Must have
Hard prerequisites
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.
Application hosting
Hosting Open WebUI
Open WebUI is a self-hosted interface for working with language models through connected inference backends. Its official setup paths include Docker and Kubernetes, with persistent application data and a secret key that must survive container replacement. The project does not publish a universal CPU or memory minimum.
- Min vCPU
- Depends on workload
- Min memory
- Depends on workload
- Min storage
- Depends on workload
Recommended
Documented guidance
No further general recommendations are published for this version.
Capacity depends on your workload
Open WebUI does not publish a general CPU, RAM, or disk minimum. Requirements depend on its bundled components, user count, retained data, and whether inference runs on the same machine. GPU capacity is not required when the inference backend is hosted separately.
We only compare what providers publish. A RAM figure alone can't confirm compatibility or production capacity.
Deploy with
Supported paths
The host must provide
Runtime
- Container runtime
- Docker for the quick-start container path; Kubernetes for the Helm deployment path
- Inference backend
- Connect a supported remote or local model service; running inference locally has separate hardware requirements
- Persistent secret
- Set and retain WEBUI_SECRET_KEY across container recreation
Storage
Persistent data
Persist the application data directory at /app/backend/data. It holds application data such as users, settings, and chats. Size storage for retained conversations and any model or embedding assets stored with the chosen setup; the installation guide does not specify a universal disk size.
Step by step
Plan an Open WebUI deployment
-
Choose where inference runs
Decide whether models will run on this host or on a separate service. The WebUI container itself is an interface; local inference adds its own CPU, memory, and possibly GPU requirements.
Official instructions -
Keep data and the signing key
Mount persistent storage for /app/backend/data and set a strong WEBUI_SECRET_KEY that remains the same when updating or recreating the container.
Official instructions -
Prepare for shared use
Before exposing the service, configure authentication, persistent storage, backups, and monitoring. Use the project deployment guidance for a Kubernetes installation.
Official instructions
Security
Before you go public
- Do not expose an unauthenticated instance to the public internet.
- Store WEBUI_SECRET_KEY in server-side secrets and keep it stable across deployments.
- Back up the persistent data volume and restrict access to administrative accounts.
Cost
Beyond the server price
- Open WebUI software does not include the compute cost of a separately hosted inference backend.
- Budget for persistent storage, backups, and the host. A Kubernetes multi-replica deployment can require additional shared services described by the project documentation.
Matching plans
Plans with published evidence
DigitalOcean
CPU-Optimized Regular Droplet · 2 vCPU / 4 GiB
2vCPU
4 GiBRAM
25 GiBStorage
4 TBTransfer
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
DigitalOcean
General Purpose Droplet · 2 Dedicated vCPU / 8 GB
2vCPU
8 GBRAM
25 GBStorage
4 TBTransfer
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud
Hetzner Cloud CCX53 (Germany and Finland)
32vCPU
128 GBRAM
600 GBStorage
50 TBTransfer
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Hetzner Cloud
Hetzner Cloud CCX63 (Germany and Finland)
48vCPU
192 GBRAM
960 GBStorage
60 TBTransfer
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
Compatibility unclear from published plan data
Meeting documented runtime prerequisites does not prove production capacity. Traffic, workloads, software configuration, and shared host limits are not measured here.
- For the documented container path, run Docker; the quick-start supports Linux and macOS on x86_64 or ARM64, plus Windows through Docker Desktop.This prerequisite has no comparable published plan field.
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