Knowledgebase

Metabase is a self-hosted business intelligence tool that lets non-technical users explore data and build dashboards by connecting directly to your existing databases — without writing SQL.

Prerequisites

• Docker Engine installed
• An existing database (MySQL, PostgreSQL, etc.) to connect to
• 2 vCPU, 2 GB RAM minimum

Step 1 — Run Metabase

docker run -d \
  --name metabase \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v metabase_data:/metabase-data \
  -e MB_DB_FILE=/metabase-data/metabase.db \
  metabase/metabase:latest

Step 2 — Allow the Port Through the Firewall

sudo ufw allow 3000/tcp

Step 3 — Access Metabase

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:3000

Step 4 — Complete Initial Setup

Create an administrator account and connect your first data source when prompted.

Step 5 — Connect to Your Application Database

Provide connection details for your existing MySQL/PostgreSQL database — ideally using a read-only database user dedicated to Metabase, not your application's own credentials:

CREATE USER 'metabase'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'CHANGE_ME_STRONG_PASSWORD';
GRANT SELECT ON myapp.* TO 'metabase'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Step 6 — Restrict Database Access to Metabase's Server Only

If Metabase and the database are on different servers, restrict at the firewall level:

sudo ufw allow from METABASE_SERVER_IP to any port 3306

Using a Persistent Database for Metabase's Own Metadata (Recommended for Production)

By default Metabase uses an embedded H2 database. For production, use PostgreSQL instead for better reliability:

docker run -d \
  --name metabase \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e MB_DB_TYPE=postgres \
  -e MB_DB_DBNAME=metabase \
  -e MB_DB_PORT=5432 \
  -e MB_DB_USER=metabase \
  -e MB_DB_PASS=CHANGE_ME \
  -e MB_DB_HOST=YOUR_POSTGRES_HOST \
  metabase/metabase:latest

Building Your First Dashboard

1. Click New → Question to explore data visually without SQL
2. Save questions and combine them into a Dashboard
3. Set up automated email/Slack reports for dashboards on a schedule

Adding HTTPS

See How to Install Nginx Proxy Manager with Docker to route a domain to port 3000 with SSL.

Common Errors

Slow query performance in Metabase — ensure appropriate indexes exist on the underlying database tables Metabase queries frequently; see How to Tune MySQL/MariaDB Performance for a VPS.

Can't connect to the database — verify network connectivity and firewall rules between Metabase and the database server specifically.

Best Practices

• Always connect with a dedicated, read-only database user — never Metabase's own admin credentials for the source data
• Use PostgreSQL (not the default embedded database) for Metabase's own metadata in production
• Restrict database network access to only Metabase's specific server

Continue Reading

• Database Security Checklist: Protecting MySQL, PostgreSQL & MongoDB
• How to Install and Secure MySQL 8 on Ubuntu & Debian
• How to Install Nginx Proxy Manager with Docker

Browse more articles in Popular Self-Hosted Applications.