Quickstart for SnapOtter

SnapOtter provides a single stack for converting, compressing, editing and transforming files, images, video, audio, PDFs and documents, through a web UI, REST API or automated pipelines, all processed on your own server. It runs local AI-powered tools (like background removal and captioning) without sending files to a third-party cloud API, matching its "your files never leave your network" positioning. The deployment uses SnapOtter's embedded mode, running its own PostgreSQL and Redis inside a single container rather than separate database services. It's open-core: the self-hosted community edition (used here) is fully functional under AGPL-3.0, with a small set of enterprise features (SCIM, SIEM, GDPR tooling) gated behind a separate paid license and license key. Login uses a first-boot-seeded admin account and the generated password, with a forced password change on first login.

Deploy SnapOtter on Elestio

1. Open the SnapOtter deployment page and sign in, or create an account.
2. Choose a cloud provider, a region and a data center. Pick the region closest to your users for the lowest latency.
3. Choose an instance size. Elestio only lists the sizes that can run SnapOtter properly (at least 2 vCPU and 4 GB of RAM).
4. Choose your support plan and the maintenance window for system and software updates (times are in UTC).
5. Click Create Service. SnapOtter is deployed and ready in a few minutes, and you receive an email with the access details.

The full walkthrough with screenshots is in the installation guide.

Access SnapOtter

Open your service in the Elestio dashboard and go to the Overview tab. Click Display Admin UI to reveal the URL, username and password of your SnapOtter instance.

If the password field is blank, SnapOtter does not ship with a pre-created admin user: open the admin URL to start its setup. Software without a web interface, such as databases, is reached with the credentials and port listed in the same tab. See Admin UI and credentials.

Next steps

• Custom domain and SSL: point your own domain to SnapOtter (guide).
• Backups: new services follow a 3-2-1 backup strategy by default (backups).
• Updates: manage the SnapOtter version and update policy (software versions and updates).
• Learn SnapOtter: read the official SnapOtter documentation.