Data
Self-host MinIO on a VPS
High-performance, S3-compatible object storage you host yourself.
An AWS-S3-compatible store for backups, media, application assets and archives. Point any S3 tool at it and keep your data on your own hardware.
Why self-host MinIO?
S3-compatible storage is the lingua franca of modern software. Hosting your own means no egress surprises, no vendor lock-in and full control of where bytes live.
How to install MinIO
- 1
Provision a storage-friendly VPS
Give it a data volume sized to your dataset.
- 2
Install MinIO
A single binary or container is all it takes.
- 3
Set root credentials
Configure the access key and secret with strong values.
- 4
Expose it over TLS
Reverse-proxy and put it behind HTTPS on your domain.
- 5
Create buckets
Make buckets and generate scoped keys for your applications.
Practical tips
- Use a dedicated data disk so you can grow storage without rebuilding the OS.
- Give each application its own scoped access key rather than sharing the root key.
- Configure lifecycle rules to expire old objects automatically.
Frequently asked questions
- Will my S3 tools work with it?
- Yes — MinIO speaks the S3 API, so most SDKs and CLIs work by changing the endpoint.
- Can I use it for backups?
- Yes, it is a very common target for backup software that writes to S3.
- How do I grow storage?
- Attach a larger data volume, or run MinIO in a distributed setup across several nodes.
Looking for something else? Popular alternatives include SeaweedFS, Ceph, Garage — browse all app guides.