Install

One command. Seriously, just one.

You paste a line, the installer does the rest: Docker, HTTPS, DNS, firewall, mail and the panel itself. If you can rent a server, you can run DCMS.

$ curl -fsSL https://dcms.fra1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com/dcms/install.sh | bash

Run as root on a fresh Debian or Ubuntu server. Existing installs are detected and offered an update instead.

Get a server

Any fresh Debian or Ubuntu server with root access works: a 5 EUR cloud VPS, a dedicated box, or the old machine under your desk with a public IP.

Run the command

Paste one line into the server as root. The installer shows live progress for every stage and asks at most two questions: your admin email, and optionally a domain.

Sign in

When it prints "Install Finished", open the sign-in link, enter the 6-digit PIN from your email, and deploy your first repository from the browser.

Under the hood

What the installer actually sets up

Around thirty named stages with live progress. The result is a hardened, self-maintaining host, not just an app dropped on a server.

Docker + Composewith log rotation preconfigured.
Caddy reverse proxyautomatic HTTPS for the panel and every site.
Authoritative DNS (NSD)so you can run your own nameservers.
nftables firewalland an SSH gateway for per-instance access.
Full mail stackwith webmail, ready for your domains.
Privilege separationthe panel runs unprivileged; root actions go through audited system helpers.
Checksum-verified packagesfor install and every later one-click update.

root@fresh-server

$ curl -fsSL https://dcms.fra1.cdn.../install.sh | bash

[ 6%] Installing prerequisites

[ 18%] Installing Docker, Caddy, NSD, nftables

[ 34%] Creating dcms system user

[ 47%] Downloading DCMS (checksum verified)

[ 58%] Running database migrations

[ 71%] Configuring DNS and firewall

[ 83%] Starting mail stack and webmail

[ 94%] Rendering HTTPS routes

[100%] Install Finished! DCMS v1.0.0

➜ Sign in: https://panel.acme-hosting.dev/dcms

Admin: you@acme.dev (PIN sent by email)

Requirements

OSfresh Debian or Ubuntu (Debian-based only for now; more distros are planned).
Accessroot shell (SSH or console), ports 80 and 443 reachable.
Size2 GB RAM is a comfortable start; DCMS itself is lightweight.
Optional domainwithout one, DCMS runs on your server IP and you can add domains later.

Good to know

No lock-in, no surprises

DCMS detects an existing install and offers Update (keeping all data) or Reinstall. Updates snapshot your running instances and restore them afterwards.

Passwordless sign-ina 6-digit PIN lands in your email, valid for 10 minutes.
IP-only modeno domain yet? The panel runs at your server IP until you add one.
Everything is yoursstandard Docker, Caddy and SQLite underneath. Leave anytime; your containers and data stay readable.

See the security model

Your server is five minutes away from superpowers

Copy the command, paste it into a fresh Debian or Ubuntu box, and watch it become a deployment platform.