Layer 3 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host GrowthBook
The docs say 2 GB. In practice you want 4 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 LaunchDarkly alternatives, where GrowthBook is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is LaunchDarkly free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | 2 GB |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 4 GB |
| CPU | 2 vCPU |
| Disk | Small — it queries your warehouse rather than storing events |
| Monthly cost | $20–35/mo, against LaunchDarkly pricing that starts high and scales per seat and per MAU |
| Setup time | 2 hours |
| How you install it | docker compose — app, MongoDB, and a connection to your existing data warehouse |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low to moderate. |
| Where it stops scaling | Large experiment volumes, because the heavy lifting happens in your warehouse rather than in GrowthBook. |
The thing that catches people out
The architecture is its best feature and the thing people miss: GrowthBook does not ingest your events, it queries your warehouse where they already are. That means no duplicate data pipeline — but it also means experiment results are only as good as the warehouse behind them, and a badly modelled events table produces confidently wrong statistics. Validate one experiment by hand before trusting the platform.
When not to self-host GrowthBook
You have no data warehouse. GrowthBook assumes your events live somewhere queryable; without that, it has nothing to analyse.
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 GrowthBook actually need?
- 4 GB in practice. The documented minimum is 2 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 GrowthBook cost per month?
- $20–35/mo, against LaunchDarkly pricing that starts high and scales per seat and per MAU This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for low to moderate.
- How long does it take to set up GrowthBook?
- 2 hours, via docker compose — app, MongoDB, and a connection to your existing data warehouse.
- When should I NOT self-host GrowthBook?
- You have no data warehouse. GrowthBook assumes your events live somewhere queryable; without that, it has nothing to analyse.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting GrowthBook?
- The architecture is its best feature and the thing people miss: GrowthBook does not ingest your events, it queries your warehouse where they already are. That means no duplicate data pipeline — but it also means experiment results are only as good as the warehouse behind them, and a badly modelled events table produces confidently wrong statistics. Validate one experiment by hand before trusting the platform.