Seafile

Deploy Seafile on a VPS in One Click

File storage & sync

Self-hosted file sync and share platform with block-level sync, per-library versioning, and encrypted storage — a private Dropbox alternative.

  • Ready in ~7 min
  • Free installation
  • We handle the setup
At a glance
Version
Latest (14.0)
Operating system
Ubuntu Server 24.04 LTS
Minimum RAM
2 GB
License
AGPL-3.0
Addressing
IPv4, IPv6
GitHub
15,000
Deployment~7 min
Open source & self-hosted
VPS plans

Choose a VPS plan for Seafile

Blazing-fast NVMe drives and powerful processors. Take a ready-made plan or build the configuration yourself.
Minex
Perfect for personal projects and small websites.
€3.20/mo
Save €0.80 per month

  • 1 vCPU core
  • 1 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 20 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • 1 TB traffic
Basex
A great balance of power and affordable price.
€4.80/mo
Save €1.20 per month

  • 2 vCPU cores
  • 2 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 40 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • 2 TB traffic
Most popular
Corex
For growing applications and businesses.
€7.20/mo
Save €1.80 per month

  • 4 vCPU cores
  • 4 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 50 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic
Midex
Resources for high-load projects.
€9.60/mo
Save €2.40 per month

  • 4 vCPU cores
  • 6 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 60 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic
Proex
Maximum power and scalability.
€12.00/mo
Save €3.00 per month

  • 6 vCPU cores
  • 8 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 70 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic
Scalex
Resources for scaling.
€16.00/mo
Save €4.00 per month

  • 6 vCPU cores
  • 10 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 150 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic
Maxex
A large reserve of power.
€44.00/mo
Save €11.00 per month

  • 8 vCPU cores
  • 16 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 200 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic
Apex
The top configuration.
€79.99/mo
Save €20.00 per month

  • 16 vCPU cores
  • 32 GB DDR5 RAM
  • 400 GB NVMe SSD
  • Full root access
  • 1 dedicated IPv4
  • Unlimited traffic

What you can do with Seafile

Seafile is an open-source file sync and share platform that organizes data into libraries and transfers only the changed blocks of a file, not the whole thing, when syncing across desktop, mobile, and web clients. It suits IT teams, design studios, and universities that need Dropbox-style folder sharing without routing files through a third-party cloud, and it works well as Seafile self hosted on infrastructure the organization already controls.

What sets it apart from broader "cloud in a box" platforms is narrowness by design: instead of bundling calendars, chat, and office suites, Seafile focuses on sync speed and storage efficiency, then hands document editing off to OnlyOffice or Collabora when needed. That focus is exactly why it belongs on your own Seafile vps hosting rather than a shared SaaS tier — block-level dedup keeps storage costs predictable, and libraries can carry their own encryption keys that never leave your server.

The applications screen of the control panel with one-click install

Seafile features

A server surrounded by app icons — applications running on a VPS

Beyond basic file storage, Seafile installation on your own server gives you fine control over how libraries, permissions, and integrations behave.

01

Block-level delta sync

Only the changed portions of a file are uploaded or downloaded, cutting bandwidth on large or frequently edited files.

02

Client-side library encryption

Libraries can be encrypted with a password known only to the user, so even server administrators can't read the contents.

03

Per-library version history

Each library keeps its own rollback history instead of one global timeline for the entire account.

04

Password-protected share links

Public links support expiration dates, download limits, and optional passwords for external sharing.

05

LDAP/AD and SSO

Enterprise authentication via LDAP, SAML, or OAuth2, useful when you install Seafile on vps alongside an existing directory service.

06

OnlyOffice/Collabora integration

In-browser editing of Office documents without leaving the Seafile web interface.

07

Selective sync and virtual drive clients

Desktop clients can sync only chosen folders or mount libraries as a virtual network drive.

08

Team libraries and wiki

Shared spaces for group collaboration with structured, searchable content.

Requirements

Which server to run it on

Minimum requirements for Seafile and the configuration worth starting with.
Minimum
  • CPU2 vCPU
  • Minimum RAM2 GB
  • Disk20 GB
Recommended
VPS Corex
  • CPU4 vCPU
  • Minimum RAM4 GB
  • Disk50 GB

Installation is free — you only pay for the server

Getting started

How to deploy Seafile

Three steps and the app is running on your server.
Step 1
Choose a server

Pick a plan with headroom above the minimum specs — Seafile's own storage stays lean thanks to block dedup, but the paired database and search index still need reserved memory, so vps for Seafile shouldn't be sized on library volume alone.

Step 2
Pick the app

Select Seafile one click install in the catalog, and the panel provisions the full containerized stack — Seafile server, database, and memcached — without manual configuration on your end.

Step 3
Get your credentials

Once deployment finishes, admin credentials for the Seafile web interface (Seahub) appear in your panel — sign in there before connecting any desktop or mobile client.

Why us

Why Host Seafile on Leneex

Speed, protection and support you can rely on — on every plan, with no hidden limits.
Deployment speed
Wiring together Seafile server, its database, and memcached by hand takes real setup time; one-click deployment skips straight to a working sync server ready for your first library.
Free installation
No installation fee means the only cost is the server itself, letting you test whether Seafile's sync performance holds up on your own dataset before committing further.
DDoS protection
Seafile's share links and web interface are reachable from the public internet by design — every password-protected link you send to a client is a potential target, so DDoS protection covers a feature you actively rely on.
Control and support
Root access lets you point Seafile at a custom domain with your own SSL setup, tune LDAP integration, or move library storage to a mounted volume — with engineers on hand if the configuration gets stuck.
99.9% uptime with SLA compensation
Teams sync continuously in the background, not just when someone opens an app, so downtime silently breaks sync queues across every connected device — SLA-backed uptime keeps that background sync reliable.
Flexible payment
Organizations replacing a per-seat Dropbox or Google Workspace bill with self-hosted storage can pay by invoice, matching the procurement process they already use for infrastructure.
What to choose

Seafile: Self-Hosted vs Cloud — Which to Choose

Seafile has an official cloud offering with tiered plans (free 5 GB up to multi-terabyte business tiers, priced by storage and user count).
Seafile Cloud
Self-hosted on LeneexRecommended
Resources and limitsStorage capacity and the number of users are limited by the selected planDisk, RAM, and CPU resources fully allocated to your server
Control and accessManagement is limited to the web-based admin interfaceRoot access, custom domain, and access to the database and file system
Feature limitsSome features (such as advanced auditing and clustering) may be unavailable on lower-tier plansFull Community/Pro feature set with no plan-based restrictions
ScalingUpgrades are required as storage usage and the number of users growUpgrade disk space and RAM with a single click in the control panel
CostCosts increase with storage capacity and the number of usersFixed VPS pricing regardless of data volume
Who it fitsSmall teams that want to get started without server configurationTeams with large or rapidly growing libraries that need control over encryption and their domain

Self-hosting on a VPS makes the most sense once your storage volume or user count would push you into Seafile Cloud's higher-priced tiers, since deploy Seafile in one click on your own server keeps the price fixed regardless of how much data you accumulate. Teams that just need a handful of gigabytes and zero server maintenance are still better served by the official cloud plan.

Frequently Asked Questions about Seafile on VPS

What people ask most about Seafile and our servers.

  • Yes — the Seafile desktop client and the Seahub web interface both support uploading existing folders as a new library, so you can move data over gradually without downtime on the source service.

  • Upgrading disk or RAM in the panel doesn't touch your Seafile data or library structure — it only resizes the underlying VPS, so libraries and their version history stay intact.

  • You manage updates to the Seafile server yourself after the initial one-click deployment — the Community Edition doesn't auto-update, so new versions need to be applied manually following Seafile's upgrade documentation.

What's already configured

The one-click deployment brings up the Seafile server, its paired database (MySQL/MariaDB), and memcached as a running stack — the sync engine and web interface (Seahub) start automatically, with the process managed inside its container so it restarts if the container does. The default deployment does not include OnlyOffice or Collabora — office document editing is an optional add-on you configure separately if you need in-browser editing rather than desktop apps.

First login

Seahub, the web admin panel, is reached over HTTPS at your server's domain or IP. The initial admin email and password are generated during deployment and delivered through the Leneex panel — change the password on first login before inviting other users. From Seahub you create your first library, set its storage location, and decide whether to enable client-side encryption for that library at creation time (this can't be added retroactively to an existing library).

Connecting clients

Desktop sync clients for Windows, macOS, and Linux, plus mobile apps for iOS and Android, connect using your server's URL and the admin credentials created above. Selective sync lets you choose which libraries to mirror locally instead of pulling the entire dataset to every device, and the virtual drive mode mounts libraries without keeping a full local copy — useful when storage on the client machine is limited relative to the total library size on the server.

Deploy Seafile in about 7 minutes

Choose a server — we do the rest: install, configure and send you the credentials.