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May 27, 2026 · 12 min read
Unpod is fully open source under the MIT license. This means you can run the entire platform — frontend, backend, voice pipeline, and all infrastructure — on your own servers. This guide covers everything from local setup to a production-hardened deployment.

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Why Self-Host?

  • Data sovereignty: Call recordings and transcripts never leave your infrastructure
  • Compliance: Meet HIPAA, GDPR, or SOC 2 requirements with full control over data residency
  • Cost at scale: For high call volumes, self-hosting can significantly reduce per-minute costs
  • Customization: Modify the source, add integrations, and white-label the platform

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Architecture Overview

Unpod is a monorepo with these key services:
ServiceTechPort
FrontendNext.js3000
Backend CoreDjango (Python)8000
API ServicesFastAPI9116
Real-timeCentrifugo8100
DatabasePostgreSQL5432
Cache / QueueRedis6379
StorageMongoDB27017
All services are containerized and orchestrated via Docker Compose.

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Prerequisites

Install these before you start: 
# Check versions
node --version      # v20+
python3 --version   # 3.11+
docker --version    # 24+
docker compose version  # v2.20+
git --version

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Quick Start (Development)

The fastest path to a running instance: 
git clone https://github.com/parvbhullar/unpod.git
cd unpod
make quick-start    # installs deps, starts Docker, runs migrations
make dev            # starts all dev servers
Access points after startup:
ServiceURL
Apphttp://localhost:3000
APIhttp://localhost:8000/api/v1/
Adminhttp://localhost:8000/unpod-admin/
API Docshttp://localhost:9116/docs
Default credentials: admin@unpod.ai / admin123

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Environment Configuration

Copy the example env file and set your values: 
cp .env.example .env
Critical variables to configure: 
# Django
SECRET_KEY=your-long-random-secret-key
DEBUG=False
ALLOWED_HOSTS=your-domain.com,www.your-domain.com

# Database
POSTGRES_DB=unpod
POSTGRES_USER=unpod
POSTGRES_PASSWORD=strong-password-here
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://unpod:password@postgres:5432/unpod

# Redis
REDIS_URL=redis://redis:6379/0

# Centrifugo (real-time)
CENTRIFUGO_SECRET=centrifugo-secret-token
CENTRIFUGO_API_KEY=centrifugo-api-key

# AI Providers (at least one required)
OPENAI_API_KEY=sk-...
GROQ_API_KEY=gsk_...

# Voice Providers
LIVEKIT_URL=wss://your-livekit-instance.com
LIVEKIT_API_KEY=API_KEY
LIVEKIT_SECRET=SECRET

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Production Deployment with Docker Compose

Use the production compose file: 
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d --build

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Run Database Migrations

docker compose exec backend python manage.py migrate --no-input
docker compose exec backend python manage.py collectstatic --no-input

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Create Admin User

docker compose exec backend python manage.py createsuperuser

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Reverse Proxy Setup (Nginx)

Put Nginx in front of the app for SSL termination and routing: 
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/your-domain.com/privkey.pem;

    # Frontend
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    # Backend API
    location /api/ {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    }

    # WebSocket (Centrifugo)
    location /connection/websocket {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:8100;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    }
}
Use Certbot for free SSL: certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

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Production Hardening Checklist

Before going live:
  • Change all default passwords and secret keys
  • Set DEBUG=False in all environments
  • Configure ALLOWED_HOSTS to your domain only
  • Enable PostgreSQL SSL connections
  • Set up automated database backups (pg_dump to S3 or equivalent)
  • Configure log rotation for Django and Nginx logs
  • Set up health check endpoints for uptime monitoring
  • Restrict Redis to internal network only (no public exposure)
  • Use Docker secrets or a vault for API keys (not plain .env in production)

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Updating Unpod

git pull origin main
docker compose -f docker-compose.yml up -d --build
docker compose exec backend python manage.py migrate --no-input
Check the GitHub releases for breaking changes before pulling.

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What’s Next

Configuration Reference

All environment variables and their defaults.

Architecture Docs

Monorepo structure, service dependencies, and data flow.

Developer Quickstart

Step-by-step local setup with all three setup methods.

Dev Platform Guide

Configure agents and telephony after setup.