How to self-host IT-Tools

A drawer of small handy tools for everyday jobs: QR codes, converters, generators. Cresdock runs it on a server you own, from a catalogue, with no Docker and no reverse proxy to configure.

What Cresdock does for you with IT-Tools

Installed, started and kept running for you — no Dockerfile, no compose file, no reverse-proxy configuration to write.
Given its own web address, still behind your panel login. IT-Tools can't live under a shared path, but it can see your files — so the panel gate stays in front of it.

Why run IT-Tools yourself

Small tools are where a subscription is hardest to justify: a few pounds a month, times a dozen tools, for software that would run happily on a server you already pay for.

What kind of server IT-Tools needs

Small. These are the sort of app people run on a server they already have, alongside everything else, without thinking about capacity.

Cresdock itself is undemanding — it runs on a small rented server, an old desktop or a mini PC, on Ubuntu or Debian. Everything it installs shares that machine, so the honest question is not "will this app run" but "how much am I going to put on here in total".

Where to run IT-Tools

IT-Tools runs wherever Cresdock runs, and the choice is about the machine, not the app:

At home, on hardware you already own. A mini PC, an old desktop or a NAS that can run Debian. Cresdock works behind a home router with no port forwarding and no domain, so IT-Tools is reachable on your own network first and from outside only if you choose.
On a rented server. A small VPS is enough for most apps and is the usual answer when IT-Tools should be reachable from anywhere. The setup guide covers the specs and the one-command install.
Through a provider that runs Cresdock. Hosting companies deploy Cresdock workspaces for their customers, so IT-Tools can come with a server you rent rather than one you set up — ask your provider, or see how providers offer it.

Installing IT-Tools

Put Cresdock on a server
One line on any Ubuntu or Debian machine — a rented VPS, a spare PC, a home server. It sets itself up.
Pick IT-Tools from the catalogue
Click Install. The panel pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets a certificate and starts it.
Open it from your dashboard
Its address and any login details are on its card. Start, stop, update, roll back or remove it from the same place, any time.

What this replaces

Doing it by hand means writing something like this, then keeping it working:

services:
  ittools:
    image: corentinth/it-tools:2024.10.22-7ca5933
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "80:80"
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Etc/UTC
    volumes:
      - ./ittools/config:/config

And that is the easy half. Still to do:

Install a reverse proxy and write a server block for it
Get a TLS certificate and set up automatic renewal
Create the folders above with the right ownership, or it will not start
Point a DNS record at the server, because IT-Tools cannot run under a shared path
Repeat all of it for the next app, and again on every server rebuild

On Cresdock, IT-Tools is one click and none of the above exists.

Common questions

Do I need to know Docker to run IT-Tools?

No. Cresdock installs IT-Tools in one click from its catalogue: it pulls the image, writes the configuration, gets an HTTPS certificate and starts it. IT-Tools gets its own web address and its own certificate, because it cannot run under a shared path.

What happens to my IT-Tools data when it updates?

Cresdock updates the IT-Tools image and leaves its stored data in place. IT-Tools keeps its own files in its own folder, which survives an update, a rebuild and a reinstall — and Cresdock never writes into it.

Can I run IT-Tools at home instead of on a VPS?

Yes. Cresdock runs on a mini PC, an old desktop or anything that boots Debian, behind a normal home router with no port forwarding, and IT-Tools is reachable on your own network first. A rented server is only needed when IT-Tools must be reachable from anywhere without a VPN.

Can I remove IT-Tools later?

Yes. Cresdock removes IT-Tools in one click, and asks whether to keep its configuration for a future reinstall. Nothing else you have installed is affected.

Looking for what IT-Tools itself can do? That lives in its own documentation — this page is only about running it.

Pairs well with: linkding · Miniflux · Jackett

Before you start: where to rent a server · what it needs to run · Cresdock vs Cloudron