This guide walks you through deploying MetaMCP on a DigitalOcean VPS running Ubuntu from scratch, as an example.

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Prerequisites

  • A DigitalOcean account
  • A domain name pointing to your VPS
  • Basic knowledge of Linux command line

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System Requirements

MetaMCP requires at least 2GB-4GB of memory for optimal performance. The larger the instance, the better the performance due to MCP server pre-allocation and Docker operations. Recommended DigitalOcean Droplet:
  • Basic/Regular: 2GB RAM, 1 vCPU, 50GB SSD ($12/month)
  • Better Performance: 4GB RAM, 2 vCPU, 80GB SSD ($24/month)

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Step 1: Create and Configure Your VPS

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1.1 Create a Droplet

  1. Log into your DigitalOcean account
  2. Click “Create” → “Droplets”
  3. Choose Ubuntu 22.04 LTS as the OS
  4. Select a plan with at least 2GB RAM
  5. Choose a datacenter region close to your users
  6. Add your SSH key for secure access
  7. Create the droplet

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1.2 Initial Server Setup

Connect to your server via SSH: 
ssh root@your_server_ip
Update the system: 
apt update && apt upgrade -y
Install essential packages: 
apt install -y curl wget git ufw nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx
Configure firewall: 
ufw allow OpenSSH
ufw allow 'Nginx Full'
ufw enable
Create a non-root user (optional but recommended): 
adduser metamcp
usermod -aG sudo metamcp
# Switch to the new user
su - metamcp

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Step 2: Install Docker and Docker Compose

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2.1 Install Docker

First, update your package index and install prerequisites: 
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y apt-transport-https ca-certificates curl gnupg lsb-release
Add Docker’s official GPG key and repository: 
curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | sudo apt-key add -
sudo add-apt-repository "deb [arch=amd64] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable"
Install Docker CE: 
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y docker-ce
Verify Docker is running: 
sudo systemctl status docker

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2.2 Install Docker Compose

Download and install Docker Compose: 
sudo curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

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2.3 Configure Docker User (Optional)

To run Docker commands without sudo: 
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
Log out and back in for group changes to take effect, or run: 
newgrp docker

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Step 3: Deploy MetaMCP

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3.1 Clone the Repository

cd /opt
sudo git clone https://github.com/metatool-ai/metamcp.git
sudo chown -R $USER:$USER metamcp
cd metamcp

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3.2 Configure Environment

cp example.env .env
Edit the .env file with your domain and settings: 
nano .env
⚠️ IMPORTANT SECURITY NOTE: Because this is a production environment, make sure you modify POSTGRES_PASSWORD and BETTER_AUTH_SECRET from their default values. Also ensure you use HTTPS. A typical way to generate secure secrets is: 
openssl rand -hex 32 | base64
Key configurations to update: 
# Your domain URL (MUST use HTTPS for production)
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

# Database - CHANGE THE PASSWORD from default!
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://postgres:YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD@db:5432/metamcp
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=YOUR_SECURE_PASSWORD

# Generate secure secrets - DO NOT use the example values!
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your-super-secret-key-here
ENCRYPTION_KEY=your-32-character-encryption-key

# Optional: Configure OIDC if needed
# OIDC_CLIENT_ID=your-oidc-client-id
# OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET=your-oidc-client-secret
# OIDC_DISCOVERY_URL=https://your-provider.com/.well-known/openid-configuration

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3.3 Update Docker Compose for Production

Edit docker-compose.yml to ensure proper volume naming: 
nano docker-compose.yml
Update the volumes section to avoid conflicts: 
volumes:
  metamcp_postgres_data:
    driver: local

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3.4 Start MetaMCP

# Pull images and start services
docker-compose up -d

# Check if services are running
docker-compose ps

# View logs if needed
docker-compose logs -f

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Step 4: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

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4.1 Create Nginx Configuration

Create a new site configuration: 
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/metamcp
Add the following configuration (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain): 
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    # SSL configuration (will be managed by Certbot)
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;
    include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-nginx.conf;
    ssl_dhparam /etc/letsencrypt/ssl-dhparams.pem;

    # Security headers
    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN" always;
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff" always;
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block" always;
    add_header Referrer-Policy "no-referrer-when-downgrade" always;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:12008;
        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;
        
        # SSE-specific optimizations for MCP connections
        proxy_buffering off;
        proxy_cache off;
        proxy_read_timeout 86400s;  # 24 hours for long-lived SSE connections
        proxy_send_timeout 86400s;
        
        # HTTP/1.1 with proper connection handling for SSE
        proxy_set_header Connection '';
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        
        # Additional headers for better SSE support
        proxy_set_header Cache-Control 'no-cache';
        proxy_set_header X-Accel-Buffering 'no';
    }

    # Optional: Increase client max body size for file uploads
    client_max_body_size 100M;
}

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4.2 Enable the Site

# Enable the site
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/metamcp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

# Remove default site
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

# Test nginx configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

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Step 5: SSL Certificate with Let’s Encrypt

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5.1 Obtain SSL Certificate

First, temporarily use HTTP only configuration for initial certificate: 
# Create temporary HTTP-only config
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/metamcp-temp
Add this temporary configuration: 
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:12008;
        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;
    }
}
Enable temporary config: 
sudo ln -sf /etc/nginx/sites-available/metamcp-temp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/metamcp
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
Obtain the certificate: 
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

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5.2 Restore Full Configuration

After obtaining the certificate, restore the full configuration: 
sudo ln -sf /etc/nginx/sites-available/metamcp /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/metamcp
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx

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5.3 Set Up Auto-Renewal

# Test auto-renewal
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

# Add to crontab for automatic renewal
sudo crontab -e
Add this line to check for renewal twice daily: 
0 12 * * * /usr/bin/certbot renew --quiet