How to Install Ghostfolio (Investment Tracker) on AlmaLinux 9

Ghostfolio (Investment Tracker) on AlmaLinux 9 (Docker + Nginx + SSL)

Ghostfolio is an open-source, self-hosted investment portfolio tracker and wealth analytics platform that lets you monitor and manage your financial assets — including stocks, ETFs, cryptocurrencies, and commodities — all from a single, private dashboard. Built with NestJS and Angular, Ghostfolio provides real-time portfolio analytics, asset diversification reports, and performance visualization — empowering you to make smarter investment decisions while keeping your data secure and self-managed.

Running Ghostfolio on AlmaLinux 9, a RHEL-compatible enterprise-grade operating system, provides long-term stability, enhanced security, and predictable performance for production environments. Combined with Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Nginx, and SSL encryption, this deployment delivers a secure, scalable, and privacy-respecting investment management platform.

Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	AlmaLinux 9	Enterprise-grade, RHEL-compatible Linux base
Container Runtime	Docker Engine + Compose	Orchestrates Ghostfolio and dependent services
Application	Ghostfolio (Node.js + NestJS)	Core portfolio tracking and API backend
Database	PostgreSQL 15/16	Stores portfolio data, user credentials, and historical prices
Reverse Proxy	Nginx	Handles HTTPS termination, caching, and compression
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Provides SSL certificates for secure web access

Why Use Ghostfolio?

Unified financial dashboard – track your investments across multiple brokers, currencies, and asset classes.
Self-hosted and open-source – retain complete ownership of your data.
Privacy-first design – no third-party analytics, ads, or telemetry.
Real-time analytics – visualize allocations, risk, and performance metrics.
API integrations – fetch live prices and automate portfolio updates.
Multi-user environment – suitable for families, financial teams, or shared use.
Mobile-friendly UI – optimized for both desktop and mobile viewing.

Ghostfolio vs Other Investment Trackers

Feature/Capability	Ghostfolio (Self-hosted)	Sharesight	CoinStats	Kubera
Hosting	Self-hosted / Cloud	Cloud only	Cloud only	Cloud only
Privacy	100% local control	Cloud-based	Cloud-based	Cloud-based
Assets supported	Stocks, ETFs, crypto	Stocks/ETFs only	Crypto only	Multi-asset
Cost	Free, open-source	Subscription	Subscription	Subscription
API Integration	✅ Yes	✅ Limited	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Data Ownership	Full	None	None	None

Ghostfolio offers the power of advanced investment analytics with the freedom of self-hosting, making it a leading open-source alternative for privacy-conscious investors and financial professionals.

Security & Best Practices

Run behind Nginx with HTTPS (Let’s Encrypt or corporate PKI).
Use Docker secrets or .env files for PostgreSQL credentials and tokens.
Restrict database access to internal Docker networks.
Enable SELinux enforcing and firewalld, allowing only ports 80 and 443.
Automate SSL renewals using Certbot or Traefik ACME integration.
Regularly update AlmaLinux, Docker, and Ghostfolio images.
Schedule PostgreSQL backups and verify restore integrity.
Apply Nginx rate limiting and fail2ban to secure authentication endpoints.
Use complex passwords and enable multi-factor authentication if available.

Typical Use Cases

Personal finance management – track investments and net worth securely.
Stock and crypto tracking – monitor hybrid portfolios in one dashboard.
Family wealth management – organize shared portfolios across users.
Financial advisors – manage multiple client portfolios securely.
Developers and data enthusiasts – integrate Ghostfolio with APIs for automation and reporting.

Deploying Ghostfolio on AlmaLinux 9 with Docker, PostgreSQL, Nginx, and SSL provides a private, modern, and data-driven investment tracker — combining financial intelligence, open-source transparency, and enterprise-grade reliability in one secure environment.

Create a Cloud Server on Shape.Host

Before installing Ghostfolio, deploy a clean AlmaLinux 9 server.

Go to https://shape.host and log into your account.

Click Create → Instance.

Select a data center near your users.

Shape.host instance form with the data center location selector highlighted.

Choose AlmaLinux 9 (64-bit) as the OS.

Choose a plan. Recommended minimum:

2 vCPUs

4 GB RAM

20 GB NVMe SSD

Shape.host instance form with the operating system image selector highlighted.

Click Create Instance.

Wait 20–40 seconds for deployment.

Copy the public IP address from the dashboard.

Your server is now ready for SSH access.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with the server IP address highlighted.

Step 1: Connect to the Server via SSH

On Linux/macOS:

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

On Windows (PowerShell / Windows Terminal):

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

After accepting the fingerprint, you are logged in as root.

Step 2: Update System Packages

dnf update

Ensures the system is up to date.

Terminal showing DNF/YUM package management commands and output.

Step 3: Install Required Dependencies

dnf install curl ca-certificates gnupg2 lsb-release

These tools allow secure downloads and key verification.

Step 4: Add the Docker Repository

dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

AlmaLinux uses the CentOS repository for Docker Engine.

Step 5: Install Docker & Docker Compose

dnf install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

This installs:

Docker Engine
Docker CLI
Containerd
Buildx plugin
Docker Compose v2

Step 6: Enable Docker at Boot

systemctl enable docker

Step 7: Start Docker

systemctl start docker

Step 8: Allow Current User to Run Docker

usermod -aG docker $USER

This allows running Docker without sudo (after re-login).

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

Step 9: Create Ghostfolio Directory

mkdir -p /opt/ghostfolio

Terminal showing Linux user account management commands.

Step 10: Enter Directory

cd /opt/ghostfolio

Step 11: Generate Security Keys

openssl rand -hex 32
openssl rand -hex 32
openssl rand -hex 32
openssl rand -hex 16

You will use these values for:

JWT secret
Access token salt
Refresh token salt

Store them securely.

Step 12: Create docker-compose.yml

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste your exact configuration:

version: "3.8"

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    container_name: ghostfolio_postgres
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: ghostfolio
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: YOUR_DB_PASSWORD
      POSTGRES_DB: ghostfolio
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped

  redis:
    image: redis:7
    container_name: ghostfolio_redis
    restart: unless-stopped

  ghostfolio:
    image: ghostfolio/ghostfolio:latest
    container_name: ghostfolio_app
    depends_on:
      - postgres
      - redis
    ports:
      - "3333:3333"
    environment:
      NODE_ENV: production
      JWT_SECRET_KEY: YOUR_JWT_SECRET
      ACCESS_TOKEN_SALT: YOUR_ACCESS_TOKEN_SALT
      REFRESH_TOKEN_SALT: YOUR_REFRESH_TOKEN_SALT
      DATABASE_URL: postgres://ghostfolio:YOUR_DB_PASSWORD@postgres:5432/ghostfolio
      REDIS_URL: redis://redis:6379
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  pgdata:

Save and exit (CTRL + O, ENTER, CTRL + X).

Terminal showing the GNU nano editor and configuration text.

Step 13: Start Ghostfolio

docker compose up -d

This launches PostgreSQL, Redis, and Ghostfolio.

Terminal showing container image download progress.

Step 14: Check Logs (Optional)

docker logs ghostfolio_app --tail 50

Used to confirm successful startup.

Step 15: Test Ghostfolio from Your Browser

Before configuring Nginx, verify that Ghostfolio works:

http://YOUR.SERVER.IP:3333

If everything is correct, you should see the Ghostfolio interface.

Ghostfolio website introducing its personal finance and portfolio tracking application.

Step 16: Install Nginx

dnf install nginx

Step 17: Install Certbot for HTTPS

dnf install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Step 18: Enable and Start Nginx

systemctl enable nginx
systemctl start nginx

Step 19: Create Nginx Reverse Proxy Configuration

nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/ghostfolio.conf

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your.domain.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3333;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}

Terminal showing web server configuration text.

Step 20: Test Nginx Configuration

nginx -t

Step 21: Reload Nginx

systemctl reload nginx

Step 22: Enable HTTPS with Certbot

certbot --nginx -d almalinux-tutorials.shape.host

Certbot configures SSL automatically.

Terminal showing Certbot certificate commands and messages.

Step 23: Access Ghostfolio Securely

https://your.domain.com

Your Ghostfolio platform is now fully operational and secured with SSL.

Deploying applications like Ghostfolio, NocoDB, HedgeDoc, Appwrite, and Paperless-ngx requires stable cloud hosting. Shape.Host provides:

Fast Linux SSD VPS
Instant deployment
Clean OS images
High reliability
Scalable compute options

Visit https://shape.host to launch your next project on powerful cloud hosting.