Deploying Authentik Identity Provider

Deploying Authentik Identity Provider is a common requirement for VPS administrators. This guide provides practical instructions that you can follow on Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 or Debian 12, though most steps apply to other distributions as well.

Prerequisites

• Basic familiarity with the Linux command line
• Root or sudo access to the server
• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• A VPS running Ubuntu 22.04 or later (2GB+ RAM recommended)

Docker Compose Setup

Before making changes to the configuration, always create a backup of the existing files. This ensures you can quickly roll back if something goes wrong during the setup process.

# docker-compose.yml
version: '3.8'
services:
  authentik:
    image: authentik/authentik:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "8080:8080"
    volumes:
      - authentik_data:/data
      - authentik_config:/config
    environment:
      - TZ=UTC
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
    depends_on:
      - db

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    environment:
      - POSTGRES_DB=authentik
      - POSTGRES_USER=authentik
      - POSTGRES_PASSWORD=changeme

volumes:
  authentik_data:
  authentik_config:
  db_data:

This configuration provides a good balance between performance and resource usage. For high-traffic scenarios, you may need to increase the limits further.

Initial Configuration

The authentik configuration requires careful attention to resource limits and security settings. On a VPS with limited resources, it's important to tune these parameters according to your available RAM and CPU cores.

# Reverse proxy configuration
server {
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    server_name authentik.example.com;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/authentik.example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/authentik.example.com/privkey.pem;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080;
        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;
        proxy_buffering off;
        client_max_body_size 0;
    }
}

This configuration provides a good balance between performance and resource usage. For high-traffic scenarios, you may need to increase the limits further.

Common Issues and Solutions

• High memory usage: Review the configuration for memory-related settings. Reduce worker counts or buffer sizes if running on a low-RAM VPS.
• Service won't start: Check the logs with journalctl -xe -u authentik. Common causes include port conflicts, missing configuration files, or insufficient permissions.
• Permission denied errors: Ensure files and directories have the correct ownership. Use chown -R to fix ownership and chmod for permissions.

Summary

You've successfully configured authentik on your VPS. Remember to monitor performance, keep your software updated, and maintain regular backups. If you run into issues, consult the official documentation or open a support ticket for assistance.