Server Requirements
Ensure your server meets these requirements for a smooth installation and operation of your Nextjs: Youtube Clone.
Welcome to the Server Requirements guide for NexTube – a YouTube-style video platform built with Next.js 15+, PostgreSQL, and Clerk.
This guide outlines the minimum specs and best hosting environments for running NexTube smoothly in production.
Important: You must use a VPS or a dedicated server to run NexTube. Shared hosting is not supported.
Core Requirements
NexTube depends on a modern Node.js runtime and PostgreSQL-compatible database service (such as Neon.tech).
Node.js Version: 18.x or later
PostgreSQL Version: 14.x or later
We strongly recommend using the latest LTS version of Node.js and PostgreSQL to ensure long-term security and compatibility.
Minimum Server Specifications
To ensure a smooth experience under typical traffic:
Memory: 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
CPU: 2 vCPUs or more
For testing, we use a 2 vCPU / 4 GB RAM VPS on Hetzner, which runs NexTube reliably under medium load.
Recommended VPS Providers
NexTube runs best on modern cloud-based VPS platforms. Below are our top suggestions:
VPS Hosting Options
- DigitalOcean  – Fast deployment, SSD storage
- Vultr  – Affordable and developer-friendly
- Hetzner  – Excellent EU-based performance
- Linode  – Balanced price and reliability
- Amazon EC2 (AWS)  – Scalable infrastructure
Shared hosting is not compatible. NexTube requires full access to the Node.js runtime, custom environment variables, and a build process.
Optional PaaS (Platform-as-a-Service)
Prefer managed deployments? Consider these:
- Render  – Great for hosting Node.js apps and PostgreSQL
- Railway  – Seamless CI/CD and DB hosting
- Heroku  – Simple deployment, but free tier deprecated
We recommend using Neon.tech or Railway to host your PostgreSQL database with NexTube.
Additional Requirements
- SSL/HTTPS: Required for production (free SSL via Let’s Encrypt )
- Environment Variables: NexTube uses
.envfor configuration. See Env Setup - Package Manager: Use
npmorpnpmto install dependencies - Process Manager (for backend): PM2  or
systemd
Required Ports
Ensure the following ports are allowed in your firewall configuration:
| Port | Purpose |
|---|---|
| 3000 | Default frontend port (dev) |
| 443 | HTTPS (production) |
| 80 | HTTP (for Let’s Encrypt setup) |
| 5432 | PostgreSQL (Neon or self-hosted) |
If you’re using Docker or a reverse proxy like Nginx, make sure to map and forward ports accordingly.
Web Server Compatibility
NexTube does not require a traditional web server, but we recommend using Nginx as a reverse proxy for production.
Nginx: Recommended for proxying requests and SSL
Apache: Not recommended unless proxying only
With Nginx, you can handle HTTPS, caching, and compression. See our deployment docs for configuration samples.
What’s Next?
Once your server meets these requirements, proceed to the next step:
Learn how to generate keys and configure your environment.Need help choosing a VPS or setting up production? Contact our support team.