Deploy from ZIP

This is the most advanced deployment method. Updates require downloading a new version, replacing files, and rebuilding the image manually — which takes significantly more time and technical knowledge than the Vercel or Docker image paths. Use this method only if you have a specific reason not to use the other two.

This method builds the Docker image locally from the source files you received with your purchase. You do not need a GitHub invite or a GitHub account.

Prerequisites

A server or VPS with Docker and Docker Compose installed — see docs.docker.com/get-docker
A domain name pointed at your server’s IP address

Transfer the source files to your server

Extract the ZIP file you received with your purchase. Transfer the extracted folder to your server via SFTP (FileZilla, Cyberduck) or any method you prefer.Place the files in a directory like /opt/domainer or /home/youruser/domainer.

If you choose to store the source files in a GitHub repository, keep that repository private. A public repository exposes the platform source code and violates the license agreement.

Create your .env file

From the project directory, copy the example environment file:

cp .env.example .env

Open .env and fill in the values:

PAYLOAD_SECRET=your-random-32-char-string
NEXT_PUBLIC_URL=https://example.com
PLATFORM_URL=https://example.com
CRON_SECRET=your-random-string
ANALYTICS_SALT=your-random-string

Variable	Description	Where to get it
`PAYLOAD_SECRET`	Secret key for encrypting sessions	Generate at generate-secret.vercel.app/32
`NEXT_PUBLIC_URL`	Your site’s full URL	`https://example.com` — your actual domain
`PLATFORM_URL`	Same value as `NEXT_PUBLIC_URL`	Set to the same URL
`CRON_SECRET`	Protects scheduled job endpoints	Any random string
`ANALYTICS_SALT`	Salt for anonymous visitor tracking	Any random string

DATABASE_URL is pre-configured in docker-compose.yml and points to the PostgreSQL container. Do not change it unless you are using an external database.

Start the containers

docker compose up -d

On first start, Docker builds the Next.js application from source — this takes 3–5 minutes. Subsequent starts reuse the cached build and are fast.The startup sequence:

PostgreSQL 16 starts and waits until healthy
Database migrations run
Next.js builds (first time only)
The app starts on port 3000

Check that both containers are running:

docker compose ps

You should see app and db with status Up.

Set up a reverse proxy with HTTPS

The app runs on port 3000. Set up Nginx as a reverse proxy with a Let’s Encrypt certificate:

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        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;
    }
}

See the Certbot documentation for certificate setup instructions.

Set up scheduled jobs

Add cron entries on your server for the background jobs (edit with crontab -e):

8 * * * curl -s -H "x-cron-secret: YOUR_CRON_SECRET" https://example.com/api/cron/expiry-check
9 * * * curl -s -H "x-cron-secret: YOUR_CRON_SECRET" https://example.com/api/cron/daily-digest
10 * * * curl -s -H "x-cron-secret: YOUR_CRON_SECRET" https://example.com/api/cron/price-check

These are optional — see the Docker deployment guide for what each job does.

Open the Setup Wizard

Visit your domain — you’ll be redirected to the Setup Wizard at /admin/install. Complete the wizard to seed your database, configure AI, and set up notifications.See Setup Wizard for a full walkthrough.

Updating

Updates with this method require the most manual steps. See the Updating guide for the full ZIP update process.

Useful Docker commands

# View live logs
docker compose logs -f app

# Restart the app container
docker compose restart app

# Stop everything (keeps database data)
docker compose down

# Stop and delete all data — destructive
docker compose down -v

Getting Started

Concepts

Configuration

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Prerequisites

Updating

Useful Docker commands

​Prerequisites

​Updating

​Useful Docker commands

Prerequisites

Updating

Useful Docker commands