How to Deploy NocoDB – Open-Source Airtable Alternative

6 min readUpdated 11 September 2026

NocoDB is an open-source no-code platform that adds a spreadsheet-style interface on top of a relational database. It lets teams create bases, views, and relationships through a web UI while keeping the data stored in a database you control. It provides a lightweight platform for building internal tools and collaborative data workflows without migrating data to a hosted Software-as-a-Service (SaaS) platform.

This article explains how to deploy NocoDB on a Linux server using Docker Compose, configure persistent storage with PostgreSQL, secure the application with HTTPS using Traefik, and verify functionality by creating a sample base.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need to:

Have access to a Linux-based server (with at least 2 CPU cores and 4 GB of RAM) as a non-root user with sudo privileges.
Install Docker and Docker Compose.
Configure a domain A record pointing to your server's IP address (for example, nocodb.example.com).

Set Up the Directory Structure, Configuration, and Environment Variables

NocoDB requires persistent directories for application data, database files, and TLS certificates. Environment variables configure domain routing and database credentials.

Create the project directory.
CONSOLE
$ mkdir -p ~/nocodb/{data,pgdata,letsencrypt}
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This command creates the following directories:
- data: Stores NocoDB configuration, metadata, and internal files.
- pgdata: Persists PostgreSQL database files.
- letsencrypt: Stores Traefik ACME certificates for HTTPS renewal.
Navigate to the project directory.
CONSOLE
$ cd ~/nocodb
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Create a .env file to store environment variables.
CONSOLE
$ nano .env
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Add the following environment variables:
INI
DOMAIN=nocodb.example.com LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=admin@example.com POSTGRES_DB=postgres POSTGRES_PASSWORD=strong_password POSTGRES_USER=postgres
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Replace:
- nocodb.example.com with your domain name.
- admin@example.com with your email address.
- strong_password with a strong database password.
Save and close the file.

Deploy with Docker Compose

The Docker Compose stack runs NocoDB with PostgreSQL as the backend database. This configuration is based on the official NocoDB Docker Compose example, adapted to use environment variables and persistent storage.

Create a new Docker Compose file.

CONSOLE

$ nano docker-compose.yaml

Add the following manifest:

YAML
services:
    traefik:
        image: traefik:v3.6
        container_name: traefik
        command:
          - "--providers.docker=true"
          - "--providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false"
          - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
          - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
          - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure"
          - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.httpchallenge=true"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.httpchallenge.entrypoint=web"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.email=${LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
        ports:
          - "80:80"
          - "443:443"
        volumes:
          - "./letsencrypt:/letsencrypt"
          - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro"
        restart: unless-stopped

    db:
        image: postgres:16
        container_name: nocodb-db
        hostname: root_db
        environment:
          POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
          POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
        volumes:
          - "./pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data"
        healthcheck:
          test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "${POSTGRES_USER}", "-d", "${POSTGRES_DB}"]
          interval: 10s
          timeout: 5s
          retries: 5
        restart: unless-stopped

    nocodb:
        image: nocodb/nocodb:0.301.2
        container_name: nocodb
        depends_on:
          db:
            condition: service_healthy
        environment:
            NC_DB: "pg://db:5432?u=${POSTGRES_USER}&p=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}&d=${POSTGRES_DB}"
        volumes:
          - "./data:/usr/app/data"
        expose:
          - "8080"
        labels:
          - "traefik.enable=true"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.rule=Host(`${DOMAIN}`)"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.entrypoints=websecure"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"
          - "traefik.http.services.nocodb.loadbalancer.server.port=8080"
        restart: unless-stopped
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Save and close the file.

In the above manifest:

services: Defines three containers that Docker Compose manages:
- traefik: Acts as the reverse proxy, router, and TLS termination layer.
- db: Hosts the PostgreSQL database backend for NocoDB.
- nocodb: Runs the NocoDB application server.
image: Specifies the container image for each service.
container_name: Assigns a fixed name to each container, making it easier to reference when checking logs or managing containers.
command (Traefik): Configures Traefik's core behavior, including Docker discovery, entry points for HTTP/HTTPS traffic, automatic HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection, and Let's Encrypt certificate generation.
ports (Traefik): Exposes ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) on the host so Traefik can route external traffic to your services.
environment (db): Passes PostgreSQL database name, username, and password from the .env file.
environment (nocodb): Configures the NC_DB connection string to connect NocoDB to the PostgreSQL database.
healthcheck (db): Verifies PostgreSQL is ready to accept connections before NocoDB starts.
depends_on (nocodb): Ensures the database container is healthy before starting NocoDB.
expose (nocodb): Makes the internal container port (8080) visible to Traefik without publishing the port directly to the host.
volumes:
- Host bind mounts (./data, ./pgdata, ./letsencrypt) persist application data, database files, and TLS certificates.
- The Docker socket (/var/run/docker.sock) allows Traefik to automatically detect running services.
labels (nocodb): Registers the NocoDB container with Traefik and configures how Traefik routes HTTPS traffic based on the domain name.
restart: unless-stopped: Ensures all services restart automatically unless you stop them manually.

Create and start the services.
CONSOLE
$ docker compose up -d
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Verify that the services are running.

CONSOLE

$ docker compose ps

Output:

NAME        IMAGE                  COMMAND                  SERVICE   CREATED          STATUS                    PORTS
nocodb      nocodb/nocodb:0.301.2  "/usr/bin/dumb-init …"   nocodb    16 seconds ago   Up 4 seconds              8080/tcp
nocodb-db   postgres:16            "docker-entrypoint.s…"   db        16 seconds ago   Up 15 seconds (healthy)   5432/tcp
traefik     traefik:v3.6           "/entrypoint.sh --pr…"   traefik   16 seconds ago   Up 15 seconds             0.0.0.0:80->80/tcp, [::]:80->80/tcp, 0.0.0.0:443->443/tcp, [::]:443->443/tcp

View the logs for the services.
CONSOLE
$ docker compose logs
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For more information on managing Docker Compose stack, see the How To Use Docker Compose article.

Access and Configure NocoDB

The NocoDB web interface requires an initial administrator account setup. The first registered user becomes the Super Admin with full access to all workspaces and settings.

Open https://nocodb.example.com in a web browser. Replace nocodb.example.com with your configured domain.
On the Sign Up screen, enter your email and a strong password to create the Super Admin account.
After creating the account, NocoDB launches the onboarding wizard. Select your role, configure workspace preferences, and complete the personalization steps based on your requirements.
Click Next to proceed through each screen until the dashboard loads.

Create a Base and Test the API

NocoDB organizes data into bases (similar to databases) containing tables with customizable fields. Each table automatically generates REST API endpoints for CRUD operations.

Note

The following fields and records are example data used for demonstration purposes. You can create any table structure and records that match your use case.

From the dashboard, click + Create Base and enter Employee Directory as the name.
Click Create Base.
Inside the new base, click Create New Table (or + Create Table in the sidebar).
Enter Employees as the table name and click Create Table.
Add fields to the table by clicking the + button in the header row:
- Field name: Name, Type: Single line text
- Field name: Email, Type: Email
- Field name: Department, Type: Single line text
Add a sample record by clicking + New record or the empty row. Fill in:
- Name: Jane Smith
- Email: jane@example.com
- Department: Engineering
Generate an API token. Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner, select API Tokens. Click Create new token, enter a name (for example, test-token), and copy the generated token.
Find the table ID. In the sidebar under Tables, right-click the Employees table (not the view underneath it) and copy the table ID.

Test the API endpoint using curl. Replace nocodb.example.com with your domain, YOUR_API_TOKEN with the token you generated, and TABLE_ID with your table ID.

CONSOLE
$ curl -s -H "xc-token: YOUR_API_TOKEN" "https://nocodb.example.com/api/v2/tables/TABLE_ID/records" | jq
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Output:

{
  "list": [
    {
      "Id": 1,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:09+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:52+00:00",
      "Title": "Name",
      "Text": "Jane Smith"
    },
    {
      "Id": 2,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:27+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:57+00:00",
      "Title": "Email",
      "Text": "jane@example.com"
    },
    {
      "Id": 3,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:29+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:53:00+00:00",
      "Title": "Department",
      "Text": "Engineering"
    }
  ],
  "pageInfo": {
    "totalRows": 3,
    "page": 1,
    "pageSize": 25,
    "isFirstPage": true,
    "isLastPage": true
  }
}

The API returns the employee record in JSON format, confirming the deployment works correctly.

Conclusion

You have successfully deployed NocoDB on your server using Docker Compose, Traefik for HTTPS, and PostgreSQL for persistent storage. The instance is accessible through your configured domain and supports role-based permissions, API access, and multiple view types, including grid, form, Kanban, and gallery. The persistent volumes (./data and ./pgdata) retain application data and database files across container restarts and updates. For additional configuration details and advanced features, refer to the official NocoDB documentation.

Tags:Open Source Databases NocoDB Data & Storage

Set Up the Directory Structure, Configuration, and Environment Variables

NocoDB requires persistent directories for application data, database files, and TLS certificates. Environment variables configure domain routing and database credentials.

Create the project directory.

CONSOLE

$ mkdir -p ~/nocodb/{data,pgdata,letsencrypt}

This command creates the following directories:

data: Stores NocoDB configuration, metadata, and internal files.
pgdata: Persists PostgreSQL database files.
letsencrypt: Stores Traefik ACME certificates for HTTPS renewal.

Navigate to the project directory.

CONSOLE

$ cd ~/nocodb

Create a .env file to store environment variables.

CONSOLE

$ nano .env

Add the following environment variables:

INI
DOMAIN=nocodb.example.com
LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL=admin@example.com

POSTGRES_DB=postgres
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=strong_password
POSTGRES_USER=postgres
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Replace:

nocodb.example.com with your domain name.
admin@example.com with your email address.
strong_password with a strong database password.

Save and close the file.

Deploy with Docker Compose

Create a new Docker Compose file.

CONSOLE

$ nano docker-compose.yaml

Add the following manifest:

YAML
services:
    traefik:
        image: traefik:v3.6
        container_name: traefik
        command:
          - "--providers.docker=true"
          - "--providers.docker.exposedbydefault=false"
          - "--entrypoints.web.address=:80"
          - "--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443"
          - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.to=websecure"
          - "--entrypoints.web.http.redirections.entrypoint.scheme=https"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.httpchallenge=true"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.httpchallenge.entrypoint=web"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.email=${LETSENCRYPT_EMAIL}"
          - "--certificatesresolvers.letsencrypt.acme.storage=/letsencrypt/acme.json"
        ports:
          - "80:80"
          - "443:443"
        volumes:
          - "./letsencrypt:/letsencrypt"
          - "/var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock:ro"
        restart: unless-stopped

    db:
        image: postgres:16
        container_name: nocodb-db
        hostname: root_db
        environment:
          POSTGRES_DB: ${POSTGRES_DB}
          POSTGRES_USER: ${POSTGRES_USER}
          POSTGRES_PASSWORD: ${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}
        volumes:
          - "./pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data"
        healthcheck:
          test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "${POSTGRES_USER}", "-d", "${POSTGRES_DB}"]
          interval: 10s
          timeout: 5s
          retries: 5
        restart: unless-stopped

    nocodb:
        image: nocodb/nocodb:0.301.2
        container_name: nocodb
        depends_on:
          db:
            condition: service_healthy
        environment:
            NC_DB: "pg://db:5432?u=${POSTGRES_USER}&p=${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}&d=${POSTGRES_DB}"
        volumes:
          - "./data:/usr/app/data"
        expose:
          - "8080"
        labels:
          - "traefik.enable=true"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.rule=Host(`${DOMAIN}`)"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.entrypoints=websecure"
          - "traefik.http.routers.nocodb.tls.certresolver=letsencrypt"
          - "traefik.http.services.nocodb.loadbalancer.server.port=8080"
        restart: unless-stopped
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Save and close the file.

In the above manifest:

services: Defines three containers that Docker Compose manages:
- traefik: Acts as the reverse proxy, router, and TLS termination layer.
- db: Hosts the PostgreSQL database backend for NocoDB.
- nocodb: Runs the NocoDB application server.
image: Specifies the container image for each service.
container_name: Assigns a fixed name to each container, making it easier to reference when checking logs or managing containers.
command (Traefik): Configures Traefik's core behavior, including Docker discovery, entry points for HTTP/HTTPS traffic, automatic HTTP-to-HTTPS redirection, and Let's Encrypt certificate generation.
ports (Traefik): Exposes ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS) on the host so Traefik can route external traffic to your services.
environment (db): Passes PostgreSQL database name, username, and password from the .env file.
environment (nocodb): Configures the NC_DB connection string to connect NocoDB to the PostgreSQL database.
healthcheck (db): Verifies PostgreSQL is ready to accept connections before NocoDB starts.
depends_on (nocodb): Ensures the database container is healthy before starting NocoDB.
expose (nocodb): Makes the internal container port (8080) visible to Traefik without publishing the port directly to the host.
volumes:
- Host bind mounts (./data, ./pgdata, ./letsencrypt) persist application data, database files, and TLS certificates.
- The Docker socket (/var/run/docker.sock) allows Traefik to automatically detect running services.
labels (nocodb): Registers the NocoDB container with Traefik and configures how Traefik routes HTTPS traffic based on the domain name.
restart: unless-stopped: Ensures all services restart automatically unless you stop them manually.

Create and start the services.

CONSOLE

$ docker compose up -d

Verify that the services are running.

CONSOLE

$ docker compose ps

Output:

NAME        IMAGE                  COMMAND                  SERVICE   CREATED          STATUS                    PORTS
nocodb      nocodb/nocodb:0.301.2  "/usr/bin/dumb-init …"   nocodb    16 seconds ago   Up 4 seconds              8080/tcp
nocodb-db   postgres:16            "docker-entrypoint.s…"   db        16 seconds ago   Up 15 seconds (healthy)   5432/tcp
traefik     traefik:v3.6           "/entrypoint.sh --pr…"   traefik   16 seconds ago   Up 15 seconds             0.0.0.0:80->80/tcp, [::]:80->80/tcp, 0.0.0.0:443->443/tcp, [::]:443->443/tcp

View the logs for the services.

CONSOLE

$ docker compose logs

For more information on managing Docker Compose stack, see the How To Use Docker Compose article.

Access and Configure NocoDB

The NocoDB web interface requires an initial administrator account setup. The first registered user becomes the Super Admin with full access to all workspaces and settings.

Open https://nocodb.example.com in a web browser. Replace nocodb.example.com with your configured domain.

On the Sign Up screen, enter your email and a strong password to create the Super Admin account.

After creating the account, NocoDB launches the onboarding wizard. Select your role, configure workspace preferences, and complete the personalization steps based on your requirements.

Click Next to proceed through each screen until the dashboard loads.

Create a Base and Test the API

NocoDB organizes data into bases (similar to databases) containing tables with customizable fields. Each table automatically generates REST API endpoints for CRUD operations.

Note

The following fields and records are example data used for demonstration purposes. You can create any table structure and records that match your use case.

From the dashboard, click + Create Base and enter Employee Directory as the name.

Click Create Base.

Inside the new base, click Create New Table (or + Create Table in the sidebar).

Enter Employees as the table name and click Create Table.

Add fields to the table by clicking the + button in the header row:

Field name: Name, Type: Single line text
Field name: Email, Type: Email
Field name: Department, Type: Single line text

Add a sample record by clicking + New record or the empty row. Fill in:

Name: Jane Smith
Email: jane@example.com
Department: Engineering

Generate an API token. Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner, select API Tokens. Click Create new token, enter a name (for example, test-token), and copy the generated token.

Find the table ID. In the sidebar under Tables, right-click the Employees table (not the view underneath it) and copy the table ID.

Test the API endpoint using curl. Replace nocodb.example.com with your domain, YOUR_API_TOKEN with the token you generated, and TABLE_ID with your table ID.

CONSOLE
$ curl -s -H "xc-token: YOUR_API_TOKEN" "https://nocodb.example.com/api/v2/tables/TABLE_ID/records" | jq
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Output:

{
  "list": [
    {
      "Id": 1,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:09+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:52+00:00",
      "Title": "Name",
      "Text": "Jane Smith"
    },
    {
      "Id": 2,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:27+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:57+00:00",
      "Title": "Email",
      "Text": "jane@example.com"
    },
    {
      "Id": 3,
      "CreatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:52:29+00:00",
      "UpdatedAt": "2026-02-02 22:53:00+00:00",
      "Title": "Department",
      "Text": "Engineering"
    }
  ],
  "pageInfo": {
    "totalRows": 3,
    "page": 1,
    "pageSize": 25,
    "isFirstPage": true,
    "isLastPage": true
  }
}

The API returns the employee record in JSON format, confirming the deployment works correctly.

Conclusion

How to Deploy NocoDB – Open-Source Airtable Alternative

Prerequisites

Set Up the Directory Structure, Configuration, and Environment Variables

Deploy with Docker Compose

Access and Configure NocoDB

Create a Base and Test the API

Note

Conclusion

About the Author

Angel Twumasi

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0 Comments

How to Deploy NocoDB – Open-Source Airtable Alternative

Prerequisites

Set Up the Directory Structure, Configuration, and Environment Variables

Deploy with Docker Compose

Access and Configure NocoDB

Create a Base and Test the API

Note

Conclusion

About the Author

Angel Twumasi

More to Explore

Tech Talk: Running a Self-Improving AI Agent with Hermes on Vultr

Tech Talk: Implementing Fine-Grained Access Control with Vultr IAM

Tech Talk: Getting Started with Vultr IAM

Tech Talk: Simplifying Zero-Trust Networking with NetBird on Vultr Marketplace

0 Comments