Self-host Penpot
- License
- MPL-2.0
- GitHub stars
- 62,170, as of 8 Nov 2026
- Latest release
- 2.18.6, as of 8 Nov 2026
- Host needs
- Not stated in official docs
- Install method
- Docker Compose
- One-click template
- Available
- License: MPL-2.0.
- Last commit: 8 Nov 2026 05:53 SGT, as of 8 Nov 2026. The repository is not archived.
- GitHub stars, as of 8 Nov 2026: 62,170. Latest release, as of 8 Nov 2026: 2.18.6, published 5 Nov 2026 01:11 SGT.
Requirements
The recommended settings page gives a sizing figure and no minimum: "4 CPUs and 16GB of RAM are sufficient to support thousands of users."
It adds that "you can also be conservative when allocating resources to the instance." A minimum CPU or RAM figure is not stated in the official docs we read.
On disk, the page says "Disk requirements depend on your usage, with the primary factors being database storage and user-uploaded files."
For the database it advises you to "start with a minimum database size of 50GB to 100GB with elastic sizing capability", which "should adequately support up to 10 editors".
Docker or Docker Compose
The official guide is Install with Docker.
It warns that running your own instance "requires some technical knowledge: Docker and Docker Compose, basic DNS management, and proxy configuration."
The official compose file pins the frontend image as "penpotapp/frontend:${PENPOT_VERSION:-2.18}".
Hosting options
A Railway template for Penpot is at railway.com/deploy/penpot, created by Şükrü.
It was created on 14 Nov 2025 and showed "Total Projects 65" on 17 Oct 2026.
It runs penpotapp/frontend:latest, penpotapp/backend:latest, penpotapp/exporter, minio/minio:latest and valkey/valkey:8.1.
The template's frontend and backend images use the latest tag, while the official compose file defaults to 2.18 through PENPOT_VERSION.
That sizing figure of 4 CPUs and 16GB of RAM is far above the Railway Free limit of "0.5 GB RAM per service".
Affiliate disclosure: Forkshelf earns a commission if you sign up for Railway through the links marked "Paid link" on this page. This does not change the order or content of any guide here.
To get started, create a Railway account (Paid link).
Backups and updates
Backups: the "Backup Penpot" section of the Docker guide says "Penpot uses Docker volumes to store all persistent data."
It goes on: "This also means you need to do regular backups of the contents of the volumes. You cannot directly copy the contents of the volume data folder."
Updates: the "Update Penpot" section of the same guide pulls new images with "docker compose -f docker-compose.yaml pull".
It adds: "It is strongly recommended to update the Penpot version in small increments, rather than updating between two distant versions."
Alternatives
Penpot is listed on open-source alternatives to Figma.
Compare it in Figma vs Penpot.