hello,
I’m lost because I’ve been trying to install Discourse for a few weeks now. The installation always goes well.
My domain test is fine.
My email is fine.
So my app.yml file is good.
My redirection points to my PC.
But when the installation is finished, I can’t access the web page.
I’ve tried different tutorials, but it’s still the same.
What points should I analyze to see where the problem is coming from?
Thank you for your help.
Sincerely,
Gilles
What shows up on the page? Does it not load, or is there a message displayed (e.g. a nginx error)?
The page does not load, which is really strange
For information, I did an installation with Docker
Is this a local dev install or a production install?
Production
We agree that production is for forum use, right?
Yes, sorry, I was just confirming, as you used the term
.
Just to be sure, you are running this on a VPS and not your own PC?
No, I run it on a mini PC with Ubuntu Server, to which my domain points.
Oh, did I mess up? 
Hmm… you should run your production install on a VPS on DigitalOcean or Hetzner or Contabo (or something similar).
If you want it to run on this PC, it will have to be turned on 24/7 for the forum to remain up. Additionally, running your own server may be against your ISP’s terms and conditions.
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I need to check, but the problem is that the forum is for an association and the cost of the VPS is usually too high.
What I find strange is that I should be able to connect to it even locally, right?
VPSs can come in around quite cheaply (~$6 a month), check out Contabo; they have cheap prices.
You can connect to your cloud server from your computer, but you shouldn’t run it on your computer.
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@NateDhaliwal is right. Generally you should use a VPS in the cloud.
However, a local install is still possible for Production, but it will be more complex and isn’t the “supported install”
Additionally, you should check the Terms of Service for your broadband provider as this usage may be against them.
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Okay, thank you for your answers. I still need to discuss with the association’s office.
A quick question for the road:
Which version of Ubuntu do you recommend if I use a VPS?
Ubuntu 24 LTS would be safe, I think. IIRC 20.04 isn’t the most updated one.
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Oh crikey. If you are doing this for a professional install, do not install this locally, use a VPS!
Local is fine for a hobby project but not something you are building for an organisation. Pass on the costs! All things considered, unless there is massive volume, you can keep the VPS costs to a relatively small proportion of overall costs. Human maintenance costs will far exceed the cost of the VPS.
(Way) back in the day (before cloud computing became popular) I remember we had a laptop at work running some overnight batch. One day the night cleaner knocked the cable out of the laptop by accident and in the morning the company had a huge data mess to clean up. Don’t be that guy. It’s 2025 now, use the appropriate tool for the job.
If all this is too much, use a hosting company.
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Thank you for your responses
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@gilles if your organisation feels safer with a French provider, consider someone like scaleway.com 
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So, I’m coming back to the subject
I rented a VPS at IONOS for testing
but my Discourse isn’t launching. My Nginx isn’t starting and I don’t see why
If someone has already encountered this case
thanks
I found my problem, it was my hosting provider’s subdomain that was down.
I recreated another subdomain and it’s working.
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Hi Gilles and welcome to our community! 
Sorry you had to spend a few weeks struggling to install Discourse. Did you follow the official install instructions? If not and you are not already familiar with the technology stack we use, then you can expect to have a long journey getting acquainted with it.
So I guess now you are a Discourse expert! 
I see scaleway.com is not on the recommended list. @merefield can you add a reply there to suggest it, if you recommend it?
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2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Recommended Hosting Providers for Self Hosters