Layer 3 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host Docmost
The docs say 1 GB. In practice you want 2 GB. Here is the honest version — real requirements, real monthly cost, what you will be maintaining, and the one thing that catches people out.
Usually reached from Confluence alternatives, where Docmost is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is Confluence free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 1 GB |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 2 GB |
| CPU | 2 vCPU |
| Disk | Content plus attachments — modest unless you upload heavily |
| Monthly cost | $12/mo for a small team, against Confluence or Notion per-seat pricing |
| Setup time | 1 hour |
| How you install it | docker compose — app, PostgreSQL, Redis |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low. Younger project, so read release notes before upgrading. |
| Where it stops scaling | Small and mid-size teams comfortably. |
The thing that catches people out
Import from Confluence and Notion is partial in practice. Page trees, nested databases and macros do not survive cleanly, and the cleanup is manual. Export a representative sample and import it before committing the whole wiki — the migration effort, not the tool, is what usually decides this one.
When not to self-host Docmost
Your documentation is deeply entangled with Jira or Notion databases. Those integrations are the lock-in and they do not port.
Every guide here carries this section. A site that only ever tells you to self-host is selling something — the useful answer is sometimes no.
Other Layer 3 self-hosting guides
Common questions
- How much RAM does Docmost actually need?
- 2 GB in practice. The documented minimum is 1 GB, which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 2 vCPU alongside it.
- What does self-hosting Docmost cost per month?
- $12/mo for a small team, against Confluence or Notion per-seat pricing This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for low. Younger project, so read release notes before upgrading.
- How long does it take to set up Docmost?
- 1 hour, via docker compose — app, PostgreSQL, Redis.
- When should I NOT self-host Docmost?
- Your documentation is deeply entangled with Jira or Notion databases. Those integrations are the lock-in and they do not port.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting Docmost?
- Import from Confluence and Notion is partial in practice. Page trees, nested databases and macros do not survive cleanly, and the cleanup is manual. Export a representative sample and import it before committing the whole wiki — the migration effort, not the tool, is what usually decides this one.