CRM Template for WhatsApp
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Deploy

Deploy on Hostinger

Hostinger's Managed Node.js Hosting is the recommended way to run this template in production: Hostinger patches the OS and the Node runtime, handles SSL, and gives you a Git-based deploy flow from hPanel. You deploy from your fork without ever opening an SSH session if you don't want to.

This walkthrough assumes you have already completed getting-started, supabase-setup, and whatsapp-setup — i.e., your fork builds locally and you have your Supabase + Meta credentials ready.

1. Buy a Managed Node.js plan

  1. Sign up at https://www.hostinger.com/web-apps-hosting and choose a Node.js plan that gives you enough memory for npm run build (2 GB+ recommended).
  2. During the onboarding wizard, pick the Node.js stack and the region closest to your users.
  3. Finish setup until you land in hPanel.

2. Create the app in hPanel

In hPanel, open the hosting plan and go to Websites → Create / Manage and pick the Node.js application option, then:

  • Application name — wacrm.
  • Application root — accept the default (e.g., domains/yourdomain/public_html).
  • Application URL — the domain or subdomain you want to use (e.g., crm.example.com). You can attach a domain now or later under Domains.
  • Node.js version — 20 or newer.
  • Application startup file / command — Next.js uses npm start once it is built, so set:
    • Start command: npm start
    • Alternatively: node node_modules/next/dist/bin/next start -p $PORT

Save the app. hPanel provisions a container and shows you the app's control page.

3. Connect your GitHub fork

In hPanel → Git:

  1. Create repository → paste your fork's HTTPS URL (e.g., https://github.com/<your-username>/wacrm.git).
  2. Pick the branch you want to deploy (usually main).
  3. Set the deploy path to the Application root from step 2.

Alternative: if you prefer ZIP uploads, use File Manager instead — upload the repo contents into the application root. Git-based deploy is simpler because redeploying is one click.

4. Install dependencies and build

hPanel's Node.js app page exposes a Run NPM install button and a terminal. Either works:

  • Button flow:
    1. Click Run NPM install. Wait for it to finish.
    2. Click Run NPM Build (or execute npm run build from the app terminal).
  • Terminal flow:
    npm ci
npm run build

Next.js expects NEXT_PUBLIC_* variables to be present at build time, so set env vars (step 5) before running the build.

5. Configure environment variables

In hPanel → Node.js app → Environment variables, add every value from environment-variables.md:

  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_URL
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SUPABASE_ANON_KEY
  • SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY
  • ENCRYPTION_KEY
  • META_APP_SECRET
  • NEXT_PUBLIC_SITE_URL — set to https://<your-domain> (with the scheme, without a trailing slash).
  • AUTOMATION_CRON_SECRET — if you plan to use Wait steps (automations-and-cron.md).

Save, then re-run the build so the new NEXT_PUBLIC_* values get baked into the client bundle.

6. Start the app

From the app page, click Restart application (or run the equivalent from the terminal). hPanel boots npm start behind its own reverse proxy on the domain you configured. Hit the URL in a browser — you should land on the marketing page.

SSL is provisioned automatically. If you used a subdomain, Hostinger's AutoSSL usually takes a minute or two; until then the site may serve the plain-HTTP version.

7. Update the Meta webhook

Back in Meta for Developers → WhatsApp® → Configuration, change the callback URL to https://<your-domain>/api/whatsapp/webhook and re-verify.

8. Schedule the automations cron

If you use the Wait step in any automation, schedule the cron drain.

  • Inside hPanel — open Advanced → Cron Jobs and add:
    * * * * * curl -s -H "x-cron-secret: <AUTOMATION_CRON_SECRET>" https://<your-domain>/api/automations/cron > /dev/null
    Paste the literal secret here (cron jobs in hPanel don't read app env vars) or store it in a file the cron reads.
  • Outside — any uptime monitor (UptimeRobot, Better Stack, GitHub Actions) can hit the URL once a minute. See automations-and-cron.md for detail.

9. Deploying updates

Two options:

  • Click-deploy: push to your fork, then hit Pull in hPanel → Git and Restart application.
  • Terminal:
    cd <application-root>
git pull
npm ci
npm run build
# then restart from the Node.js app page

If the database schema changed, apply any new SQL files from supabase/migrations/ in the Supabase SQL editor first — migrations are idempotent.

When to reach for a VPS instead

Managed Node.js covers most deploys of this template. Consider Hostinger VPS if you need:

  • Long-running background workers beyond what the single Next.js process gives you.
  • System-level cron behaviour you can't replicate from hPanel.
  • Custom binaries (e.g., ffmpeg) for media transforms.

Otherwise, Managed Node.js is the fast path.

Where to go next