How to Self-Host Your Own Demora Signaling Server (Nexus)

Privacy isn't just a feature; it's a right. While Demora provides a managed signaling service, many users prefer to own their own "discovery" layer.

In this guide, we'll walk you through deploying Demora Nexus—our self-hosted signaling and relay server—using Docker and Caddy.

1. Why Self-Host?

• Total Data Sovereignty: Even your metadata (who connected to what and when) never leaves your infrastructure.
• Custom Relay Control: If you're on a local network, your traffic stays local.
• Enterprise Compliance: Meet strict data residency and security requirements.

2. Prerequisites

• A Linux VPS or local server with Docker and docker-compose installed.
• A domain name (e.g., nexus.yourdomain.com).
• Firewall ports 80, 443, 3478 (UDP/TCP) open.

3. The Setup (docker-compose.yml)

version: '3.8'

services:
  demora-nexus:
    image: ghcr.io/arda/demora-nexus:latest
    container_name: demora-nexus
    environment:
      - NEXUS_DOMAIN=nexus.yourdomain.com
      - NEXUS_KEY_SECRET=your_super_secret_key
    ports:
      - "8080:8080" # Signaling WebSocket
      - "3478:3478/udp" # STUN/TURN (UDP)
    volumes:
      - ./data:/root/.demora

  caddy:
    image: caddy:latest
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    command: caddy reverse-proxy --from nexus.yourdomain.com --to demora-nexus:8080

4. Deploy and Verify

1. Run docker-compose up -d.
2. Check your logs: docker-compose logs -f demora-nexus.
3. Verify your health check: Navigate to https://nexus.yourdomain.com/health.

5. Connect Your Demora Client

In your Demora application, go to Settings > Network and toggle "Custom Signaling". Paste your domain and your NEXUS_KEY_SECRET to begin routing through your private Nexus instance.

6. Conclusion

You're now running your own private remote desktop cloud! No monthly fees, no data trackers, just raw, secure connectivity.