UniFi Network - Self-Hosting your UniFi Network Without a Console (Advanced)

We strongly recommend that users opt for a UniFi OS Console instead of self-hosting the Network Application on third-party operating systems. 

Self-hosting the UniFi Network application on a home computer or 3rd party virtual machine (VM) requires extensive knowledge of computer engineering, networking, and security. Invalid host specifications or configurations may lead to system crashes, poor performance, and compromised network security.

A UniFi OS Console, on the other hand, takes all the guessing out of the picture as it is already optimized for running all of our UniFi Applications. It is also a significantly more secure solution for remote access, as this is hosted on your physical premises, as opposed to a third-party virtual machine in the cloud.

Note: Although a UI SSO account is required for remote access, it is possible to setup and use UniFi OS Consoles as local-only devices without the need for an SSO account.

For advanced users hoping for a scalable cloud-hosting approach, we also offer our own UniFi OS Cloud Console.

Configuration of third-party hosts is outside of Ubiquiti's official support scope. If you still wish to self-host the UniFi Network Application, please be aware of the risks and proceed with caution.

Download and install the UniFi Network Application

The UniFi Network Application may be downloaded for Microsoft Windows, macOS, and Linux from this page. The Network application is provided as a simple installer for Microsoft Windows and macOS hosts.

For Linux, a .deb file is provided. This can be installed using the dpkg command on Debian or Ubuntu.

After installing the UniFi Network Application, you may launch it and follow the instructions to complete setup. You can access the configuration page by typing https://<IP_of_Network_Application_host>:8443 into the navigation bar of a browser while the application is running.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the UniFi Network application system requirements?
At a bare-minimum, we recommend the following system requirements (make sure to read the Release Notes for more details about a particular version):

• Operating system:
  • Linux: Ubuntu Desktop / Server 22.04; Debian 11 "Bullseye"
  • Windows: Windows 10; Windows Server 2016
  • macOS: Mavericks 10.9, 10.10 Yosemite, 10.11 El Capitan, 10.12 Sierra, 10.13 High Sierra, 10.14 Mojave, 10.15 Catalina.
• CPU: x86-64 Processor (Intel / AMD x64 Processors)
• RAM: 2GB
• Network: 100Mbps Wired Ethernet
• HDD: Minimum 10GB free (20GB or more preferred)
• Java: Java Runtime Environment (JRE) 8
• Web Browser: Google Chrome
• MongoDB: version 3.2 or later. Mongo is offered bundled: default is 2.4.14 (for macOS and Windows only).

Note: You will need to continually increase your system specs as you begin to adopt and manage more devices.

Does the UniFi Network application have to run at all times?
Although this is not required, we strongly recommend running the UniFi Network Application at all times. This enables you to configure your system at all times. It is also a requirement for proper statistics and reporting. 

I'm getting a Java-related error during setup, what do I do?
The UniFi Network application requires Java, so you'll need to install Java 8 for your specific platform before re-running the installer.

The install is not finishing successfully, what could it be?
Make sure that all system requirements above are met and that all ports used by UniFi are opened. 

I'm getting a "Your connection is not private" security warning when accessing the UniFi Network Application in my browser, should I be concerned?
No, there is nothing to worry about. Simply proceed to the next page by clicking Advanced > Proceed.