Install FlowX on your own server

Before you start

Self-hosting is an add-on on the Business, Professional and Enterprise plans. Add it from Settings → Self-hosting in your cloud workspace. Once it is paid, an owner or admin can create the install command. Prepare one server:

• Linux: Ubuntu 22.04 or 24.04, Debian 12, or the RHEL 9 family.
• 4 CPUs, 8 GB RAM and 50 GB SSD recommended. It runs on 2 CPUs, 4 GB and 20 GB, but slowly under load.
• A name such as flowx.yourcompany.com with a DNS record pointing at the server.
• Ports 80 and 443 open to the people who will use FlowX.
• Outbound HTTPS to license.flowx.ninja and get.flowx.ninja. Nothing from FlowX connects in.
• Time sync (NTP) switched on. Docker is optional: the installer offers to install it.

A server reachable only inside your company network works too: choose your own certificate, or the internal-network option, during install.

Install in four steps

• 1. In your cloud workspace, open Settings → Self-hosting and choose Create install command. It works once, for 24 hours, and is shown only once. A new command cancels the earlier one.
• 2. Sign in to the server as a user who can use sudo, paste the command and press Enter. The installer checks the server first and tells you what to fix.
• 3. Answer three questions: the address people will open; the certificate (automatic and free, which needs ports 80 and 443 reachable from the internet; your own; or internal network, which makes browsers warn); and where files go (this server's disk, or an S3-compatible bucket you already have).
• 4. Keep Settings → Self-hosting open: it shows the server connecting, checking in and the first sign-in as each happens. Then open your address and sign in with your usual FlowX account.

The new server starts empty. Tasks, requests and files in the cloud workspace do not move to it by themselves; contact support before you switch if you need them there.

Right after install

• Store the recovery sheet the installer writes to /opt/flowx/RECOVERY.txt in a password manager or print it, then delete the file. It holds the only key that can decrypt your backups; FlowX has no copy.
• On the server's own FlowX, open Settings → Server and work through the checklist: email sending (SMTP), optional email intake (IMAP), files, backups, update window and safety. Every step has a Test button.

Everyday commands

Run these on the server with sudo:

• flowx status — what is running, which version, and the last backup.
• flowx doctor — a full checklist, with a fix for each problem it finds.
• flowx logs api --tail 200 — recent log lines of one service.
• flowx backup now — a verified, encrypted backup right away.
• flowx upgrade — takes a verified backup first, and rolls back by itself if the new version does not start. flowx rollback returns to the previous version by hand.
• flowx export — everything in standard formats, for when you leave or need a copy.

If something goes wrong

• The installer stops at the name check: the DNS record must point at this server's address. Changes can take up to an hour.
• The certificate fails: ports 80 and 443 must be reachable from the internet, or choose your own certificate.
• "Token expired or used": create a new install command in Settings → Self-hosting.
• Signature or time errors: switch on time sync (NTP) on the server.
• FlowX sign-in is unreachable: sessions already open keep working. The optional read-only break-glass admin (flowx break-glass) lets you read and export meanwhile.

Getting help

Use the Support button in FlowX to open a ticket. Run sudo flowx support-bundle on the server and attach the file: it holds redacted logs and health checks, never your workspace content, and you see what it contains before it is written.