Deploy Your Own Vultr UniFi Controller in the Cloud

Set up your own Vultr UniFi Controller in minutes. Follow every command and configuration step to create a secure and reliable UniFi cloud setup. Our Vultr Live Support Team is always here to help you.

Deploy Your Own Vultr UniFi Controller in the Cloud

Running your own Vultr UniFi Controller gives you complete control over your UniFi devices without relying on Ubiquiti’s hardware consoles. It’s a practical option for anyone managing multiple sites or wanting an always-on cloud controller. Let’s walk through the entire process of setting up a Vultr UniFi Controller, from server creation to SSL configuration, with every important command included.

Setting up Your Vultr VPS

Start by creating a new virtual server on Vultr.

Configuration:

• Choose Server: Cloud Compute
• CPU & Storage Technology: Intel Regular Performance
• Server location: Nearest to your region
• Server image: Debian 11 x64
• Server size: $5/month – 1vCPU / 1GB Memory
• Auto Backup: Recommended
• Disable IPv6

Now, add your SSH keys:

Click Add new SSH Keys

Enter your computer name

Copy the contents of id_rsa.pub

Paste it into the SSH key field

Click Add SSH Key

Finally, add a hostname like unifi.yourdomain.com, select your SSH key, and click Deploy Now.

Configuring DNS and Connecting to the Server

Once the server shows “Running,” copy its public IP. In your DNS manager (e.g., Cloudflare), create an A record pointing your chosen hostname to this IP.

Connect to your server using SSH:

ssh root@95.180.45.43

If you’re using PuTTY, load your .ppk key file under SSH → Auth before connecting.

Securing the Server

Security is essential before installing the controller.

Allow SSH only from your IP:

ufw allow from 80.90.100.110 to any port 22

Remove open rules:

ufw status numbered

ufw delete 1

ufw delete 3

Edit SSH configuration:

sudo nano /etc/ssh/sshd_config

Change the following lines:

PermitRootLogin without-password

PubkeyAuthentication yes

PasswordAuthentication no

Save and restart:

sudo service sshd restart

Install fail2ban for login protection:

sudo apt install fail2ban

Preparing the Server

Keep your VPS clean and updated:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y && sudo apt-get autoremove && sudo apt-get autoclean

sudo apt-get install unattended-upgrades apt-listchanges

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdata

sudo apt-get install haveged -y

Install Java 8 (OpenJDK-8):

apt-get install -y wget apt-transport-https gnupg

wget -qO - https://adoptopenjdk.jfrog.io/adoptopenjdk/api/gpg/key/public | sudo apt-key add -

echo "deb https://adoptopenjdk.jfrog.io/adoptopenjdk/deb buster main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/adoptopenjdk.list

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install adoptopenjdk-8-hotspot

Installing the UniFi Controller

Add repositories and install UniFi:

echo 'deb http://www.ui.com/downloads/unifi/debian stable ubiquiti' | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/100-ubnt-unifi.list

sudo wget -O /etc/apt/trusted.gpg.d/unifi-repo.gpg https://dl.ubnt.com/unifi/unifi-repo.gpg

echo "deb http://repo.mongodb.org/apt/debian stretch/mongodb-org/3.6 main" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-3.6.list

sudo wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-3.6.asc | sudo apt-key add -

sudo apt-get update; sudo apt-get install unifi -y

sudo systemctl enable unifi.service

sudo systemctl enable mongod.service

sudo systemctl enable haveged.service

Adjusting Firewall Rules

ufw allow from 80.90.100.110 to any port 8443

ufw allow 3478/udp

ufw allow 8080

ufw allow 8880

ufw allow 8843

Adding SSL Certificate

Install Let’s Encrypt and Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

ufw allow 80

ufw allow 443

certbot --apache -d unifi.lazyadmin.nl

Download the SSL import script:

sudo wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/stevejenkins/unifi-linux-utils/master/unifi_ssl_import.sh -O /usr/local/bin/unifi_ssl_import.sh

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/unifi_ssl_import.sh

sudo nano -w /usr/local/bin/unifi_ssl_import.sh

Update these lines:

UNIFI_HOSTNAME=unifi.lazyadmin.nl

UNIFI_DIR=/var/lib/unifi

JAVA_DIR=/usr/lib/unifi

KEYSTORE=${UNIFI_DIR}/keystore

LE_MODE=true

Run:

/usr/local/bin/unifi_ssl_import.sh

Connecting UniFi Devices

Set your UniFi device inform address:

ssh ubnt@192.168.1.142

set-inform http://80.90.100.110:8080/inform

Your device will now appear for adoption in your Vultr UniFi Controller.

Optimizing Performance

Increase Java memory allocation:

ssh root@80.90.100.110

service unifi stop

nano /usr/lib/unifi/data/system.properties

unifi.xmx=2048

unifi.xms=2048

db.mongo.wt.cache_size_default=true

Conclusion

You now have a fully functional Vultr UniFi Controller secured with SSL, optimized for stability, and ready to manage all your UniFi devices from anywhere. Always keep security tight and updates regular to ensure reliable operation.