Self-host Uptime Kuma

Choose Webhook to use exe.dev's email gateway:

• Post URL: http://169.254.169.254/gateway/email/send
• HTTP Method: POST
• Request Body: Custom Body

Paste this body, replacing you@example.com with your exe.dev email address:

{"to":"you@example.com","subject":"Uptime Kuma alert","body":{{ msg | json }}}

Enable Additional Headers and paste:

{"Content-Type":"application/json"}

Then use Test and Save as above. No SMTP password to dig up.

Create a VM#

On your computer (pick another name if my-uptime-kuma is taken):

ssh exe.dev new --name=my-uptime-kuma
ssh my-uptime-kuma.exe.xyz

All remaining installation commands run on the VM, as exedev.

Start Uptime Kuma#

Enable Docker at boot so monitoring comes back after a reboot:

sudo systemctl enable --now docker.service
mkdir -p ~/uptime-kuma && cd ~/uptime-kuma
cat > compose.yaml <<'EOF'
name: uptime-kuma
services:
  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:2
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      UPTIME_KUMA_DB_TYPE: sqlite
    ports: ["8000:3001"]
    volumes: ["./data:/app/data"]
  status-proxy:
    image: nginx:stable-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports: ["8080:8080"]
    volumes: ["./status-proxy.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf:ro"]
    depends_on: [uptime-kuma]
EOF

cat > status-proxy.conf <<'EOF'
server {
    listen 8080;
    absolute_redirect off;
    resolver 127.0.0.11 valid=30s;
    set $kuma http://uptime-kuma:3001;

    location = / { return 302 /status/status; }

    location ~ ^/(status/|api/status-page/|api/badge/|assets/|upload/) {
        limit_except GET HEAD { deny all; }
        proxy_pass $kuma;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
    }
    location ~ ^/[^/]+\.(svg|png|ico|json|txt|js)$ {
        limit_except GET HEAD { deny all; }
        proxy_pass $kuma;
    }
    location / { return 404; }
}
EOF

docker compose up -d --wait --wait-timeout 180
docker compose ps
printf 'Dashboard: https://%s.exe.xyz:8000/\n' "$(hostname)"

Both services should be Up, with Kuma healthy. The HTTPS proxy handles HTTPS and exe.dev login. The nginx proxy lets you publish status pages later without exposing the dashboard.

Set up nightly backups#

This copies SQLite safely while Kuma keeps watching, checks the copy, and keeps two weeks of backups:

cat > backup.sh <<'EOF'
#!/bin/sh
set -eu
umask 077
cd "$(dirname "$0")"
mkdir -p -m 700 backups
out="backups/uptime-kuma-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).tar.gz"
docker compose exec -T uptime-kuma sh -eu -c '
  work=$(mktemp -d)
  trap "rm -rf \"$work\"" EXIT
  sqlite3 /app/data/kuma.db ".backup $work/kuma.db"
  test "$(sqlite3 "$work/kuma.db" "PRAGMA integrity_check;")" = ok
  cp -a /app/data/db-config.json /app/data/upload /app/data/docker-tls "$work/"
  tar -C "$work" -czf - .
' > "$out.tmp"
mv "$out.tmp" "$out"
find backups -name 'uptime-kuma-*.tar.gz' -mtime +14 -delete
EOF
chmod +x backup.sh

sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/uptime-kuma-backup.service >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Back up Uptime Kuma
After=docker.service

[Service]
Type=oneshot
User=exedev
ExecStart=/home/exedev/uptime-kuma/backup.sh
EOF
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/uptime-kuma-backup.timer >/dev/null <<'EOF'
[Unit]
Description=Back up Uptime Kuma nightly

[Timer]
OnCalendar=daily
Persistent=true

[Install]
WantedBy=timers.target
EOF
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now uptime-kuma-backup.timer
sudo systemctl start uptime-kuma-backup.service
systemctl list-timers uptime-kuma-backup.timer
gzip -t backups/*.tar.gz

The timer should list its next run; gzip exits silently on success. You're ready for the dashboard. Create your account and try the walkthrough above.

To take an extra backup, on the VM:

cd ~/uptime-kuma
./backup.sh

Restore#

Pick an archive in backups/ and substitute its filename below. On a new VM, run Install by hand first and copy your archive into that folder. These commands run on the VM; they set the current data aside rather than delete it:

cd ~/uptime-kuma
backup=backups/uptime-kuma-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.tar.gz
tar -tzf "$backup" >/dev/null &&
sudo systemctl stop uptime-kuma-backup.timer uptime-kuma-backup.service &&
docker compose stop uptime-kuma &&
sudo mv data "data.before-restore-$(date +%s)" &&
mkdir data &&
sudo tar -C data -xzf "$backup" &&
docker compose up -d --wait &&
sudo systemctl start uptime-kuma-backup.timer

Open the dashboard and check your monitors. Your account and notification settings return to how they were when the backup was taken.

On the VM, back up first, then pull and restart:

cd ~/uptime-kuma
./backup.sh && docker compose pull && docker compose up -d --wait

Reopen the dashboard and check your monitors. The 2 image tag keeps you on Uptime Kuma 2; read the release notes before changing major versions.

Start with the logs. On the VM:

cd ~/uptime-kuma
docker compose ps
docker compose logs --tail=50

• Down after a reboot? Run sudo systemctl enable --now docker.service.
• No email? Check your spam folder, the webhook's email address and headers, and the logs for Cannot send notification.
• Forgot your Kuma password? Run docker compose exec uptime-kuma npm run reset-password.
• Status page missing? Its slug must be status, or you'll need to change /status/status in status-proxy.conf and run docker compose restart status-proxy.