**Set up Discourse on a cloud server in under 30 minutes** with zero knowledge of Ruby, Rails or Linux shell using our [Discourse Docker image][dd]. We prefer [Digital Ocean][do], although these steps may work on other cloud providers that also support Docker. Let's begin!

# Create New Digital Ocean Droplet

[Sign up for Digital Ocean][do], update billing info, then begin creating your new cloud server (Droplet).

Use the URL of your new site as the Droplet hostname, e.g. `discourse.example.com`. Discourse requires a minimum of **1 GB RAM** for small communities; we recommend 2 GB RAM for medium communities. 

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4425/0c25b42ee3d35636.png" width="670" height="489"> 

Install Discourse on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS x64. Always select [the latest LTS distribution][lts].

<img src="https://meta.discourse.org/uploads/default/4426/9f3bf74726a3384f.png" width="540" height="478"> 

You will receive a mail from Digital Ocean with the root password to your Droplet. (However, if you know [how to use SSH keys](https://www.google.com/search?q=digitalocean+ssh+keys), you may not need a password to log in.)

# Access Your Droplet

Connect to your Droplet via SSH, or use [Putty][put] on Windows:

    ssh root@192.168.1.1

Replace `192.168.1.1` with the IP address of your Droplet.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4442/ab4202454828b167.png" width="586" height="128"> 

You will be asked for permission to connect, type `yes`, then enter the root password from the email Digital Ocean sent you when the Droplet was set up.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4443/48cc7135c89768bd.png" width="584" height="300"> 

# Set up Swap (if needed)

- If you're using the minimum 1 GB install, you *must* [set up a swap file](https://meta.discourse.org/t/create-a-swapfile-for-your-linux-server/13880).

- If you're using 2 GB+ memory, you can probably get by without a swap file.

# Install Git

    apt-get install git

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4444/fdddb36daf2e9b69.png" width="586" height="293"> 

# Install Docker

    wget -qO- https://get.docker.io/ | sh

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4445/35af9b94d045c691.png" width="586" height="452"> 

# Install Discourse

Create a `/var/docker` folder:

    mkdir /var/docker

Clone the [Official Discourse Docker Image][dd] into this `/var/docker` folder:

    git clone https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker.git /var/docker

Switch to your Docker folder:

    cd /var/docker

Copy the `samples/standalone.yml` file into the `containers` folder as `app.yml`:

    cp samples/standalone.yml containers/app.yml

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4446/5f28af7f5b345823.png" width="586" height="246"> 

# Edit Discourse Configuration

Edit the Discourse configuration at `app.yml`:

    nano containers/app.yml

We recommend Nano because it works like a typical GUI text editor, just use your arrow keys.

- Set `DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS` to your email address.
 
- Set `DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME` to `discourse.example.com`, this means you want your Discourse available at `http://discourse.example.com/`. You'll need to update the DNS A record for this domain with the IP address of your server.
 
- Place your mail credentials in `DISCOURSE_SMTP_ADDRESS`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_PORT`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_USER_NAME`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_PASSWORD`. Be sure you remove the comment `#` character and space from the front of these lines as necessary.

- If you are using a 1 GB instance, set `UNICORN_WORKERS` to 2 so you have more memory room.

<img src="https://meta.discourse.org/uploads/default/4435/67807de39c6bbc61.png" width="578" height="407"> 

After completing your edits, press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd><kbd>O</kbd> then <kbd>Enter</kbd> to save and <kbd>Ctrl</kbd><kbd>X</kbd> to exit.

# Email

**Email is critical for account creation and notifications in Discourse. If you do not configure email before bootstrapping you will have a broken site!**

- Already have a mail server? Great. Use your existing mail server credentials.

- No existing mail server, or you don't know what it is? No problem, create a free account on [**Mandrill**][man] (or [Mailgun][gun], or [Mailjet][jet]), and use the credentials provided in the dashboard.

- For proper email deliverability, you must set the [SPF and DKIM records](http://help.mandrill.com/entries/21751322-What-are-SPF-and-DKIM-and-do-I-need-to-set-them-up-) in your DNS. In Mandrill, that's under Sending Domains, View DKIM/SPF setup instructions.

# Bootstrap Discourse

Be sure to save the `app.yml` file, and begin bootstrapping Discourse:

    ./launcher bootstrap app

This command can take up to 8 minutes. It is automagically configuring your Discourse environment.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4448/55b88822f00fa505.png" width="593" height="229"> 

After that completes, start Discourse:

    ./launcher start app

Congratulations! You now have your own instance of Discourse!

It should be accessible via the domain name `discourse.example.com` you entered earlier, provided you configured DNS. If not, you can also visit the server IP directly, e.g. `http://192.168.1.1`.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4512/56d0c013a24981cd.png" width="690" height="342"> 

# Register New Account and Become Admin

There is a reminder at the top about `DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS`; be sure you register a new account via one of those email addresses, and your account will automatically be made an Admin.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4513/459a7df42fb9ee83.png" width="690" height="350"> 

You should see Staff topics and the Admin Quick Start Guide. Please read it!

# Post-Install Maintenance

To **upgrade Discourse to the latest version**, visit `/admin/docker` and follow the instructions.

The `launcher` command in the `/var/docker` folder can be used for various kinds of maintenance:

```
Usage: launcher COMMAND CONFIG
Commands:
    start:      Start/initialize a container
    stop:       Stop a running container
    restart:    Restart a container
    destroy:    Stop and remove a container
    ssh:        Start a bash shell in a running container
    logs:       Docker logs for container
    bootstrap:  Bootstrap a container for the config based on a template
    rebuild:    Rebuild a container (destroy old, bootstrap, start new)
```

# Other Awesome Stuff

Do you want...

- Users to log in via Facebook? [Configure Facebook logins](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configuring-facebook-login-for-discourse/13394).

- Users to log in via Twitter? [Configure Twitter logins](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configuring-twitter-login-for-discourse/13395/last).

- Users to post reples via email? [Configure reply via email](https://meta.discourse.org/t/set-up-reply-via-email-support/14003).

- Automatic daily backups? [Configure backups](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-automatic-backups-for-discourse/14855).
 
- HTTPS / SSL support? [Configure SSL](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allowing-ssl-for-your-discourse-docker-setup/13847).
 
- Multiple Discourse sites on the same server? [Configure multisite](https://meta.discourse.org/t/multisite-configuration-with-docker/14084).
 
- A Content Delivery Network to speed up worldwide access? [Configure a CDN](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-a-cdn-for-your-discourse/14857).

If anything needs to be improved in this guide, feel free to ask on [meta.discourse.org][meta], or even better, submit a pull request.

   [dd]: https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker
  [man]: https://mandrillapp.com
  [ssh]: https://help.github.com/articles/generating-ssh-keys
 [meta]: https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-deploy-discourse-on-digital-ocean-using-docker/12156
   [do]: https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=5fa48ac82415
  [lts]: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS
  [jet]: http://www.mailjet.com/pricing
  [gun]: http://www.mailgun.com/
  [put]: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html