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Paperclip on Bluehost VPS: Set It Up and Secure Public Access

Set up Paperclip on a Bluehost Self-Managed VPS, verify the installed Node.js version, keep port 3100 private, and create the first administrator account.
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To set up Paperclip on a Bluehost Self-Managed VPS, select Paperclip in the VPS checkout application selector, connect to the provisioned server over SSH, verify the installed runtime, then configure the service and create its first administrator account. For an internet-facing deployment, do not copy Bluehost’s sample of exposing port 3100 over plain HTTP: Paperclip’s current guidance calls for authenticated access over HTTPS through a reverse proxy, with Paperclip bound to localhost.

Here, Paperclip means the AI orchestration platform, not the unrelated Ruby on Rails file-attachment library mentioned in the opening of Bluehost’s support page. Bluehost’s VPS setup guide and Paperclip’s documentation describe the AI-platform setup.

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What to prepare before installing Paperclip

  • A Bluehost Self-Managed VPS with the Paperclip application selected during checkout.
  • A domain pointed to the VPS for public access, plus HTTPS configured through a reverse proxy such as Nginx.
  • SSH access and the ability to administer the Linux server. Self-managed means you are responsible for the operating system, Paperclip service, security, backups, and updates.
  • Credentials for the model provider your agents will use. The VPS hosts Paperclip; it does not supply model-provider credentials or make agents useful by itself.
  • A safe place to back up persistent data and Paperclip’s encrypted secrets master key. Losing the key can mean losing access to saved credentials.

Paperclip’s installation guide currently specifies Node.js 24 or later and pnpm. It describes 1 vCPU and 2 GB of RAM as enough to get started on a Linux VPS, not as a workload benchmark or guarantee for a particular number of agents. Check the current installation guide before provisioning or changing a runtime.

Choose Paperclip in Bluehost’s VPS checkout

  1. Open Bluehost’s VPS hosting purchase flow and select a Self-Managed VPS plan.
  2. Choose a data-center location and configure the available hardware options.
  3. Open the Applications tab, select Paperclip, and complete checkout.
  4. After provisioning, find the VPS in the Hosting section of the Bluehost Portal. Use the portal to retrieve or reset the root password if needed.

Plan contents and prices can change. Confirm the current cart and renewal terms rather than relying on an older advertised price. Bluehost’s guide presents a product-specific image and example configuration; the operating system, installed Paperclip release, runtime, firewall rules, and paths should be verified on the actual VPS.

Connect over SSH and check the installed image

Use the server IP and root password from the Bluehost Portal to connect from a terminal:

ssh root@SERVER_IP

Replace SERVER_IP with the address shown in the portal. On first connection, verify the host key before accepting it. Once connected, inspect the OS and runtime instead of assuming the static Bluehost example matches your image:

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cat /etc/os-release
node --version
pnpm --version

There is a material version discrepancy: Bluehost’s example README identifies Node.js 20.x, while Paperclip’s current installation guidance calls for Node.js 24 or later. Check the Paperclip version and its supported runtime on the provisioned image before updating or rebuilding; do not assume the example runtime is current.

Secure public access before opening Paperclip to the internet

Bluehost’s example shows a public base URL using http://<server-ip>:3100 and allows port 3100 through the firewall. That conflicts with Paperclip’s current public-deployment guidance. Paperclip explicitly says not to expose port 3100 directly to the internet.

Use a domain, HTTPS, and a reverse proxy

  1. Point a domain or subdomain to the VPS and arrange an HTTPS certificate.
  2. Configure the firewall to allow SSH for administration and HTTP/HTTPS as needed for certificate issuance, redirects, and secure web traffic. Do not allow internet traffic to port 3100.
  3. Configure Paperclip for authenticated public deployment, set the HTTPS public base URL and allowed hostnames, and bind the Paperclip service to 127.0.0.1:3100.
  4. Configure Nginx or another reverse proxy to receive external HTTPS requests and forward them to the localhost-bound Paperclip service.
  5. Test access through the HTTPS domain, including sign-in and any required callbacks, before relying on the deployment.

Use the exact environment-variable names and configuration steps in the official Paperclip self-hosting guide; incorrect names can prevent the intended security settings from taking effect. HTTPS and public reachability are distinct: trusted users may use a private HTTPS address on a private network, while external webhook senders require a publicly reachable HTTPS callback. In either case, Paperclip can remain bound to localhost behind the proxy. See Paperclip’s networking and self-hosting guidance.

Configure the service and create the first administrator

Once the service is configured for authenticated mode and reachable through its intended HTTPS address, bootstrap the first administrator using Paperclip’s CLI:

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paperclipai auth bootstrap-ceo

The command generates an invite. Open the invite in a browser and follow it to create the first account. Keep the invite private and complete account creation promptly; it is the entry point for setting up the initial administrator.

Paperclip’s authenticated deployment flow also requires the public base URL and allowed-hostname settings to match the address users will visit. Store the secrets master key securely and include it in protected backups alongside persistent data.

Check service status, logs, and configuration

Bluehost documents these commands for an image that uses its example service layout:

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systemctl status paperclip
systemctl restart paperclip
journalctl -u paperclip -f

The documented example paths are /opt/paperclip/app for the source tree, /etc/systemd/system/paperclip.service for the service unit, and /etc/systemd/system/paperclip.service.d/override.conf for an environment override. Treat these as image-specific paths, not universal Paperclip locations. Paperclip also documents paperclipai doctor and paperclipai env for diagnosis and environment inspection. Consult the Paperclip guide if your installed version or service layout differs.

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Plan updates, persistence, and capacity

Identify the installation method before updating

Bluehost’s example describes updating a source checkout with git pull, pnpm install, and a service restart. That sequence applies only if the VPS image actually uses the documented checkout and service layout. Paperclip’s GitHub installation material describes a managed installation method with atomic updates and rollback; follow the instructions for the method installed on your server rather than mixing approaches. Paperclip’s GitHub installation documentation

Before an update, back up persistent data and the secrets master key, check the release’s runtime requirements, and confirm you have a recovery path. Bluehost’s static example and the current Paperclip runtime guidance do not agree on Node.js, so verify the actual release and compatibility before changing Node or reinstalling dependencies.

Size for the workload, not a guessed agent count

Paperclip’s 1-vCPU, 2-GB-RAM figure is a starting floor from its installation guide, not a tested capacity promise. Choose resources based on agent concurrency, persistent data, and the work routed through your model provider. No verified Bluehost plan-to-agent-count benchmark is established in the cited materials.

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Choose the database design for your installation path

Paperclip’s getting-started path describes embedded Postgres defaults, while its separate VPS deployment recipe describes external PostgreSQL and persistent disk for data. These are different deployment choices; match the database and storage setup to the installation path you are following. Preserve the database and secrets key in your backup plan.

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