Install Uptime Kuma - DigitalFyre Knowledge Base

Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted monitoring tool that supports HTTP, TCP, DNS, ping, and other checks with a clean web UI and notification integrations. This guide deploys it with Docker, an Nginx reverse proxy, and a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.

Prerequisites

Docker and Docker Compose installed — see Install Docker
A domain or subdomain pointed to your server (e.g., status.example.com)
Ports 80 and 443 open in your firewall

Step 1: Deploy Uptime Kuma

Create a directory and Docker Compose file:

mkdir -p /opt/uptime-kuma && cd /opt/uptime-kuma

cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
services:
  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:1
    container_name: uptime-kuma
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3001:3001"
EOF

Start the container:

docker compose up -d

Uptime Kuma is now running on 127.0.0.1:3001. It is only accessible locally until we set up the reverse proxy.

Step 2: Install Nginx

Debian / Ubuntu
RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky

apt update && apt install -y nginx
systemctl enable nginx

dnf install -y nginx
systemctl enable nginx
systemctl start nginx

Step 3: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Replace status.example.com with your actual domain:

cat > /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma << 'CONF'
server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name status.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    }
}
CONF

Enable the site and reload Nginx:

ln -sf /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
rm -f /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

RHEL-Based Systems

RHEL, AlmaLinux, and Rocky do not use sites-available/sites-enabled by default. Place the configuration in /etc/nginx/conf.d/uptime-kuma.conf instead and skip the symlink step.

Step 4: Install SSL with Certbot

Debian / Ubuntu
RHEL / AlmaLinux / Rocky

apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

dnf install -y epel-release
dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Obtain and install the certificate:

certbot --nginx -d status.example.com

Certbot will automatically configure HTTPS and set up a redirect from HTTP to HTTPS. Verify automatic renewal is active:

certbot renew --dry-run

Step 5: Access Uptime Kuma

Open https://status.example.com in your browser. On first visit, you will be prompted to create an admin account.

Updating

To update Uptime Kuma to the latest version:

cd /opt/uptime-kuma
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Backup

Uptime Kuma stores all data in a SQLite database. To back up:

# Stop the container to ensure a clean backup
docker compose stop
cp -r /opt/uptime-kuma/data /backup/uptime-kuma-$(date +%Y%m%d)
docker compose start

All-in-One Script

For convenience, here is the complete setup as a single script. Edit the DOMAIN variable before running:

install-uptime-kuma.sh

#!/bin/bash
set -euo pipefail

# --- Configuration ---
DOMAIN="status.example.com"
# ---------------------

echo "=== Uptime Kuma Setup ==="

# Detect distribution
. /etc/os-release
DISTRO="$ID"

# Verify Docker is installed
if ! command -v docker &>/dev/null; then
    echo "Docker is not installed. Run the Docker install script first."
    exit 1
fi

# Deploy Uptime Kuma
echo "--- Deploying Uptime Kuma ---"
mkdir -p /opt/uptime-kuma && cd /opt/uptime-kuma
cat > docker-compose.yml << 'EOF'
services:
  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:1
    container_name: uptime-kuma
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    ports:
      - "127.0.0.1:3001:3001"
EOF
docker compose up -d

# Install Nginx
echo "--- Installing Nginx ---"
case "$DISTRO" in
    debian|ubuntu)
        apt update -qq
        apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
        ;;
    almalinux|rocky|centos|rhel|cloudlinux|fedora)
        dnf install -y nginx epel-release
        dnf install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx
        systemctl start nginx
        ;;
esac
systemctl enable nginx

# Configure Nginx
echo "--- Configuring Nginx ---"
case "$DISTRO" in
    debian|ubuntu)
        NGINX_CONF="/etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma"
        cat > "$NGINX_CONF" << CONF
server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name $DOMAIN;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade \$http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host \$host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP \$remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For \$proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto \$scheme;
    }
}
CONF
        ln -sf "$NGINX_CONF" /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
        rm -f /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default
        ;;
    almalinux|rocky|centos|rhel|cloudlinux|fedora)
        cat > /etc/nginx/conf.d/uptime-kuma.conf << CONF
server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name $DOMAIN;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade \$http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host \$host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP \$remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For \$proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto \$scheme;
    }
}
CONF
        ;;
esac

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

# SSL
echo "--- Obtaining SSL Certificate ---"
certbot --nginx -d "$DOMAIN" --non-interactive --agree-tos --register-unsafely-without-email --redirect

echo ""
echo "=== Setup Complete ==="
echo "Access Uptime Kuma at: https://$DOMAIN"
echo "Create your admin account on first login."

The --register-unsafely-without-email flag skips the email prompt for unattended installation. For production use, replace it with --email your@email.com to receive certificate expiration notices.

​Prerequisites

​Step 1: Deploy Uptime Kuma

​Step 2: Install Nginx

​Step 3: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

RHEL-Based Systems

​Step 4: Install SSL with Certbot

​Step 5: Access Uptime Kuma

​Updating

​Backup

​All-in-One Script

Prerequisites

Step 1: Deploy Uptime Kuma

Step 2: Install Nginx

Step 3: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Step 4: Install SSL with Certbot

Step 5: Access Uptime Kuma

Updating

Backup

All-in-One Script