How to Self-Host MISP on a VPS

Planning a VPS for MISP: resources, exposure, backups and operational tradeoffs.

MISP can be self-hosted on a VPS for a lab, small team or integration environment, but it should be treated as a sensitive application. The instance may contain threat-intelligence data, API keys and internal context.

Suggested lab resources

A practical starting point is 4 vCPU, 8 GB RAM and at least 80 GB of SSD storage. Large feeds, attachments, correlation workloads and long retention can require substantially more.

Deployment checklist

• Use a supported Linux distribution.
• Restrict administrative access.
• Enable HTTPS with a valid certificate.
• Back up the database and application data separately.
• Keep the OS, MISP and dependencies patched.
• Document API keys and integrations before upgrades.

Public or private?

Most operational MISP instances should not be broadly exposed. If public reachability is required for integrations, restrict the administrative surface and consider VPN, reverse-proxy controls or allowlisted sources.