Complete Guide: Self-Host Your E-Signature Platform with Docker

Data sovereignty isn't just a buzzword—it's a legal requirement for many organizations. Whether you're bound by GDPR, HIPAA, or internal security policies, self-hosting your e-signature platform gives you complete control over where your data lives and who can access it.

Why Self-Host Space Sign?

Complete Data Control

Your documents never leave your infrastructure. No third-party cloud providers, no data transfers to foreign jurisdictions, no vendor access to sensitive contracts.

Compliance Made Simple

Meet regulatory requirements automatically:

- GDPR: Keep EU data within EU borders

- HIPAA: Control PHI on your own servers

- FedRAMP: Government-approved infrastructure

- SOC 2: Your own audit trail, your own controls

Cost Savings at Scale

No per-document fees. No per-user limits. Just your infrastructure costs.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have:

Quick Start: 5-Minute Deployment

Step 1: Clone the Repository

```bash

git clone https://github.com/pmspaceai7-wq/space-sign.git

cd space-sign

```

Step 2: Configure Environment Variables

Create a `.env` file:

```env

DATABASE_URL="postgresql://user:password@localhost:5432/spacesign"

NEXTAUTH_SECRET="your-secret-here"

NEXTAUTH_URL="https://sign.yourdomain.com"

NEXT_PUBLIC_WEBAPP_URL="https://sign.yourdomain.com"

```

Step 3: Start the Services

```bash

docker-compose up -d

```

That's it! Space Sign is now running on http://localhost:3000

Production Deployment

For production environments, follow these additional steps:

1. Database Setup

Use a managed PostgreSQL instance or deploy your own:

```yaml

version: '3.8'

services:

postgres:

image: postgres:15

environment:

POSTGRES_DB: spacesign

POSTGRES_USER: spacesign

POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secure-password

volumes:

- postgres-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

```

2. SSL/TLS Configuration

Use Nginx as a reverse proxy with Let's Encrypt:

```nginx

server {

listen 443 ssl http2;

server_name sign.yourdomain.com;

ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/sign.yourdomain.com/fullchain.pem;

ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/sign.yourdomain.com/privkey.pem;

location / {

proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;

proxy_set_header Host $host;

proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;

}

}

```

3. Backup Strategy

Automate database backups:

```bash

#!/bin/bash

BACKUP_DIR="/backups"

DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

docker exec postgres pg_dump -U spacesign spacesign > $BACKUP_DIR/backup_$DATE.sql

```

Advanced Configuration

Email Notifications

Configure SMTP for document notifications:

```env

EMAIL_SERVER_HOST="smtp.gmail.com"

EMAIL_SERVER_PORT=587

EMAIL_SERVER_USER="your-email@gmail.com"

EMAIL_SERVER_PASSWORD="app-password"

EMAIL_FROM="noreply@yourdomain.com"

```

File Storage

Choose your storage backend:

Local Storage:

```env

STORAGE_TYPE="local"

STORAGE_PATH="/app/uploads"

```

S3-Compatible Storage:

```env

STORAGE_TYPE="s3"

S3_BUCKET="your-bucket"

S3_REGION="us-east-1"

S3_ACCESS_KEY="your-access-key"

S3_SECRET_KEY="your-secret-key"

```

Monitoring & Maintenance

Health Checks

Add health check endpoints to your docker-compose:

```yaml

healthcheck:

test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:3000/api/health"]

interval: 30s

timeout: 10s

retries: 3

```

Log Management

Centralize logs with Loki or ELK stack:

```yaml

logging:

driver: "json-file"

options:

max-size: "10m"

max-file: "3"

```

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Database Connection Failed:

High Memory Usage:

Slow Performance:

Updating Space Sign

Keep your installation up to date:

```bash

Backup first!

docker-compose exec postgres pg_dump -U spacesign spacesign > backup.sql

Pull latest changes

git pull origin main

Rebuild and restart

docker-compose build --no-cache

docker-compose up -d

```

Conclusion

Self-hosting Space Sign gives you enterprise-grade e-signature capabilities with complete data sovereignty. Whether you're a startup with strict security requirements or an enterprise needing air-gapped deployments, this guide gets you started in minutes.

Need help with your deployment? [Join our community](https://github.com/pmspaceai7-wq/space-sign/discussions) or [request professional support](/request-a-demo).