Deploy Khoj AI on Your RamNode VPS

Transform your VPS into a powerful AI-powered second brain with Khoj's advanced document search, chat capabilities, and automation features.

30-45 min

Setup Time

4GB RAM

Recommended

Intermediate

Difficulty

Port 42110

Default Port

Why Choose Khoj AI?

Khoj AI is an open-source, self-hostable AI assistant that acts as your "AI second brain," providing advanced features like document search, web integration, custom agents, and automation capabilities. Unlike cloud-hosted AI services, self-hosting provides unmatched privacy, customization, and control over your data.

Advanced Document Processing

Search your personal files and the internet with support for PDFs, Markdown, Word documents, and more to get accurate answers from your knowledge base.

Universal AI Model Support

Connect to various AI models including OpenAI GPT, Anthropic Claude, Google Gemini, and local models via Ollama for maximum flexibility.

Custom AI Agents

Create specialized agents tailored to your specific needs and workflows with personalized knowledge bases and tools.

Cross-Platform Integration

Use it through a web browser, desktop app, mobile, or integrate it with tools like Obsidian and WhatsApp.

Prerequisites

Recommended VPS Plan

We recommend the 4GB Standard Cloud VPS plan for optimal Khoj AI performance:

4GB RAM for smooth AI operations
2+ CPU cores for better response times
80GB+ SSD storage for documents and models
Sufficient bandwidth for API calls

View Cloud VPS Plans

Server Requirements

Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or newer
4GB+ RAM (8GB recommended)
20GB+ available storage
2+ CPU cores

Local Requirements

SSH client for server access
Basic command-line familiarity
Domain name (optional)
AI API keys (optional)

Step 1: Initial Server Setup

Connect and Update System

Connect to your RamNode VPS via SSH and ensure the system is updated:

# Connect to your VPS

ssh root@your-vps-ip

# Update system packages

apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Install essential tools

apt install -y curl wget git htop nano ufw

Configure Firewall

# Enable UFW and configure basic rules

ufw enable

ufw default deny incoming

ufw default allow outgoing

ufw allow ssh

ufw allow 42110/tcp # Khoj default port

ufw status

Step 2: Install Docker and Docker Compose

Install Docker

Docker provides better isolation and easier management for Khoj deployment

# Add Docker's official GPG key

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg | gpg --dearmor -o /usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg

# Add Docker repository

echo "deb [arch=amd64 signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/docker-archive-keyring.gpg] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu $(lsb_release -cs) stable" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list

# Update package list and install Docker

apt update

apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io

Install Docker Compose

curl -L "https://github.com/docker/compose/releases/latest/download/docker-compose-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m)" -o /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

chmod +x /usr/local/bin/docker-compose

# Add current user to docker group (if not root)

usermod -aG docker $USER

Verify Installation

docker --version

docker-compose --version

Step 3: Download and Configure Khoj

Download Khoj Configuration

# Create Khoj directory

mkdir -p /opt/khoj && cd /opt/khoj

# Download the official docker-compose.yml

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/khoj-ai/khoj/master/docker-compose.yml

# Create backup

cp docker-compose.yml docker-compose.yml.backup

Configure Environment Variables

Edit the docker-compose.yml file to configure your Khoj instance

nano docker-compose.yml

Key configurations to modify:

environment:

# Required: Set secure admin credentials

KHOJ_ADMIN_EMAIL: "your-email@domain.com"

KHOJ_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "your-secure-password"

KHOJ_DJANGO_SECRET_KEY: "your-very-long-secret-key-here"

# Optional: External AI Model API Keys

OPENAI_API_KEY: "sk-your-openai-key"

ANTHROPIC_API_KEY: "sk-ant-your-anthropic-key"

GEMINI_API_KEY: "your-gemini-key"

# Security settings

KHOJ_NO_HTTPS: "False"

KHOJ_DOMAIN: "your-domain.com"

Security Note

Generate a strong secret key using:

python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(50))"

Step 4: Start Khoj Services

Launch Khoj

cd /opt/khoj

docker-compose up -d

Monitor the startup process:

docker-compose logs -f

Access Khoj

Open your browser and navigate to:

http://your-vps-ip:42110

Admin panel access:

http://your-vps-ip:42110/server/admin

Step 5: Security Hardening

Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

Set up Nginx with SSL for production deployments (recommended)

Install Nginx and Certbot:

apt install -y nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Create Nginx configuration:

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/khoj

Add this configuration:

server {

listen 80;

server_name your-domain.com;

location / {

proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:42110;

proxy_set_header Host $host;

proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;

proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;

}

Enable site and get SSL certificate:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/khoj /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

# Get SSL certificate

certbot --nginx -d your-domain.com

# Update firewall

ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

ufw delete allow 42110/tcp # Remove direct access

Configure Authentication

By default, self-hosted Khoj runs in anonymous mode, but you can enable authentication with Magic Links or Google OAuth. For multi-user environments, configure authentication in the admin panel at /server/admin.

Step 6: Document Integration and Sync

Upload Documents

Start using Khoj immediately by uploading documents through the web interface:

Navigate to the web app at http://your-vps-ip:42110
Use the drag-and-drop feature to upload PDFs, documents, and notes
Khoj supports various file types including images, PDFs, Markdown, Word documents, and more

Set Up Automated Sync (Optional)

For continuous document sync, consider:

Desktop Client: Install the Khoj desktop app on your local machine
Obsidian Integration: Use the Khoj Obsidian plugin for seamless vault sync
API Integration: Set up custom scripts to sync documents programmatically

Step 7: Performance Optimization

Resource Monitoring

# Check container resource usage

docker stats

# Monitor logs

docker-compose logs -f --tail=100

# Check disk usage

df -h

du -sh /opt/khoj/*

Local AI Models (Advanced)

For enhanced privacy and reduced API costs, set up local AI models with Ollama

# Install Ollama

curl -fsSL https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh

# Pull a model (example: Llama 3.2)

ollama pull llama3.2

# Start Ollama server

ollama serve

Update your docker-compose.yml to use local models by uncommenting the OPENAI_BASE_URL setting.

Step 8: Maintenance and Updates

Regular Updates

cd /opt/khoj

# Pull latest images

docker-compose pull

docker-compose up -d

# Clean up old images

docker system prune -a

Backup Strategy

# Backup configuration

tar -czf khoj-config-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /opt/khoj/

# Backup database

pg_dump khoj > khoj-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

Troubleshooting

Memory Issues

If Khoj errors out with "Killed" messages, increase RAM available to Docker containers. For VPS deployments, ensure you have adequate memory allocated (4GB minimum, 8GB recommended).

Port Access Issues

If you can't access Khoj remotely:

# Check if port is listening

netstat -tlnp | grep 42110

# Verify firewall rules

ufw status

# Check Docker port mapping

docker-compose ps

SSL Certificate Issues

For HTTPS access problems:

# Check certificate status

certbot certificates

# Renew certificates

certbot renew --nginx

# Test SSL configuration

nginx -t

Frequently Asked Questions

Ready to Deploy?

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