URL-Based Digital Signage

updated 2026-09-23

Set Up Display Networks Server on VPS running Debian

Provision a VPS running Debian, configure your DNS name, log in as root and run the Display Networks server setup script.

The setup script automatically provisions the complete Display Networks environment including the database, web server, SSL certificate, application deployment, administrator account, backups, and security configuration.

Requirements

  • Hardware minimums: 1 vCPU, 1 GB RAM, 5 GB storage
  • VPS running Debian 13 with root access -- Need a low-end VPS?
  • Domain name pointing to the VPS IP address
  • DNS A record MUST resolve or setup will fail
  • Valid administrator email address
  • SMTP email account for application emails
  • Remote backup storage location

A properly configured web hosting control panel provides email and ftp accounts needed to run Display Networks server.

What Setup Configures

  • Display Networks Application
    Downloads and sets the application up, creates the initial administrator account, and configures the production environment.
  • Nginx Web Server
    Configures Nginx as the public web server and reverse proxy for the application API.
  • HTTPS Security
    Automatically creates and configures Let's Encrypt SSL certificates.
  • MongoDB Database
    Installs MongoDB, creates database users, enables authentication, and configures dedicated database storage.
  • Application Process Management
    Installs PM2 and configures the Display Networks application to restart automatically after reboots.
  • Automatic Backups
    Configures scheduled database backups and uploads them to remote storage.
  • Security Configuration
    Installs Fail2Ban protection, log rotation, and automatic Debian security updates.

Server Set Up on Debian VPS

  1. Login as root user 
    login: root
  2. Run setup server script 
    bash <(wget -qO- https://displaynet.works/setup-server.sh)

Required Parameters

Parameters are read from exported environment variables or fall back to interactive prompts.
  • DOMAIN - Domain name used for your Display Networks server. Domain name MUST RESOLVE or setup will fail e.g. yourdomain.com or dn.yourdomain.com
  • TOKEN_SECRET - Security key used for application authentication.
  • REFRESH_TOKEN_SECRET - Security key used for application authentication token refresh.
  • APP_ADMIN_LOGIN_EMAIL - Email address for the initial administrator account.
  • APP_ADMIN_LOGIN_PASSWORD - Password for the initial administrator account.
  • APP_USER - Linux user account that runs Display Networks.
  • APP_PASSWORD - Password for the application user account.
  • MONGODB_SIZE - Dedicated MongoDB storage size.
  • MONGODB_ADMIN_USER - MongoDB administrator username.
  • MONGODB_ADMIN_PASSWORD - MongoDB administrator password.
  • MONGODB_DNUSER - Database account used by Display Networks.
  • MONGODB_DNUSER_PASSWORD - Password for the Display Networks database account.
  • MONGODB_BACKUP_USER - Database account used for backups.
  • MONGODB_BACKUP_PASSWORD - Password for the backup database account.
  • SEND_EMAIL_HOST - SMTP email host.
  • SEND_EMAIL_PORT - SMTP email port. Default: 465
  • SEND_EMAIL_NAME - Sender display name.
  • SEND_EMAIL_ADDRESS - Sender email address.
  • SEND_EMAIL_PASSWORD - SMTP email password.
  • BACKUP_TYPE - rclone storage type. Default: ftp
  • BACKUP_HOST - Remote backup server hostname.
  • BACKUP_USER - Credentials for remote backup storage.
  • BACKUP_PASSWORD - Password for remote backup storage.
  • BACKUP_FREQUENCY - Scheduled backup time. Default: 0 3 * * *
  • BACKUP_RETENTION - How long backups are kept. Default: 10d

Once complete, access the Display Networks installation at:

Open DOMAIN in browser e.g. yourdomain.com or dn.yourdomain.com
log in with Admin user then create a group admin users

Next: Set Up Displays