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PropOps ships as a fully containerised application. Docker Compose brings up the web server, MySQL database, and phpMyAdmin in a single command. You do not need to install PHP, Apache, or MySQL directly on the host.
PropOps is licensed software. Each self-hosted instance requires a valid licence key issued by PropOps Technologies Ltd. Contact hello@propops.app to obtain a licence before deploying.

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Minimum server requirements

ResourceMinimumRecommended
CPU2 vCPU4 vCPU
RAM2 GB4 GB
Disk20 GB SSD40 GB+ SSD
OSUbuntu 22.04 LTSUbuntu 22.04 LTS
Docker24.xlatest stable
Docker Composev2.xlatest stable
Open ports80, 44380, 443
Disk usage grows over time as photos, documents, and certificate uploads accumulate. Monitor /uploads and expand storage before it fills. For production deployments, mount a cloud block device (e.g. AWS EBS, Hetzner Volume) at the uploads path.

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Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure the following are installed on the host:
1

Install Docker

Follow the official Docker installation guide for your OS:
# Ubuntu / Debian
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com | sh
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
# Log out and back in to apply group membership
2

Install Docker Compose v2

Docker Compose v2 ships as a plugin in modern Docker installations:
docker compose version
# Should output: Docker Compose version v2.x.x
If not available, install the plugin:
sudo apt-get install docker-compose-plugin
3

Point your domain

Create an A record in your DNS provider pointing your domain (e.g. propops.yourcompany.com) to your server’s IP address. This is needed for HTTPS setup later.

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Installation

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1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/PropOps-Technologies-Ltd/PropOps-Web.git
cd PropOps-Web

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2. Create the environment file

Copy the example environment file and populate your values: 
cp .env.example .env
nano .env
The following variables are required: 
# ─── Database ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
DB_HOST=db
DB_NAME=dynamo_system
DB_USER=dynamo_user
DB_PASS=your_strong_db_password          # Change this
DB_ROOT_PASS=your_strong_root_password   # Change this

# ─── Application ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
APP_URL=https://propops.yourcompany.com  # Your public URL — no trailing slash
APP_ENV=production                       # production | development
APP_KEY=                                 # 32-character random string (see below)
APP_DEBUG=false

# ─── Licence ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
LICENCE_KEY=your_licence_key_here        # Issued by PropOps Technologies Ltd

# ─── Mail (SMTP) ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
MAIL_HOST=smtp.mailgun.org
MAIL_PORT=587
MAIL_USERNAME=postmaster@mg.yourcompany.com
MAIL_PASSWORD=your_smtp_password
MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS=noreply@yourcompany.com
MAIL_FROM_NAME="PropOps"
MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls

# ─── Push Notifications (optional) ─────────────────────────────────────────
VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY=                        # Generate with: npm run generate-vapid
VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY=
VAPID_SUBJECT=mailto:you@yourcompany.com

# ─── WhatsApp (optional) ────────────────────────────────────────────────────
WHATSAPP_API_URL=
WHATSAPP_API_TOKEN=
WHATSAPP_PHONE_ID=

# ─── AI (optional) ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
GEMINI_API_KEY=                          # Google Gemini API key for AI analysis
Generate a 32-character app key: 
openssl rand -hex 16

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3. Start the containers

docker compose up -d
This pulls images, builds the PHP/Apache container, initialises the database schema, and starts all services. The first run takes a few minutes. Verify all containers are running: 
docker compose ps
Expected output: 
NAME               IMAGE               STATUS         PORTS
propops-web-1      propops-web         running        0.0.0.0:8080->80/tcp
propops-db-1       mysql:8.0           running        3306/tcp
propops-phpmyadmin phpmyadmin          running        0.0.0.0:8081->80/tcp

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4. Run the database migrations

On first boot the schema is applied automatically. For upgrades, apply any pending migrations: 
docker compose exec web php scripts/migrate.php

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5. Set file permissions

The application needs write access to the uploads directory: 
docker compose exec web chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/uploads
docker compose exec web chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/uploads

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HTTPS with a reverse proxy

PropOps must be served over HTTPS in production. The recommended approach is to place Nginx with Certbot (Let’s Encrypt) in front of the Docker containers.

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Install Nginx and Certbot

sudo apt-get install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

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Create the Nginx site config

server {
    server_name propops.yourcompany.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass         http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        proxy_set_header   Host              $host;
        proxy_set_header   X-Real-IP         $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-For   $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header   X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_read_timeout 120s;
        client_max_body_size 50M;
    }
}
Save to /etc/nginx/sites-available/propops and enable it: 
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/propops /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

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Issue an SSL certificate

sudo certbot --nginx -d propops.yourcompany.com
Certbot automatically modifies your Nginx config to redirect HTTP to HTTPS and configure the certificate. Certificates auto-renew every 90 days.

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Managing the containers

TaskCommand
Start all servicesdocker compose up -d
Stop all servicesdocker compose down
View logs (all)docker compose logs -f
View web logs onlydocker compose logs -f web
Restart web containerdocker compose restart web
Open a shell in the containerdocker compose exec web bash
Apply a database migrationdocker compose exec web php scripts/migrate.php
Clear application cachedocker compose exec web php scripts/clear-cache.php

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Upgrading

# 1. Pull the latest code
git pull origin main

# 2. Rebuild and restart containers
docker compose up -d --build

# 3. Apply any new migrations
docker compose exec web php scripts/migrate.php
Always back up your database and uploads directory before upgrading. Migrations that alter the schema cannot be reversed automatically.

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Backups

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Database backup

docker compose exec db mysqldump \
  -u dynamo_user -p"your_db_password" dynamo_system \
  > backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

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Uploads backup

tar -czf uploads-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz uploads/
Schedule both in cron to run nightly: 
crontab -e
# Add:
0 2 * * * cd /path/to/PropOps-Web && docker compose exec -T db mysqldump -u dynamo_user -p"your_db_password" dynamo_system > /backups/db-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sql
0 3 * * * tar -czf /backups/uploads-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).tar.gz /path/to/PropOps-Web/uploads/

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Firewall rules

At a minimum, expose only the ports your reverse proxy needs: 
sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'   # ports 80 and 443
sudo ufw enable
Do not expose port 3306 (MySQL) or 8081 (phpMyAdmin) directly to the internet. Access phpMyAdmin through an SSH tunnel if needed: 
ssh -L 8081:localhost:8081 user@your-server-ip
# Then open http://localhost:8081 in your browser

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First-time configuration

Once the application is running:
  1. Navigate to https://propops.yourcompany.com — you will see the PropOps login screen.
  2. Sign in with the default admin credentials created during schema initialisation.
  3. Go to Admin → Settings → General to set your organisation name, logo, and default VAT rate.
  4. Go to Admin → Branches to create your first branch.
  5. Go to Admin → Users to invite staff members and configure roles.
  6. Review Admin → Settings → Email to confirm your SMTP configuration is sending correctly.
PropOps includes a built-in maintenance mode. While performing upgrades or configuration changes you can enable it from Admin → Settings → Maintenance Mode or via the API (POST /api/system/maintenance-mode). Authenticated staff still have access; all other users see a maintenance screen.

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Troubleshooting

Check for port conflicts — another process may already be using port 8080 or 3306:
sudo lsof -i :8080
sudo lsof -i :3306
Review container logs for the error:
docker compose logs web
docker compose logs db
Ensure the db container is healthy before the web container starts. Check:
docker compose ps
The db service should show healthy. If it shows starting, wait 30–60 seconds and try again. The web container has a depends_on declaration for db, but depends_on only waits for the container to start, not for MySQL to be ready to accept connections.
Check that the uploads directory is writable by www-data:
docker compose exec web ls -la /var/www/html/uploads
# Owner should be www-data
Also check your Nginx client_max_body_size setting — the default is 1 MB, which is too small for most document uploads. Set it to at least 50M.
Ensure VAPID_PUBLIC_KEY, VAPID_PRIVATE_KEY, and VAPID_SUBJECT are set in .env. Generate new VAPID keys if needed:
docker compose exec web npm run generate-vapid
HTTPS is required for push notifications — they will not work on plain HTTP.
Test your SMTP configuration from inside the container:
docker compose exec web php scripts/test-email.php you@yourcompany.com
Check APP_URL is set to your public HTTPS URL. Links in emails are built from this value.