[How-To] Install Uptime Kuma on Ubuntu 24 LTS VM

Purpose

This doc will walk through steps to install Uptime Kuma on a Ubuntu 24 LTS VM.

Prerequisites

List of prerequisites:

Sudo user
Ubuntu 24 LTS VM

Full Installation Guide for Uptime Kuma on Ubuntu 24.04

Uptime Kuma is a self-hosted monitoring tool similar to Uptime Robot. It provides an easy-to-use web UI for monitoring services, websites, and endpoints.

Step 1: Prepare the Ubuntu VM

Ensure your Ubuntu VM is fully updated:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install necessary dependencies:

sudo apt install -y curl nano git unzip

Step 2: Install Node.js & NPM

Uptime Kuma requires Node.js (LTS version). Install Node.js 18+ using nvm (Node Version Manager):

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/nvm-sh/nvm/v0.39.4/install.sh | bash
source ~/.bashrc
nvm install 18

Verify the installation:

node -v
npm -v

✅ You should see versions 18.x.x for Node.js and a matching npm version.

Step 3: Create a Dedicated User (Optional)

For security, it's recommended to run Uptime Kuma as a separate user:

sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash uptimekuma

Switch to the user:

sudo su - uptimekuma

Step 4: Download and Install Uptime Kuma

Clone the Uptime Kuma repository:

git clone https://github.com/louislam/uptime-kuma.git
cd uptime-kuma

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build Uptime Kuma:

npm run setup

Step 5: Run Uptime Kuma Manually (First Test)

Run Uptime Kuma to check if it works:

node server/server.js

You should see output similar to:

Listening on http://127.0.0.1:3001

✅ Open a browser and go to:

http://your-server-ip:3001

If it works, press CTRL + C to stop it and continue to the next step.

Step 6: Create a Systemd Service

To keep Uptime Kuma running in the background, create a systemd service:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/uptime-kuma.service

Paste the following:

[Unit]
Description=Uptime Kuma
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=uptimekuma
WorkingDirectory=/home/uptimekuma/uptime-kuma
ExecStart=/usr/bin/node server/server.js
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and exit (CTRL+X, then Y, then Enter).

Reload systemd and enable the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload sudo systemctl enable --now uptime-kuma

Check if it’s running:

sudo systemctl status uptime-kuma

✅ You should see "Active: running".

Step 7: Access Uptime Kuma

Open a browser and go to:

Follow the setup wizard to create an admin account.

Step 8: (Optional) Set Up Reverse Proxy with Nginx

If you want to access Uptime Kuma via a domain name (e.g., status.yourdomain.com), set up Nginx as a reverse proxy.

1. Install Nginx

sudo apt install -y nginx

2. Configure Nginx for Uptime Kuma

Create a new Nginx config:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma

Add the following:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name status.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3001;
        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;
    }
}

Save and exit.

3. Enable the Configuration

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/uptime-kuma /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test and restart Nginx:

sudo nginx -t sudo systemctl restart nginx

✅ Now, Uptime Kuma is accessible at http://status.yourdomain.com.

Step 9: (Optional) Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

To secure Uptime Kuma with HTTPS, use Certbot:

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Run:

sudo certbot --nginx -d status.yourdomain.com

Certbot will automatically apply an SSL certificate.

Now, access:

https://status.yourdomain.com

✅ Done! 🎉

Final Notes

Data Location: All Uptime Kuma data is stored in /home/uptimekuma/uptime-kuma/data/
Backup: Regularly back up the data/ folder.

Updating Uptime Kuma:

sudo su - uptimekuma cd uptime-kuma git pull npm install npm run setup sudo systemctl restart uptime-kuma