System Requirements
Operating System
Broadcast is designed to run on a fresh install of Ubuntu 24.04 or 26.04 (server edition). The installer refuses any other release.
Minimum requirements
- 2 GB of RAM
- 1 CPU Core
- 40 GB of disk space
A minimal install uses about 1.5 GB of the 2 GB at rest, and more while it sends. On a 2 GB server, switch the job server to Low memory mode on the Jobs page (see Performance Tuning). For large lists or more job processes, use the recommended 4 GB.
Recommended requirements
- 4 GB of RAM
- 2 CPU Cores
- 60+ GB of disk space
With plugins
3.0+
Use 4 GB of RAM when you run plugins. Plugins add two containers: the plugin runtime and its network proxy. On a 2 GB test server with plugins on, about 300 MB stayed free while the plugins handled 2,000 events. See Plugins.
Software
Broadcast ships as a Docker image and brings its own dependencies. The only data store it needs is PostgreSQL 17, which the automatic installation method installs and manages for you as part of the stack.
There is no Redis requirement. Background jobs and websockets run on PostgreSQL through Solid Queue and Solid Cable, so there is no second data store to install, secure, back up, or keep alive.
If you are installing manually, you supply PostgreSQL yourself, see Manual Installation.
3.0+
With your own database server, Broadcast 3.0 needs PostgreSQL 15 or newer. On PostgreSQL 14 or older, Broadcast 3.0 does not start. See Upgrading to Broadcast 3.0.
Sending email
Broadcast does not send mail on its own. You connect it to an email service provider (Postmark, Amazon SES, SendGrid, Mailgun, or any SMTP server) and it sends through them. See ESP Integrations for the supported providers and the setup wizards, and Domain Names for the DNS records your sending domain needs.
Hosting providers
For hosting provider, we recommend using Hetzner as they offer good network performance and reliability, while offering great value for their virtual private servers (VPS).
Digital Ocean and Linode are also good options.
Note that if you use the above links to sign up, you will receive the following credits:
- €20 credit for Hetzner
- $200 credit for Digital Ocean
- $100 credit for 60 days for Linode
The above referral links also provide us with server credits, so it is a win-win for both you and us.
System administration
A lot of customers ask what level of experience they need to maintain a Broadcast server.
If you are using our automation installation method, you will not need to worry about the underlying system administration as the installer sets up self-updates.
Having said that, at some point your Ubuntu release will need to be upgraded to the next version: standard support for 24.04 ends in April 2029, and for 26.04 later. You can read about the Ubuntu release cycle on Ubuntu’s official website.
For users looking to manually install Broadcast and run the standalone Docker container image, you will need to be comfortable with the underlying system administration. You will need to be comfortable with Linux system administration tasks such as installing and configuring software, managing databases, and configuring web servers.
