How to Self-Host Your Newsletter with Notifuse - Complete Guide

In the era of data privacy and platform independence, self-hosting your newsletter platform gives you complete control over your subscriber data, email delivery, and costs. Notifuse is an open-source, self-hostable email platform that combines newsletter functionality with transactional email capabilities, making it a powerful alternative to services like Mailchimp, ConvertKit, or Listmonk.

In this comprehensive guide, I’ll walk you through everything you need to know to get started with Notifuse and self-host your own newsletter platform.

What is Notifuse?

Notifuse is a modern, open-source email platform designed for developers and marketers who want full control over their email infrastructure. Unlike traditional SaaS solutions, Notifuse runs on your own server, giving you complete ownership of your data and the freedom to customize everything.

Key Features of Notifuse

Why Choose Notifuse Over Other Platforms?

Compared to SaaS Platforms (Mailchimp, ConvertKit):

• No monthly fees or per-subscriber pricing
• Complete data ownership and privacy
• No artificial feature limitations
• Unlimited contacts and sends (limited only by your SMTP provider)

Compared to Listmonk:

• MJML-based visual builder (vs basic HTML editor)
• Multi-tenant architecture for agencies
• Advanced segmentation and A/B testing
• Better developer experience with comprehensive APIs
• Modern, tested codebase with >80% test coverage

Compared to Sendy:

• Open-source and free (no $69 license fee)
• Modern UI/UX with better user experience
• Built-in visual email builder
• Multi-tenant workspaces
• Active development and community support

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you’ll need:

Option 1: Deploy with Dokploy (Easiest Method)

Dokploy is an open-source Platform as a Service (PaaS) that makes deploying applications incredibly easy. The best part? Dokploy has a built-in Notifuse template that handles all the configuration for you! If you haven’t set up Dokploy yet, check out our comprehensive Dokploy Installation Guide.

Step 1: Set Up Dokploy

If you don’t have Dokploy installed, follow these quick steps:

# Install Dokploy on your VPS
curl -sSL https://dokploy.com/install.sh | sh

Access Dokploy at http://your-vps-ip:3000 and complete the setup wizard.

Step 2: Deploy from Template

1. Log in to your Dokploy dashboard
2. Click “Create Project” and give it a name (e.g., “Newsletter”)
3. Inside the project, click “Templates”
4. Search for “Notifuse” in the template gallery
5. Click “Deploy” on the Notifuse template

Step 3: Configure Template Variables

Dokploy will present you with a configuration form. Fill in the following:

Required Configuration:

• Domain: Your domain for Notifuse (e.g., newsletter.yourdomain.com)
• Email: Your root administrator email address
• SMTP Host: Your SMTP provider’s host (e.g., smtp-relay.brevo.com for Brevo)
• SMTP Port: Usually 587 for STARTTLS
• SMTP Username: Your SMTP username
• SMTP Password: Your SMTP password
• SMTP From Email: The email address to send from (e.g., [email protected])
• SMTP From Name: Your newsletter name (e.g., “My Newsletter”)

Security Keys (Optional - uses default for testing):

• PASETO Private Key: Leave default or generate new keys at paseto.notifuse.com
• PASETO Public Key: Corresponding public key

Step 4: Configure DNS

Before deploying, make sure your domain’s DNS is configured:

1. Go to your DNS provider (Cloudflare, Namecheap, etc.)
2. Add an A record pointing to your VPS IP:
   • Type: A
   • Name: newsletter (or your subdomain)
   • Value: Your VPS IP address
   • TTL: 3600 (or Auto)

Step 5: Deploy

1. Review your configuration

2. Click “Deploy”

3. Dokploy will:

   • Pull the Notifuse and PostgreSQL images
   • Configure the services
   • Set up SSL certificates automatically via Traefik
   • Start the application

4. Monitor the deployment in the logs tab

5. Once complete, access Notifuse at https://newsletter.yourdomain.com

What the Template Includes

The Dokploy template automatically configures:

• PostgreSQL 17 database with health checks
• Notifuse application connected to the database
• Persistent volumes for database and file storage
• Environment variables for all required configuration
• Domain mapping with automatic SSL/TLS
• Port exposure (8080 for web interface)
• Restart policies for high availability

Option 2: Deploy with Docker Compose (Advanced Users)

If you prefer manual control or want to deploy without Dokploy, you can use Docker Compose directly. This method gives you more control but requires manual SSL setup.

Step 1: Prepare Your Server

Update your system and install Docker:

# Update system packages
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

# Install Docker Compose
sudo apt install docker-compose -y

Step 2: Create Project Directory

# Create directory for Notifuse
mkdir -p ~/notifuse
cd ~/notifuse

Step 3: Create Docker Compose File

Create a docker-compose.yml file:

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following configuration:

services:
  api:
    image: notifuse/notifuse:latest
    ports:
      - '8080:8080'
      - '587:587'
    environment:
      # Server Configuration
      - SERVER_PORT=8080
      - SERVER_HOST=0.0.0.0
      - ENVIRONMENT=production

      # Database Configuration (Required)
      - DB_HOST=postgres
      - DB_PORT=5432
      - DB_USER=postgres
      - DB_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - DB_PREFIX=notifuse
      - DB_NAME=notifuse_system
      - DB_SSLMODE=disable

      # PASETO Keys (Required) - Generate at https://paseto.notifuse.com/
      - PASETO_PRIVATE_KEY=${PASETO_PRIVATE_KEY}
      - PASETO_PUBLIC_KEY=${PASETO_PUBLIC_KEY}

      # All other settings can be configured through Setup Wizard
      # Or set them here:
      # - ROOT_EMAIL=${ROOT_EMAIL}
      # - API_ENDPOINT=${API_ENDPOINT}
      # - SMTP_HOST=${SMTP_HOST}
      # - SMTP_PORT=${SMTP_PORT}
      # - SMTP_USERNAME=${SMTP_USERNAME}
      # - SMTP_PASSWORD=${SMTP_PASSWORD}
      # - SMTP_FROM_EMAIL=${SMTP_FROM_EMAIL}
      # - SMTP_FROM_NAME=${SMTP_FROM_NAME}
    depends_on:
      - postgres
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - notifuse-network

  postgres:
    image: postgres:17-alpine
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_USER=postgres
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=${DB_PASSWORD}
      - POSTGRES_DB=postgres
    volumes:
      - postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - notifuse-network
    healthcheck:
      test: ['CMD-SHELL', 'pg_isready -U postgres']
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

volumes:
  postgres-data:
    driver: local

networks:
  notifuse-network:
    driver: bridge

Step 4: Create Environment File

Create a .env file:

nano .env

Add your configuration:

# Database Password
DB_PASSWORD=your_secure_database_password_here

# PASETO Keys - Generate at https://paseto.notifuse.com/
PASETO_PRIVATE_KEY=your_paseto_private_key_here
PASETO_PUBLIC_KEY=your_paseto_public_key_here

# Optional: Configure SMTP here instead of Setup Wizard
# [email protected]
# API_ENDPOINT=https://newsletter.yourdomain.com
# SMTP_HOST=smtp-relay.brevo.com
# SMTP_PORT=587
# [email protected]
# SMTP_PASSWORD=your_smtp_password
# [email protected]
# SMTP_FROM_NAME=My Newsletter

DB_PASSWORD="mypass#word123"
SMTP_PASSWORD="pass#word123"

Step 5: Start Notifuse

# Start services
docker-compose up -d

# Check logs
docker-compose logs -f api

Step 6: Set Up Reverse Proxy (Nginx)

For production, you should use a reverse proxy with SSL. Install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

Create Nginx configuration:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/notifuse

Add this configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name newsletter.yourdomain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
        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 the site and get SSL certificate:

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

# Test configuration
sudo nginx -t

# Reload Nginx
sudo systemctl reload nginx

# Get SSL certificate
sudo certbot --nginx -d newsletter.yourdomain.com

Setting Up Your SMTP Provider

Notifuse needs an SMTP provider to send emails. Here’s how to configure popular providers:

Option A: Brevo (Free 300 Emails/Day)

1. Sign up at Brevo
2. Go to SMTP & API → SMTP
3. Note your SMTP credentials:
   • SMTP Server: smtp-relay.brevo.com
   • Port: 587
   • Username: Your email
   • Password: Your SMTP key

Option B: Mail.Baby (Pay-as-you-go)

Mail.Baby is an excellent choice for production use with affordable pricing. Check out our detailed Mail.Baby Review for more information.

1. Sign up at Interserver
2. Go to Mail → Order and get Mail.Baby ($1/month + $0.20 per 1,000 emails)
3. Get your SMTP credentials from the Mail.Baby admin area
4. Configure in Notifuse (either in Dokploy template or Setup Wizard):
   • SMTP Server: Provided in Mail.Baby dashboard
   • Port: 587 (STARTTLS) or 465 (SSL)
   • Username: Your Mail.Baby username
   • Password: Your Mail.Baby password

Option C: Amazon SES (Lowest Cost)

1. Sign up for AWS
2. Go to Amazon SES console
3. Request production access (required for sending to non-verified emails)
4. Create SMTP credentials
5. Use the credentials in Notifuse

Complete the Setup Wizard

After deploying Notifuse, access it in your browser:

1. Navigate to your domain (e.g., https://newsletter.yourdomain.com)
2. You’ll be greeted by the Setup Wizard
3. Complete the following steps:

Step 1: Root Administrator Email

Enter your email address - this will be your admin account.

Step 2: API Endpoint

Enter your public URL (e.g., https://newsletter.yourdomain.com)

Step 3: SMTP Configuration

Enter your SMTP provider details:

• SMTP Host: Your provider’s SMTP server (e.g., smtp-relay.brevo.com)
• SMTP Port: Usually 587 for STARTTLS or 465 for SSL
• SMTP Username: Your SMTP username
• SMTP Password: Your SMTP password
• From Email: The email address that will appear as sender
• From Name: Your name or organization name

Step 4: Create Admin Account

Set a strong password for your administrator account.

Creating Your First Newsletter

Once setup is complete, you’re ready to create your first newsletter campaign!

Step 1: Create a Workspace

1. Log in to Notifuse
2. Click “Create Workspace”
3. Enter workspace name (e.g., “My Newsletter”)
4. Configure your workspace settings

Step 2: Add Contacts

You can add contacts in several ways:

Manual Entry:

1. Go to Contacts → Add Contact
2. Enter email and other details
3. Assign to a list

CSV Import:

1. Go to Contacts → Import
2. Upload your CSV file
3. Map fields and import

API Integration: Use Notifuse’s REST API to add contacts programmatically.

Step 3: Create a List

1. Go to Lists → Create List
2. Enter list name (e.g., “Newsletter Subscribers”)
3. Configure opt-in settings (single or double opt-in)
4. Set up welcome email (optional)

Step 4: Design Your Email

1. Go to Templates → Create Template
2. Use the MJML visual builder:
   • Drag and drop components
   • Add text, images, buttons
   • Customize colors and styling
   • Preview in real-time
3. Save your template

Step 5: Create a Campaign

1. Go to Campaigns → Create Campaign
2. Select your template
3. Choose recipients (lists or segments)
4. Set subject line and preview text
5. Schedule or send immediately

Step 6: Track Results

After sending, monitor your campaign performance:

• Open Rate: See who opened your emails
• Click Rate: Track link clicks
• Bounce Rate: Monitor delivery issues
• Unsubscribe Rate: Track opt-outs

Advanced Features

A/B Testing

Test different subject lines or content:

1. Create a campaign
2. Enable A/B testing
3. Create variants (A and B)
4. Set test percentage and duration
5. Auto-send winner to remaining contacts

Segmentation

Create dynamic segments based on:

• Contact attributes
• Email engagement
• Subscription date
• Custom fields

Example: “Subscribed in last 30 days AND opened any email in last week”

Transactional Emails

Send automated emails via API:

curl -X POST https://newsletter.yourdomain.com/api/v1/send \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "to": "[email protected]",
    "subject": "Welcome to our platform!",
    "template": "welcome-email",
    "variables": {
      "firstName": "John"
    }
  }'

SMTP Relay for Third-Party Apps

Configure external applications (like Supabase Auth, Ghost, WordPress) to use Notifuse’s SMTP relay:

• Host: Your Notifuse domain
• Port: 587
• Authentication: Workspace API credentials

This gives you full control over all transactional emails through Notifuse’s visual editor.

Best Practices

Troubleshooting

Cost Comparison

Let’s compare the costs of self-hosting Notifuse vs. SaaS platforms for 10,000 subscribers:

Notifuse (Self-Hosted):

• VPS (Hetzner 2GB): €4.51/month (~$5/month)
• Mail.Baby (20,000 emails/month): $1 + $4 = $5/month
• Domain: ~$1/month
• Total: ~$11/month

Mailchimp:

• 10,000 subscribers: $150/month
• Total: $150/month

ConvertKit:

• 10,000 subscribers: $119/month
• Total: $119/month

Sendy:

• One-time license: $69
• VPS: $5/month
• Amazon SES: ~$2/month
• Total: $7/month (after initial $69)

Savings with Notifuse: Save $100-140/month compared to SaaS platforms!

Maintenance and Updates

Updating Notifuse

With Dokploy Template:

1. Go to your Notifuse application in Dokploy
2. Click “Redeploy” or “Rebuild”
3. Dokploy will automatically pull the latest Notifuse image and restart the services
4. Check the logs to ensure everything started successfully

With Docker Compose:

cd ~/notifuse

# Pull latest image
docker-compose pull

# Restart with new image
docker-compose up -d

# Clean old images
docker image prune -a

Database Backups

Manual Backup:

# For Docker Compose deployments
docker-compose exec postgres pg_dump -U postgres notifuse_system > backup.sql

# For Dokploy deployments (find container name first)
docker ps | grep postgres
docker exec <postgres-container-name> pg_dump -U postgres notifuse_system > backup.sql

# Restore database
cat backup.sql | docker exec -i <postgres-container-name> psql -U postgres notifuse_system

Automated Backups (add to crontab):

# Edit crontab
crontab -e

# Add daily backup at 2 AM (adjust path and container name)
0 2 * * * docker exec <postgres-container-name> pg_dump -U postgres notifuse_system > /backup/notifuse-$(date +\%Y\%m\%d).sql

Security Considerations

Conclusion

Self-hosting your newsletter with Notifuse gives you complete control over your email infrastructure while saving significant costs compared to SaaS platforms. With its modern MJML-based visual builder, advanced segmentation, and comprehensive APIs, Notifuse provides enterprise-grade features without the enterprise price tag.

Whether you’re a solo blogger, growing startup, or agency managing multiple clients, Notifuse offers the flexibility and power you need to run successful email campaigns. The multi-tenant workspace architecture makes it perfect for agencies, while the robust API support enables seamless integration with your existing applications.

Getting started is incredibly easy with Dokploy’s built-in Notifuse template - just fill in your configuration and click deploy. For advanced users who want more control, Docker Compose is available. Combined with an affordable SMTP provider like Brevo (free tier) or Mail.Baby (pay-as-you-go), you can start sending professional newsletters in less than 30 minutes.

Ready to Get Started?

Have questions or need help with your Notifuse setup? Leave a comment below, and I’ll be happy to help!

Frequently Asked Questions