Deploying an application from the catalogue on a Dedicated Server

Objective

The application catalogue lets you install a ready-to-use application on your OVHcloud dedicated server without any prior system administration knowledge. You choose an application when you (re)install your server, then complete a short configuration form in a secure web interface. The application is installed natively on the server, secured with HTTPS, and made available in minutes.

This guide explains how to use the application catalogue on your OVHcloud dedicated server.

Requirements

• A dedicated server in your OVHcloud account
• Access to the OVHcloud Control Panel
• Access to the OVHcloud API (for the "OVHcloud API" section of this guide)
• Access to the email address of your OVHcloud account, to receive the link to the configuration interface
• A web browser to reach the configuration interface once the installation has completed

OVHcloud Control Panel Access

• Direct link: Dedicated Servers
• Navigation path: Bare Metal Cloud > Dedicated servers > Select your server

Instructions

How the application catalogue works

Deploying an application happens in two steps:

1. Selection (at installation): you (re)install your server with an application catalogue image and select one application. This is where you choose which application you want.
2. Configuration (after first boot): once the server has restarted, a single-use configurator starts automatically and serves a secure web interface on port 10143. You fill in a short form (for example a site name and an administrator password), then the application is installed automatically and published over HTTPS.

Once the installation succeeds, the configurator removes itself completely from the server: its binary, its service and its working data are deleted. You are left with only your application and full root access to the server.

Applications are installed natively — with system packages and systemd services, on a server dedicated to that single purpose — and not inside a container platform.

Technical limitations:

• Only one application can be deployed through the application catalogue.
• Custom partitioning and hardware RAID configuration are not available for this installation.

Available applications

The catalogue is regularly updated, so when you launch an installation, refer to the list displayed in the OVHcloud Control Panel. The following applications are available:

Selecting your application at installation

Two deployment methods are available, described in the tabs below: install your application from the OVHcloud Control Panel, or use the OVHcloud API to integrate the installation into your own scripts and automate deployments.

{
  "operatingSystem": "ubuntu2404-withapp",
  "customizations": {
    "hostname": "myApplicationServer",
    "sshKey": "mySshKey",
    "appToInstall": "wordpress"
  }
}

Configuring and accessing your application

After the installation, your server boots the single-use configurator automatically. You do not need Linux, SSH or system administration skills for this step — only a web browser.

Step 1: Opening the configurator

Once the installation has completed, you receive an email containing the link to your configurator. It has the following form:

https://<your-server>:10143/static/deploy.html?app=<app>&token=<token>

Open that link in your web browser. The token it carries authenticates you, and a secure, session-only cookie is stored, so you can then navigate the configurator without the token in the address bar. Opening the configurator without a valid token returns an Unauthorized page.

Step 2: Filling in the configuration form

The configurator opens directly on the application you selected at installation. Depending on that application, you either deploy straight away or fill in a short form first:

• Applications with no fields — Coolify, Dokploy, Easypanel, FastPanel, HestiaCP, Discourse, Matomo and n8n — generate any credentials they need and display them at the end. Click Deploy.
• Applications with fields — WordPress, Drupal, Nextcloud, PrestaShop, OpenClaw and OVHcloud Game Panel — ask for a few values, such as a site name, an administrator password or a database password. Required fields are marked and optional ones may have sensible defaults.

An Installation details panel above the form lists what will be installed and why, along with a link to the vendor's official documentation.

Each field is validated before the deployment starts (for example an email field must contain a valid email address, and passwords have a minimum length). Fix any highlighted field and submit again.

Then click Deploy.

Step 3: Following the deployment

The configurator runs the installation and streams the progress live: a status (pending, then running, then completed or failed), a progress bar, and the installation logs. Values you entered in the form are masked in the logs.

A deployment usually takes a few minutes; heavier applications such as Discourse take longer. You can keep the tab open, but the installation continues on the server even if your browser disconnects — reopen your link to resume watching.

Step 4: Retrieving your access details

When the status reaches completed, the configurator displays a success page with:

• the link to your application, on the standard HTTPS port — https://<your-server>/;
• any credentials or details the application generated for you, such as an administrator username, a database name or a generated password.

A free, auto-renewing Let's Encrypt certificate is issued for your server's hostname during the installation, and the deployed application manages its renewal itself.

Step 5: The configurator removes itself

Shortly after a successful deployment, the configurator deletes its own binary, its service and its working data. From then on:

• the configurator interface on port 10143 stops responding — this is expected, not a failure;
• your application, its data and its HTTPS certificate are kept;
• your server runs only your application, with no leftover setup tool or administration interface.

You have full ownership of the server, including root access over SSH if you added a key at installation time. The configurator does not manage anything after this point.

To deploy a different application, reinstall your server from the application catalogue and select the new application.

Troubleshooting

Go further

Install an OS via the OVHcloud API on a Dedicated Server

Understanding the dedicated server boot process

Enabling and configuring the Edge Network Firewall

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