRYPTION_KEY=YOUR_GENERATED_KEY" >> .env.production

   ⚠️ CRITICAL: Never commit this key to Git!

3. Restart the application:

   docker compose restart admin-panel

4. Open the wizard:

   • Go to: https://your-domain.com/dashboard/settings
   • Click the “Configure Stripe” button

5. Go through 5 steps:

   • Step 1 (Welcome): Click “Start Configuration”
   • Step 2 (Mode selection): Choose “Test Mode” or “Live Mode”
   • Step 3 (Create key): Follow the visual guide:
     1. Open Stripe Dashboard
     2. Go to API Keys → Create restricted key
     3. Set permissions:
        • ✅ Charges: Write
        • ✅ Customers: Write
        • ✅ Checkout Sessions: Write
        • ✅ Payment Intents: Read
        • ✅ Webhooks: Read (optional)
     4. Copy the key (starts with rk_test_ or rk_live_)
     5. Return to the wizard and click “I’ve Created the Key”
   • Step 4 (Validation): Paste the key and click “Validate API Key”
   • Step 5 (Success): Click “Finish”

6. Verify configuration:

   • You should see a green banner: “Currently using: Database configuration”
   • Your masked key: rk_test_****1234 (only last 4 characters)
   • Status: Test Mode / Live Mode
   • Permissions: ✅ Verified

Switching Between Methods

From .env to Wizard:

1. Simply launch the wizard and configure the key
2. Database configuration takes priority over .env
3. You can leave the STRIPE_SECRET_KEY variable in .env as a fallback

From Wizard to .env:

1. Add STRIPE_SECRET_KEY to .env
2. Remove configuration from the database:

   docker exec supabase_db_sellf psql -U postgres -d postgres -c \
     "DELETE FROM stripe_configurations WHERE is_active = true;"

3. Restart the application

Testing Configuration

Test with a Stripe test card:

1. Create a test product in the Admin Panel
2. Go to the product page
3. Click “Buy Now”
4. Use the test card: 4242 4242 4242 4242
   • Expiry: any future date (e.g. 12/34)
   • CVC: any 3 digits (e.g. 123)
5. Verify the payment in:
   • Dashboard → Payments
   • Stripe Dashboard → Payments

📖 Full testing guide: See the Stripe Testing Guide

Required Database Migrations

The wizard requires the stripe_configurations table in the database:

# Check if the migration exists
ls -la supabase/migrations/ | grep stripe

# Should be: 20251227000000_stripe_rak_configuration.sql

If the migration does not exist, it will be automatically executed during database startup.

Database Configuration

1. Prepare Migrations

Check that all migrations are in place:

ls -la supabase/migrations/

The following files should be present:

• 20250709000000_initial_schema.sql - Initial schema
• 20250717000000_payment_system.sql - Payment system
• 20251227000000_stripe_rak_configuration.sql - Stripe configuration (wizard)
• 20251227100000_shop_config.sql - Shop configuration
• others…

2. Optionally: Modify Seed Data

If you want to have your own sample data:

nano supabase/seed.sql

Starting the Application

1. Build and Start Containers

# Make sure you are in the main project directory
cd ~/sellf

# Build images (may take a few minutes on the first run)
docker compose build

# Start all services
docker compose up -d

# Check container status
docker compose ps

Expected output:

NAME                  STATUS              PORTS
sellf-admin        running             0.0.0.0:3000->3000/tcp
sellf-db           running (healthy)   0.0.0.0:5432->5432/tcp
sellf-auth         running
sellf-rest         running
sellf-storage      running
sellf-nginx        running             0.0.0.0:8080->80/tcp
...

2. Check Logs

# All containers
docker compose logs -f

# Specific container
docker compose logs -f admin-panel
docker compose logs -f db

3. Initialize Database

If the database was automatically initialized (migrations in /docker-entrypoint-initdb.d), you can skip this step. Otherwise:

# Connect to the database
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres

# Check tables
\dt

# Exit
\q

If the tables do not exist, run migrations manually:

# Copy migrations to the container
docker compose cp supabase/migrations/. db:/tmp/migrations/

# Execute migrations
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres -d postgres -f /tmp/migrations/20250709000000_initial_schema.sql
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres -d postgres -f /tmp/migrations/20250717000000_payment_system.sql

Domain and SSL Configuration

Option 1: Nginx Proxy Manager (Recommended for beginners)

1. Install Nginx Proxy Manager:

# Create a separate directory
mkdir ~/nginx-proxy-manager
cd ~/nginx-proxy-manager

# Download docker-compose.yml for NPM
wget https://github.com/NginxProxyManager/nginx-proxy-manager/blob/main/docker-compose.yml

# Start
docker compose up -d

2. Log in to the panel: http://your-server:81

   • Email: admin@example.com
   • Password: changeme

3. Add a Proxy Host:

   • Domain: your-domain.com
   • Forward Hostname: admin-panel
   • Forward Port: 3000
   • Websockets: ✅
   • SSL: Select “Request a new SSL Certificate” (Let’s Encrypt)

4. Add a second Proxy Host for the API:

   • Domain: api.your-domain.com
   • Forward Hostname: kong
   • Forward Port: 8000
   • SSL: ✅

5. Add a third Proxy Host for examples:

   • Domain: examples.your-domain.com (optional)
   • Forward Hostname: nginx
   • Forward Port: 80
   • SSL: ✅

Option 2: Certbot + Nginx (For advanced users)

# Install Certbot
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

# Obtain certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com -d api.your-domain.com

# Automatic renewal
sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer

DNS Configuration

Set DNS records with your provider:

Type   Name     Value                TTL
A      @        YOUR_SERVER_IP       3600
A      www      YOUR_SERVER_IP       3600
A      api      YOUR_SERVER_IP       3600

Stripe Webhooks Configuration

Quick path: After your first login as admin (next major section below), open Settings → Payments in the Sellf admin. Paste your Stripe keys, click Register webhook — Sellf creates the endpoint on Stripe and saves the signing secret encrypted in your Supabase DB. Skips the manual flow below.

The env-config flow in this section is still valid for CI-driven Docker deploys where you don’t want to log into the Sellf admin to click things.

1. Create a Webhook Endpoint in Stripe Dashboard

1. Go to: https://dashboard.stripe.com/webhooks
2. Click “Add endpoint”
3. URL: https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/stripe
4. Select events:
   • checkout.session.completed
   • checkout.session.async_payment_succeeded
   • payment_intent.succeeded
   • charge.refunded
   • refund.created
   • refund.updated
   • charge.dispute.created
   • customer.subscription.created
   • customer.subscription.updated
   • customer.subscription.deleted
   • customer.subscription.trial_will_end
   • customer.subscription.paused
   • customer.subscription.resumed
   • invoice.paid
   • invoice.upcoming
   • invoice.payment_succeeded
   • invoice.payment_failed
   • invoice.payment_action_required
5. Save and copy the Signing secret (whsec_...)

2. Update Environment Variables

nano .env.production

Add/update:

STRIPE_WEBHOOK_SECRET=whsec_your_webhook_secret

Restart the application:

docker compose restart admin-panel

Initial Setup

1. Create First Administrator Account

1. Go to: https://your-domain.com/login
2. Enter your email
3. Click “Send Magic Link”
4. Check your email inbox and click the link
5. The first account automatically gets administrator privileges!

2. Test the Dashboard

1. After logging in, go to: https://your-domain.com/dashboard
2. Check the Admin section: https://your-domain.com/admin/products
3. Create your first test product

3. Test a Payment

1. Create a product with a test price (e.g. 10 PLN)
2. Go to the product page: https://your-domain.com/p/product-slug
3. Use the Stripe test card: 4242 4242 4242 4242
4. Verify that the payment went through

Monitoring and Logs

Checking Status

# Status of all containers
docker compose ps

# Resource usage
docker stats

# Real-time logs
docker compose logs -f

# Logs of a specific service
docker compose logs -f admin-panel
docker compose logs -f db

Application Logs

Logs are available in containers:

# Admin Panel
docker compose exec admin-panel sh
ls -la /app/.next/

# Database - PostgreSQL logs
docker compose logs db | grep ERROR

# Nginx
docker compose logs nginx

Database Monitoring

# Connect to the database
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres

# Check database size
SELECT pg_size_pretty(pg_database_size('postgres'));

# Check active connections
SELECT count(*) FROM pg_stat_activity;

# Check most popular queries
SELECT query, calls, total_exec_time
FROM pg_stat_statements
ORDER BY total_exec_time DESC
LIMIT 10;

Updating

Updating the Code

# Go to the project directory
cd ~/sellf

# Stop the application
docker compose down

# Pull the latest code
git pull origin main

# Rebuild images
docker compose build --no-cache

# Start again
docker compose up -d

# Check logs
docker compose logs -f admin-panel

Updating the Database (Migrations)

# New migration will appear in supabase/migrations/
ls -la supabase/migrations/

# Execute the migration
docker compose exec db psql -U postgres -d postgres -f /tmp/migrations/NEW_MIGRATION.sql

Backup Before Updating

ALWAYS make a backup before updating!

# Database backup
docker compose exec db pg_dump -U postgres postgres > backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).sql

# Volume backup
docker run --rm \
  -v sellf_postgres_data:/data \
  -v $(pwd):/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/postgres_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S).tar.gz /data

Backup and Restore

Automatic Database Backup

Create a backup script:

nano ~/backup-sellf.sh

Contents:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/home/$(whoami)/backups/sellf"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Database backup
docker compose -f /home/$(whoami)/sellf/docker-compose.yml \
  exec -T db pg_dump -U postgres postgres | gzip > $BACKUP_DIR/db_$DATE.sql.gz

# Remove old backups (older than 7 days)
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "db_*.sql.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $BACKUP_DIR/db_$DATE.sql.gz"

Set permissions and cron:

chmod +x ~/backup-sellf.sh

# Add to cron (backup daily at 2:00 AM)
crontab -e

# Add the line:
0 2 * * * /home/yourusername/backup-sellf.sh >> /home/yourusername/backup-sellf.log 2>&1

Restoring from Backup

# Stop the application
cd ~/sellf
docker compose down

# Restore the database
gunzip -c ~/backups/sellf/db_20250126_020000.sql.gz | \
  docker compose run --rm -T db psql -U postgres

# Start again
docker compose up -d

File Backup

# Volume backup (storage, uploads, etc.)
docker run --rm \
  -v sellf_storage_data:/data \
  -v ~/backups/sellf:/backup \
  alpine tar czf /backup/storage_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /data

Troubleshooting

Problem: Containers won’t start

# Check logs
docker compose logs

# Check configuration
docker compose config

# Remove everything and start from scratch
docker compose down -v
docker compose up -d

Problem: Database not responding

# Check status
docker compose ps db

# Check logs
docker compose logs db

# Restart the database
docker compose restart db

# If that doesn't help, check free disk space
df -h

Problem: Admin Panel returns 500

# Check logs
docker compose logs admin-panel

# Check environment variables
docker compose exec admin-panel env | grep SUPABASE

# Restart the panel
docker compose restart admin-panel

Problem: Magic link doesn’t work

1. Check SMTP configuration:

docker compose logs auth | grep SMTP

2. Check GOTRUE_URI_ALLOW_LIST in .env.production

3. Check if the email arrived (check spam)

Problem: Stripe payments don’t work

1. Check webhook secret:

docker compose exec admin-panel env | grep STRIPE

2. Check webhook logs in Stripe Dashboard

3. Test the endpoint manually:

curl -X POST https://your-domain.com/api/webhooks/stripe \
  -H "stripe-signature: test" \
  -d '{}'

Problem: No disk space

# Check space
df -h

# Remove unused images
docker image prune -a

# Remove unused volumes
docker volume prune

# Remove old logs
docker compose logs --tail=0

Problem: Slow performance

1. Check resource usage:

docker stats

2. Add more RAM or CPU in server settings

3. Optimize the database:

docker compose exec db psql -U postgres -c "VACUUM ANALYZE;"

4. Add indexes to frequently used columns

Support and Documentation

• Sellf Documentation: /CLAUDE.md in the repository
• Docker Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/
• Supabase Documentation: https://supabase.com/docs
• Stripe Documentation: https://stripe.com/docs
• GitHub Issues: [link to repository]

Security - Checklist

After deployment, check:

• All passwords are long and secure
• .env.production is NOT in the Git repository
• Firewall is configured (only ports 22, 80, 443)
• SSL/TLS is enabled (HTTPS)
• Backups are configured and tested
• SMTP uses an encrypted connection
• Stripe is in production mode (keys pk_live_ and sk_live_)
• Rate limiting is enabled
• Logs do not contain sensitive data
• Monitoring is configured

---

Congratulations! Sellf is now running in production! 🎉