How to install and run catalog apps on your VPS
VPSnet installs published apps (n8n, WordPress, Immich, Grafana, and more) as managed containers on your server. Use the shared flow below, then open each app’s full howto at /applications/{slug}/docs for variables, NOTES, and troubleshooting.
Prerequisites
Nothing to install on your laptop. You only need a VPSnet account and a server that meets the app’s minimum resources.
VPSnet account
Sign in to the panel. Installs, recipe-specific credential delivery, Open URL, logs, and uninstall all live there.
VPS or Cloud VPS with enough resources
Open the app’s public page for minimum and recommended vCPU, RAM, and NVMe, plus the OS list we tested. Resource warnings are advisory; hard blocks are OS, architecture, and product compatibility.
SSH is optional
The default path is panel-only. SSH remains available for your own work; it is not required to install or open a catalog app.
Install any catalog app in five steps
This is the same path whether you install n8n, WordPress, or another published application. Bundles are available from Applications → Bundles.
1. Order a server (or open an existing one)
Use VPS (Firecracker) or Cloud VPS. Check the app product page for minimum vCPU, RAM, and disk — and for tested OS compatibility. You can install at order time or later from the panel.
2. Install from Applications (one click)
Open Applications, choose the app and access mode, expand Additional settings when needed, and confirm a runtime restart if asked.
3. Follow the recipe’s account instructions
If the recipe generates one-time credentials, copy them from the panel; otherwise complete the application’s own owner setup or sign-in flow.
4. Wait for HTTPS, then Open URL
Most web apps get a managed hostname on *.vpsnet.cloud. Certificate “pending” is normal while DNS, edge, and SSL finish — it is not an install failure. When status is active, use Open URL from the Applications panel.
5. Finish initial setup in the app
Sign in with the secrets you claimed — or complete the in-app admin wizard if this recipe has no panel password. Do the first real step (create a workflow, site, library, or dashboard). Optional packs enabled at install still need their own first-run inside the app. Lifecycle stays in the panel: restart, logs, health, update when offered, uninstall.
What is configurable — and what is not
Catalog installs are not a blank Docker playground. The recipe defines images, healthchecks, and internal wiring. You only configure the fields the product exposes — see each app’s docs variables table for the full list.
What you set at install
The install dialog shows Application access first, then Use VPSnet AI when the recipe supports it. Optional recipe fields (timezone, titles, flags) and Optional packs sit under Additional settings — expand that section to change defaults. Empty optional fields keep recipe defaults. The full field list is on each app’s public page and docs under “What you will configure” / the variables table.
What VPSnet generates for you
Database passwords, app secrets, and owner accounts are generated when the recipe requires them. They show once under Secrets in the panel — they are not free-text form fields on the public catalog page.
Access modes (at install and later)
Choose how the app is reached in the install dialog, then change it later from the installation page: VPSnet HTTPS (default for many web UIs), private (inside the server only), public HTTP on the server IP (useful while SSL is pending), Managed HTTPS on a DNS zone you own, or advanced External HTTPS when you terminate SSL yourself.
Additional settings and optional packs
Expand Additional settings for optional recipe fields and packs. Credential behavior is recipe-dependent and stated in each app-specific guide.
Initial setup after install
Install options (access mode, Additional settings, Optional packs, Use VPSnet AI) only start the recipe. First usage happens in the app: sign-in or admin wizard, then one real job. Each app’s /applications/{slug}/docs page has an Initial setup section. WordPress pack first-run (forms, SEO, shop, backup, antispam) is documented there when that recipe offers packs.
Use VPSnet AI (when offered)
Some apps show Use VPSnet AI on the install dialog. Turning it on creates an AI-only API key from your account balance and can hide manual OpenAI URL/key fields. Pick Fast, VPSnet AI, or Pro when the model list appears. Manage spend under Account → API keys.
This is not raw Docker-by-hand
Catalog apps are version-pinned managed recipes (images, healthchecks, ports, backups policy). You do not paste Compose as the default path. Custom Compose projects are a separate advanced option when enabled on the service.
Per-app fields: open the app howto (for example n8n docs) and scroll to “All configuration variables” and “Options in the install dialog”. Help text under each field is the source of truth for that recipe version. See n8n as an example
Full install guides for every catalog app
Every published app has /applications/{slug}/docs — step-by-step visual guides, the complete configuration variables table, notes, and troubleshooting. Featured flagships below; open any product page for the rest.
Bundles
Open Applications → Bundles to install several applications together. Manage each installed application separately.
Tip: replace {slug} with any published catalog slug (immich, grafana, …) — /applications/{slug}/docs always resolves to that app’s howto (curated overlay when we ship one, otherwise a solid generic guide + live API variables).
API, MCP, and machine-readable catalog
Optional. Most customers never need this section — the panel and per-app docs are enough. Integrators can use the public catalog and authenticated applications API.