How to build your own self-hosted Figma alternative with Penpot

Figma has become the industry standard for UX/UI design, offering a powerful cloud-based platform where teams can collaborate on digital projects. However, its reliance on proprietary cloud storage, subscription costs, and data privacy concerns have led some designers to look for self-hosted alternatives. This is where Penpot comes in.

Penpot is an open-source, web-based design tool that offers a similar experience to Figma but with one key difference — you can host it yourself. By self-hosting Penpot, you gain full control over your design projects, ensuring that your data remains private, customizable, and accessible on your own terms. Whether you’re an individual designer looking to cut costs or a business needing a secure design solution, Penpot provides the flexibility and independence that cloud-based tools lack.

I’ll show you how to deploy your own Penpot instance, the easy way.

Requirements

What you need to self-host with Penpot

Before setting up your self-hosted Penpot server, you’ll need to meet the necessary specifications, which shouldn’t be too hard. These are the minimum requirements for personal use or a small team of users:

• CPU: Dual-core processor
• RAM: 4GB (8GB recommended for smoother performance)
• Storage: 10GB-50GB SSD (depending on the project size)

There are three ways you can self-host with Penpot:

• Elestio: The easiest
• Docker: For experienced users
• Kubernetes: For large projects

I’m going to use Elestio since it manages everything for you. Unlike running apps on Docker, Elestio is designed to simplify the self-hosting process for non-technical users or those short on time. Traditional self-hosting methods often involve manually configuring servers and managing network intricacies. Elestio’s prebuilt packages are tailored for open-source applications like Penpot, streamlining the deployment process and allowing you to set up and manage your instance in just a couple of clicks.

How to self-host with Penpot

Deploy your Penpot instance using Elestio

With Elestio handling all the heavy lifting, you’ll be able to skip the complicated configurations and have your server ready in no time. Just follow the steps below:

1. Head to elest.io, click Login, and select your login method.
2. Once logged in, click on Deploy my first service.
3. Search for Penpot in the search tab and click Select once it pops up.
4. If needed, you can configure the service. This includes the cloud provider, region, and system plan. Hit Next once done.
5. On the next page, fill in your details and set the additional configurations if needed. Then, select your preferred Level Support and hit Create Service.

You’ll be redirected to the Current Services page and will have to wait for it to deploy — I waited around 10 minutes. Once the status changes to Service is running, check your email and follow the steps below:

1. Click on the URL provided. This will direct you straight to your Penpot instance.
2. Enter your email in the relevant field.
3. In the email you received, click on the Password link. You’ll be directed to the Overview section of your Penpot service, where you will find the password it generated. Click Show Password or copy it to your clipboard.
4. Enter your password in Penpot, and you’re good to go!

Penpot will present you with the onboarding process to help tailor your experience and introduce you to the tool. From there, you can invite team members or jump right into your design work.

Take control of your design projects by self-hosting with Penpot

Self-hosting Penpot as a Figma alternative gives you full control, privacy, and flexibility over your design projects. Elestio simplifies the entire process, making it quick and easy even for those without technical expertise, so that you’re free to focus on what matters most — your designs!