🖥️Single Virtual Machine deployment

Get CARTO Self-Hosted running on a single VM with Kots in the shortest time possible

Single Virtual Machine deployment

This quickstart walks you through the minimum steps to deploy CARTO Self-Hosted on a single virtual machine using Kots. For a production-ready installation with full options and explanations, use the Single Virtual Machine deployment guide.

Quickstarts are not suitable for production. For a production-grade installation with full configuration options, use the Deployment Guides.

Before you begin

Complete every item below before starting. Each prerequisite has a dedicated setup guide. Do not skip them.

• License & customer package (including license.yaml) received from CARTO Support → License / Customer Package

• Virtual machine provisioned and meets the hardware requirements for Single VM deployments (Ubuntu 22.04 / Debian 11+, HTTPS port 443 open) → Hardware & Software Requirements

• Metadata database (PostgreSQL 14+) provisioned and accessible from the VM → Metadata Database prerequisites

• Object storage buckets created, CORS configured, and permissions set (Temp Bucket + Assets Bucket) → Object Storage prerequisites

• Network egress open for all required CARTO services → Network egress requirements

• A domain with DNS control and an SSL/TLS certificate (key without passphrase)

Steps

1. Provision the VM and point a DNS record at its external IP. A full domain is required (not a path like my.domain.com/carto).

2. Download and extract the package. From the customer package URL, select the CARTO Embedded Cluster installation and download the binary, then:

   tar -xvf carto.tgz

3. Install the Admin Console and set a password when prompted:

   sudo ./carto install --license license.yaml

   When it finishes, open the Admin Console at http://your-server-ip:30000 and configure its SSL certificate.

   The Admin Console runs over plain HTTP on port 30000 until you configure a TLS certificate. Restrict this port to your operations team's IP range via firewall/security group rules. Do not leave it open to the public internet. The console holds database credentials, storage keys, and API keys.

   To set up HTTPS for the Admin Console, see Updating TLS Certificates in the Replicated documentation.

4. Configure required settings in the Admin Console:

   • Metadata database — host, database, and credentials for your external PostgreSQL (plus its CA certificate for TLS).

   • Access to CARTO — your domain and its .crt / .key certificate.

   • Cloud Storage — your own buckets (see Configure your own buckets).

5. Deploy. Click Continue to reach the dashboard, review the environment checks, then click Deploy.

For optimal load balancer configuration in front of your Single VM, see Load balancing best practices.

Verify first success

Once deployment completes, confirm the following:

• The CARTO application loads at your configured domain over HTTPS

• You can log in with your admin credentials

• A basic map renders successfully

If any check fails, see Troubleshooting and Debug mode and logs.

Next steps

For a production-ready installation with full configuration options and post-install validation, follow the Single Virtual Machine deployment guide.