How to Install and Configure Uptime Kuma with Docker Compose for Real-Time Service Monitoring

If you run websites, APIs, or critical online services, uptime is everything. Uptime Kuma is a lightweight, self-hosted monitoring solution with a clean web interface that helps you stay ahead of outages. In just a few steps, you can deploy it in Docker and start tracking your infrastructure’s health.

🚀 What is Uptime Kuma?

Uptime Kuma is like having your own status dashboard — it continuously checks your websites, servers, databases, and other endpoints, alerting you instantly if something goes down.
Key features include:

• Multiple check types: HTTP(s), Ping, TCP, DNS, and more.
• Real-time graphs and statistics.
• Customizable notifications (Telegram, Slack, Email, Discord, etc.).
• Easy deployment via Docker.

This makes it a perfect tool for system administrators, DevOps engineers, and business owners who want 24/7 peace of mind.

🛠 Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure:

• Docker and Docker Compose are installed on your server.
• You have SSH access to your machine.
• Ports 3001, 80, and 443 (if using HTTPS) are open.

Install Docker and Docker Compose if needed:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
sudo apt install -y docker.io docker-compose
sudo systemctl enable --now docker

📂 Step 1 – Create a Working Directory

Organize your deployment files in one place:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/uptime-kuma && cd /opt/uptime-kuma

📝 Step 2 – Create the docker-compose.yml File

Open the file in your editor:

sudo nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following configuration:

version: '3.8'

services:
  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:latest
    container_name: uptime-kuma
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3001:3001"
    volumes:
      - uptime-kuma-data:/app/data

volumes:
  uptime-kuma-data:

▶ Step 3 – Start the Container

Run Uptime Kuma in the background:

docker-compose up -d

Verify it’s running:

docker ps

Access the web interface at:

http://<server-ip>:3001

Replace <server-ip> with your actual server address.

⚙ Step 4 – Initial Setup

1. Open the Uptime Kuma web interface.

2. Create your admin account.

3. Add your first monitor:

   • Select a check type (HTTP, Ping, TCP, etc.).
   • Enter the target URL or IP.
   • Set the check interval.
   • Configure notification channels (Telegram, Slack, Email, etc.).

🔧 Step 5 – Managing Your Uptime Kuma Instance

• Stop the service:

docker-compose down

• Restart the container:

docker-compose restart uptime-kuma

• View logs:

docker-compose logs -f uptime-kuma

💾 Step 6 – Backup and Restore

Backup:

sudo tar -czvf uptime-kuma-backup.tar.gz /opt/uptime-kuma

Restore:

sudo tar -xzvf uptime-kuma-backup.tar.gz -C /opt/uptime-kuma
docker-compose up -d

🔄 Step 7 – Updating to the Latest Version

docker-compose pull uptime-kuma
docker-compose down
docker-compose up -d

💡 Pro Tip: You can set up Nginx as a reverse proxy with SSL for secure access via your domain, and use tools like Watchtower to automate container updates.

✅ Conclusion

With Uptime Kuma running, you now have a self-hosted monitoring dashboard that’s simple to manage, visually appealing, and highly reliable. Whether you’re monitoring a single website or an entire server cluster, you’ll be instantly alerted to downtime — helping you take action before it impacts your users.

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