> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.evidence.studio/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Self Host

> Host your Evidence project on platforms including Vercel, Render, Fly.io, and Railway.

Evidence projects can be self-hosted with the official [Docker image](https://hub.docker.com/r/evidencedev/serve).

The image runs [`evidence serve`](/cli/commands#evidence-serve), which is similar to `evidence dev` but hardened as a production server.

Self-hosted projects *must* use a direct connector (configured in [`connection.yaml`](/cli/connections)).

Docker containers can run on many platforms, major cloud providers or your own machine. See the below guides for some tested options:

* [Vercel](/self-host/vercel)
* [Render](/self-host/render)
* [Fly.io](/self-host/fly)
* [Railway](/self-host/railway)

## Should you self host?

Self hosting is appropriate if:

1. Your organization requires data does not leave your infrastructure
2. You have a hobby project and do not want to pay for a managed service

However, you should be aware that there are tradeoffs associated with self hosting Evidence projects:

* [Several platform features](#self-host-vs-evidence-studio) (e.g. User Auth, Access Controls, Evidence Agents) are not built in
* There are no platform fees, but you will incur costs from infrastructure and maintenance
* You need to handle security, monitoring, and scaling on your own

## Generic Docker Deployment

Details may differ, but these steps are required for all Docker deployments.

1. Add a `Dockerfile`:

   ```docker filename="Dockerfile" theme={null}
   FROM evidencedev/serve:latest
   COPY --chown=evidence:evidence . /project
   ```

2. Move secrets out of `connection.yaml`, replacing them with `${VAR}` environment references

3. Commit `connection.yaml` (it is gitignored by default)

4. Add environment variables

   | Env Var                   | Purpose                                        | Required? |
   | ------------------------- | ---------------------------------------------- | --------- |
   | `EVIDENCE_BASIC_USER`     | HTTP Basic Auth username                       | Yes\*     |
   | `EVIDENCE_BASIC_PASSWORD` | HTTP Basic Auth password                       | Yes\*     |
   | `${VAR}` references       | All variables referenced in `connection.yaml`  | Yes       |
   | `EVIDENCE_AUTH_DISABLED`  | Skip auth entirely on trusted private networks | -         |
   | `PORT`                    | Port the server listens on (default: 3000)     | -         |

   \* Unless auth disabled

5. Start the server

## Self Host vs. Evidence Studio

Self-hosting allows you to render your SQL + markdown into interactive reports — but the Evidence Studio platform has many additional features:

| Feature                                                | Self Host       | Evidence Studio                          |
| ------------------------------------------------------ | --------------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| Rendering reports                                      | ✓               | ✓                                        |
| [Direct connectors](/cli/connections)                  | ✓               | ✓                                        |
| [Evidence Warehouse](/warehouses/evidence-warehouse)   | —               | ✓                                        |
| [SQL models](/core-concepts/models)                    | —               | ✓                                        |
| Auth                                                   | HTTP Basic Auth | SSO with viewer, developer & admin roles |
| [Access controls](/features/page-level-access-control) | —               | ✓                                        |
| [Row-level security](/features/access-rules)           | —               | ✓                                        |
| Developer Agent                                        | —               | ✓                                        |
| Viewer Agent                                           | —               | ✓                                        |
| Web editor & real-time collaboration                   | —               | ✓                                        |
| [Embedded analytics](/features/embedded)               | —               | ✓                                        |
| [Studio MCP server](/mcp/studio)                       | —               | ✓                                        |

## Authentication

Self-hosted sites are protected by HTTP Basic Auth. The browser caches credentials in memory until the browser is exited (there is no logout button).

To force all viewers to re-authenticate, change `EVIDENCE_BASIC_PASSWORD` and redeploy.

For deployments only reachable over a trusted private network (VPN, Tailscale, internal VPC), set `EVIDENCE_AUTH_DISABLED=true` to skip authentication entirely.