Layer 5 · self-hosting reality check
What it actually takes to self-host Keila
The docs say not stated by the vendor. Cloudron packages Keila with a 512 MB memory limit for the app, with PostgreSQL as a separate shared service.. In practice you want 1–2 GB for Keila and PostgreSQL together. This is an estimate from the 512 MB app limit Cloudron uses plus a small database; Keila publishes no sizing of its own.. 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 Mailchimp alternatives, where Keila is one of the picks.
Wondering whether you need to at all? Is Mailchimp free? — what the free tier actually allows, and where the wall is.
| RAM — documented minimum | not stated by the vendor. Cloudron packages Keila with a 512 MB memory limit for the app, with PostgreSQL as a separate shared service. |
|---|---|
| RAM — what it really needs | 1–2 GB for Keila and PostgreSQL together. This is an estimate from the 512 MB app limit Cloudron uses plus a small database; Keila publishes no sizing of its own. |
| CPU | 1–2 vCPU; not stated by the vendor |
| Disk | Small. Contacts and campaign stats live in PostgreSQL, and uploaded images go in ./uploads, which you must mount as a volume or they disappear with the container. |
| Monthly cost | $6–12/mo on a 1–2 GB VPS, plus a sending service: Amazon SES is $0.10 per 1,000 emails |
| Setup time | An hour with Docker, plus DNS (SPF/DKIM) and sender setup at your email provider |
| How you install it | The official pentacent/keila Docker image with your own PostgreSQL and a reverse proxy that forwards WebSockets. The repo's compose file is for local testing only. Set DISABLE_REGISTRATION=true, or anyone can sign up. |
| Ongoing maintenance | Low. Pull the new image when a release lands (releases came in May, June and September 2026; the project is still pre-1.0) and keep your sender's domain authentication and bounce handling healthy. |
| Where it stops scaling | Not published. The app is one container and your email provider does the heavy sending, so the provider's rate limit and PostgreSQL are what you grow first. |
The thing that catches people out
Keila records bounces and spam complaints only through the webhooks of SES, Postmark, Mailgun and SendGrid. The plain SMTP sender has no bounce handling at all, an open issue as of September 2026. If you send through a mailbox or your own relay, dead addresses are never marked, and every campaign keeps mailing them until your sending reputation suffers. Use one of the API-backed senders with its webhooks set up, or clean bounced addresses out of your lists by hand after every send.
When not to self-host Keila
You need automation, lead scoring or multi-step campaigns: use Mautic. Also skip it if all you have is an SMTP mailbox and no SES, Postmark, Mailgun or SendGrid account, since bounce handling depends on them. Keila's hosted plan avoids the setup entirely.
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 5 self-hosting guides
- Self-hosting LibreOffice2 GB with a large spreadsheet open
- Self-hosting ONLYOFFICE6 GB for the Document Server with a handful of concurrent editors
- Self-hosting Collabora Online4 GB, and roughly 1 GB per 20 concurrent documents
- Self-hosting CryptPad2 GB for a small instance
- Self-hosting Mattermost4 GB for a team of 50 with PostgreSQL on the same box
- Self-hosting Rocket.Chat6 GB with MongoDB on the same machine
Common questions
- How much RAM does Keila actually need?
- 1–2 GB for Keila and PostgreSQL together. This is an estimate from the 512 MB app limit Cloudron uses plus a small database; Keila publishes no sizing of its own. in practice. The documented minimum is not stated by the vendor. Cloudron packages Keila with a 512 MB memory limit for the app, with PostgreSQL as a separate shared service., which is the figure at which the process starts rather than the figure at which it works under real use. 1–2 vCPU; not stated by the vendor alongside it.
- What does self-hosting Keila cost per month?
- $6–12/mo on a 1–2 GB VPS, plus a sending service: Amazon SES is $0.10 per 1,000 emails This is commodity VPS pricing and excludes your time, which is the larger cost for most people — budget for low. Pull the new image when a release lands (releases came in May, June and September 2026; the project is still pre-1.0) and keep your sender's domain authentication and bounce handling healthy.
- How long does it take to set up Keila?
- An hour with Docker, plus DNS (SPF/DKIM) and sender setup at your email provider, via The official pentacent/keila Docker image with your own PostgreSQL and a reverse proxy that forwards WebSockets. The repo's compose file is for local testing only. Set DISABLE_REGISTRATION=true, or anyone can sign up..
- When should I NOT self-host Keila?
- You need automation, lead scoring or multi-step campaigns: use Mautic. Also skip it if all you have is an SMTP mailbox and no SES, Postmark, Mailgun or SendGrid account, since bounce handling depends on them. Keila's hosted plan avoids the setup entirely.
- What is the most common mistake when self-hosting Keila?
- Keila records bounces and spam complaints only through the webhooks of SES, Postmark, Mailgun and SendGrid. The plain SMTP sender has no bounce handling at all, an open issue as of September 2026. If you send through a mailbox or your own relay, dead addresses are never marked, and every campaign keeps mailing them until your sending reputation suffers. Use one of the API-backed senders with its webhooks set up, or clean bounced addresses out of your lists by hand after every send.