Getting Started with Uptime Kuma: Docker Setup and Configuration Guide

Introduction

Uptime Kuma is one of the easiest self-hosted monitoring tools to deploy. In this tutorial, you will learn how to set up Uptime Kuma with Docker, configure your first monitors, set up notifications, and create a public status page - all in under 10 minutes.

Prerequisites

• A server with Docker and Docker Compose installed (any Linux distribution, macOS, or Windows with WSL2)
• At least 256MB of RAM and 1GB of disk space
• Port 8080 available on your host (or change the port mapping)

Step 1: Deploy with Docker

The quickest way to get started is with a single Docker command:

docker run -d --name uptime-kuma \
  -p 8080:8080 \
  -v ./uptime-kuma-data:/app/data \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  louislam/uptime-kuma:latest

This pulls the latest image, maps port 8080, creates a persistent volume for your data, and configures auto-restart. The entire setup takes about 30 seconds.

Step 2: Initial Setup

Open your browser and navigate to http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080. You will be greeted by the setup wizard:

1. Create an admin account with your email and a strong password
2. Set the default notification language
3. Configure your first monitor (see Step 3)

Step 3: Creating Your First Monitor

Click "Add New Monitor" and configure:

• Monitor Type: HTTP(s) for websites, TCP Port for services, Ping for network devices
• URL or Host: The endpoint you want to monitor (e.g., https://example.com)
• Friendly Name: A human-readable label
• Check Interval: How often to check (default: 60 seconds, minimum: 20 seconds)
• Retries: Number of failed checks before marking as down (default: 0)

Save the monitor and you will see live status updates on your dashboard within seconds.

Step 4: Setting Up Notifications

Go to Settings > Notification and click "Add Notification":

• Choose your provider (Telegram, Discord, Slack, Email, Signal, Pushover, etc.)
• Enter the required credentials (bot token, webhook URL, API keys)
• Test the notification to confirm it works
• Assign the notification to specific monitors or all monitors

Step 5: Create a Public Status Page

Navigate to Settings > Status Page and click "Add Status Page":

1. Give your status page a title (e.g., "My Services Status")
2. Select which monitors to display publicly
3. Customize the appearance with your logo and brand colors
4. Optionally configure a custom domain with SSL
5. Publish the page and share the URL with your users

Docker Compose Setup (Production)

For a more robust setup, use Docker Compose:

version: "3.8"
services:
  uptime-kuma:
    image: louislam/uptime-kuma:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - 8080:8080
    volumes:
      - ./data/uptime-kuma:/app/data

Save as docker-compose.yml and run docker compose up -d.

Conclusion

You now have a fully functional self-hosted monitoring system running in minutes. Uptime Kuma handles everything from basic uptime checks to SSL monitoring and public status pages. With its Docker-first design, maintaining and upgrading is as simple as pulling the latest image and restarting the container.