Strapi hosting on Selfhost.dev puts Strapi 5 and its own PostgreSQL 16 on a dedicated server we provision, secure and run. Postgres is connected before Strapi first starts. The server stays on when traffic is quiet, so your content API never waits on a sleeping instance.
Two containers on one server. No per-project fee, no metered API requests.
Strapi is an open source headless CMS: you model content in an admin panel and it serves that content through REST, with GraphQL available through an optional plugin. Strapi hosting is the server, database and HTTPS it needs to run.
Developers and agencies building sites or apps on Strapi who want the API on a server they control, without a plan priced per project.
When one always-on server should carry the admin panel and the API. If you need a global CDN or a contractual uptime SLA, Strapi Cloud fits better.
Strapi Docker setups pair a Strapi container with a database container, then leave you the secrets, volumes and proxy. This template runs Strapi 5.52.1 and PostgreSQL 16 as two containers, with four volumes and five secrets generated and kept before the first boot.
JWT_SECRET, ADMIN_JWT_SECRET, APP_KEYS, API_TOKEN_SALT and TRANSFER_TOKEN_SALT are generated separately and persisted. Upstream reuses one value for two of them and omits the salts, which invalidates issued API tokens on a redeploy.
Your frontend, your editors and your API clients
TLS and routing
Strapi 5.52.1
PostgreSQL 16
strapi-uploads
Five secrets
| Component | Image | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Strapi | elestio/strapi-development:v5.52.1 | Admin panel and content API on port 1337 |
| PostgreSQL | postgres:16-alpine | The content database, on major version 16 |
| Volumes | strapi-config, strapi-src, strapi-uploads, strapi-postgresql-data | Config, content-type schemas, media and the database |
Strapi Postgres setups usually take five steps: create the database, choose Postgres in the installer, write the database config, fill the DATABASE variables and keep port 5432 private. Here the template sets them for its bundled PostgreSQL 16 before Strapi first starts, so the admin panel opens on Postgres, not SQLite.
| Strapi with Postgres, by hand | Strapi Postgres on Selfhost.dev |
|---|---|
| Create a PostgreSQL database and user first | PostgreSQL 16 runs in its own container beside Strapi |
Set DATABASE_CLIENT=postgres and the other DATABASE_* values | Set before first boot |
Point config/database at the production database | Already pointed at the bundled database |
| Keep port 5432 off the internet | The firewall opens only 22, 80 and 443 |
| Move off SQLite once content piles up | Postgres from the first entry; Strapi builds its own tables |
SQLite keeps everything in one file. Strapi's data docs note that a SQLite destination blocks other connections during a transfer. A live file is also harder to back up cleanly than a database pg_dump can read while it runs.
Strapi hosting requirements here are two light containers behind HTTPS: Strapi 5 on Node and PostgreSQL 16. Neither needs much memory, so 4 GB, the smallest server we offer, is the size we recommend. Uploaded media lands on the server disk, which is the part to plan around.
Two containers, one server, no database to wire.
The Launch button opens this exact template in the console. Pick one of six locations and submit; the template deploys in about six minutes.
Open your Strapi address at /admin and create the first account. Registration closes once it exists, so claim it before you share the address.
Build content types in the builder, then grant roles and permissions so /api/* answers. Until you do, the content API returns 403 or 404, by design.
Strapi pricing here is one server rate. Strapi is free software and the template adds no fee; API requests, editors and bandwidth are never metered. A European 4 GB server runs Strapi and Postgres at $0.02/hr, about $15 to $16 a month, billed by the hour against prepaid credits.
| Item | Cost |
|---|---|
| Strapi and PostgreSQL | $0 |
| API requests and editors | $0 at any number |
| A second project on the same server | $0 |
| Bandwidth | $0, traffic is included in the server price |
| Optional daily backups | +20% of the server price |
| Server | RAM, cores, disk | Where | Rate | About a month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
cx23 (recommended) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $15.18 |
cax11 (ARM) | 4 GB, 2 cores, 40 GB | Europe | $0.02/hr | $16.35 |
cx33 (room to grow) | 8 GB, 4 cores, 80 GB | Europe | $0.03/hr | $23.36 |
cpx21 | 4 GB, 3 cores, 80 GB | US | $0.12/hr | $87.75 |
cpx22 | 4 GB, 2 cores, 80 GB | Singapore | $0.10/hr | $72.56 |
Monthly figures assume 730 hours.
A zero balance on an account with a card on file or a past top-up powers the server off and sends an email. It is held for 24 hours, then deleted; a top-up in that window restarts it. Welcome-credit-only servers are deleted at zero.
Check another size or location in the calculator, no signup. Why usage-priced hosting bills move is explained in Bill Variance.
Strapi Cloud pricing is per project: Starter is $35, Pro $90 and Business $450 a month on monthly billing. Each plan meters API requests and asset bandwidth above its allowance. Starter also sleeps when idle and keeps no backups. Your own server runs every project on it for one hourly rate.
| Where they differ | Strapi Cloud Starter | Strapi Cloud Pro | Strapi on Selfhost.dev |
|---|---|---|---|
| Price | $35 per project a month | $90 per project a month | $0.02/hr for 4 GB in Europe |
| API requests | 100k a month, then $1.50 per 25k | 1M a month, then $1.50 per 25k | Not metered |
| When idle | Sleeps | Always on | Always on |
| Backups | None | Weekly | Optional daily, +20% |
Strapi Cloud figures from strapi.io's Cloud pricing page, monthly billing.
When media has to reach readers on several continents through a global CDN. Or when you need a contractual uptime SLA: Business publishes 99.9%. This template is one server in one location with no published availability figure.
The console estimates about six minutes for the Strapi template after the server is ready; first-time server provisioning adds time.
NODE_ENV=development so the content-type builder stays usable. It is not a production build; if you need one, talk to us first.strapi-uploads volume and the disk does not grow on its own, so pick a size with room for your media.Nothing here in your way? The template deploys in about six minutes.
Launch StrapiStrapi backup and restore works three ways here. The server can take an optional daily image of everything on it. Keep your media and content-type schema files beside a database dump. Strapi transfer requires matching schemas and a remote instance started with start, not develop; ask us to arrange that before transferring to this development-mode template. A full pg_dump needs container access over SSH, granted on request.
| Method | What it covers | Where it lives |
|---|---|---|
| Daily server backup (optional, +20%) | Strapi, Postgres, config and media; the last 7 kept | With the server; deleted with it |
strapi transfer (requires a compatible runtime) | Content, media and configuration; matching schemas required | Another Strapi instance running with start; contact us first |
pg_dump | The whole database | Taken with container access over SSH, granted on request |
Tell us how many Strapi projects you run and roughly how much media they hold. We reply with the server size and what it costs in your location.
On a server that keeps Strapi and its database together and stays on. Strapi Cloud is the vendor's managed option; a VPS gives you control plus the setup work. This template sits between them: Strapi and PostgreSQL 16 on a dedicated server, connected before first boot. You still create content types, permissions and the administrator.
Yes. Strapi runs on any Linux server with Node and a database, usually as two Docker containers. On a plain VPS you write the compose file, generate five secrets, add HTTPS and close the database port yourself. This template is that setup already done, on the same Hetzner hardware a VPS would give you.
Yes. The Launch button deploys Strapi and PostgreSQL 16 together; the template deploys in about six minutes. The console shows the server's CPU and memory. Our MCP server reads both containers' logs and stats. Every service is health-checked every 60 seconds.
Strapi 5 supports PostgreSQL 14 and newer and recommends 17, according to its database documentation. This template runs postgres:16-alpine, inside that range. It stays on major version 16. A restart or redeploy brings back the same database. Strapi creates its own tables the first time it starts.
Match the destination content-type schemas to your existing project before moving data. Strapi transfer requires the remote instance to run with start, not develop; this template runs in development mode, so contact us to arrange a compatible migration first. Admin users and API tokens must be recreated, and a transfer replaces destination data.
Yes. Strapi's Community edition is open source under the MIT license, with no fee at any number of projects, editors or API requests. You pay only for the server it runs on. Strapi Cloud, the vendor's hosted product, charges per project per month instead of per server. See pricing.
Selfhost.dev is a managed self hosting platform for developers and small teams. Open source apps and databases on dedicated servers you control, billed by the hour, in six locations across three continents.
Best for: Strapi, WordPress, Supabase and managed PostgreSQL, MySQL, Redis, ClickHouse, OpenSearch and Kafka.