Building ERPNext on a VPS from scratch — A guide with actual data from ConoHa VPS

Introduction — The Advantages of Building It Yourself

ERPNext is open-source software under the GPLv3 license.
Those with the necessary technical skills can build their own environment on a VPS and run ERPNext on it.

Advantages of building it yourself:

• VPS server fees alone start from around 2,000 yen per month
• Log in to the server via SSH,bench Maintenance freely via command line
• Gain a deep understanding of how ERPNext works (ideal for learning and verification purposes)
• Frappe Frameworkbench console You can call the API directly from Python.

This article will share actual measurement data from when the author actually installed ERPNext on ConoHa VPS, a comparison of major VPS services, and setup procedures.
And finally, I'll be honest about the hidden costs of building it yourself.

VPS Service Comparison (Latest Prices as of 2026)

This article compares potential VPS services for running ERPNext in the cloud.

Selection criteria

• Cost: Can monthly costs be kept down?
• Performance: Will ERPNext run smoothly? (Frappe official recommendation: Minimum 2GB RAM, 4GB RAM or more recommended)
• Maintainability: Is it easy to use terminal operations and snapshots?
• Region: Does the server have a base in Japan?

Summary Table (Based on 4GB RAM class)

Details of each service

🌳 ConoHa VPS [Recommended]

• VPS service provided by GMO Group
• Good response in the Japan region (Tokyo)
• A 4-core/4GB/200GB SSD configuration is available for approximately 2,000 yen per month.
• Further discounts available with long-term contracts (bundle deals)
• Easy snapshots and restarts from the management screen.
• In the SSH terminalbench The operation is smooth.

🌸 Sakura VPS

• Server locations are located within Japan (Tokyo, Osaka, Ishikari).
• 4GB/4 cores → Approximately ¥3,227/month and up (Ishikari region, 12-month lump sum payment)
• The Tokyo region costs approximately 3,630 yen/month.
• Easy to use from the web panel.

🌊 AWS EC2

• A globally used cloud infrastructure
• Excellent scalability and reliability.
• t3.medium (2vCPU/4GB) on-demand monthly feeapproximately $30 (≒4,500 yen) + EBS storage fees
• The setup process is complicated for those unfamiliar with configuration, making it difficult to recommend to beginners.

🦷 Frappe Cloud

• Cloud service officially provided by Frappé, the developer of ERPNext.
• Fastest installation and updates with GUI-based processing.
• Terminal operations via SSH are not possible —bench update Operational commands such as the following cannot be executed.
• The server is in an overseas region, so there may be some delay from Japan.

Actual measurement data on ConoHa VPS

We actually launched ERPNext on a ConoHa VPS (4 cores/4GB RAM) and measured its performance.

Access Speed

This is the result of accessing ERPNext on ConoHa VPS (Tokyo region) from Saga City using iPhone tethering.
This measurement was taken under conditions slower than a typical fixed-line connection.

Measurement Environment:

• Download speed: 14.3 Mbps / Upload speed: 23.5 Mbps
• Latency: 9 ms (Server: Tokyo)

• LCP (Largest Contentful Paint): 2.38 seconds → Main content is displayed within 3 seconds. Sufficient for business use.
• CLS (Cumulative Layout Shift): 0.15 → Less jerking and more stable page display.
• Network transfer volume: Approximately 3MB → Standard for ERPNext

We confirmed that even under poor communication conditions, it provides speeds sufficient for business use.

Server load status (htop)

This is the htop result while ERPNext is running.

• Load Average:0.63 / 0.26 / 0.09 → Less than 1.0 for 4 cores. Plenty of headroom in the CPU.
• Memory:2.08G / 3.82G Usage (approx. 55%) → 1.7GB always available
• Swap:654M / 2.00G Usage (approx. 33%) → No thrashing observed, stable.
• Operating time: 26 consecutive days of operation, no restarts.

Direct operation from SSH terminal

With ConoHa VPS, you can access the server via SSH.bench update ornginx reload You can directly execute operational commands such as these.

especiallybench console It's powerful. Because you can directly access the Frappé API from Python, tasks that would take dozens of clicks on a GUI can be handled with just a few lines of script.

Example: Bulk hiding fields in the employee master

bench console

# bench console 上で実行
fields = [
    "passport_number",
    "health_insurance_no",
    "driving_license_no",
]
 
for fieldname in fields:
    df = frappe.get_doc("Custom Field", {"dt": "Employee", "fieldname": fieldname})
    if df:
        df.hidden = 1   # 非表示フラグを立てる
        df.save()
        print(f"{fieldname} -> hidden")

Setup Procedure (Overview)

This is the basic procedure for installing ERPNext on ConoHa VPS.

1. Create a VPS — Create a server with 4 cores/4GB on ConoHa VPS

2. Security Settings — Open SSH (IPv4 and IPv6) and the development server port (TCP 8000).

3. SSH Key Setup — Set up passwordless login with public key authentication

4. Domain Settings — Setting up A records for your custom domain, obtaining SSL/TLS (using certbot, etc.)

5. ERPNext Installation

# パッケージ更新
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
 
# 依存関係インストール
sudo apt install -y python3-dev python3-pip python3.11-venv \
    redis-server mariadb-server xvfb libfontconfig wkhtmltopdf curl
 
# bench専用ユーザー作成
sudo adduser frappe
sudo usermod -aG sudo frappe
su - frappe
 
# bench（Frappe CLI）インストール
pip3 install frappe-bench
 
# bench init
bench init --frappe-branch version-15 frappe-bench
cd frappe-bench
 
# サイト作成
bench new-site your-site.example.com
 
# ERPNextインストール
bench get-app --branch version-15 erpnext
bench --site your-site.example.com install-app erpnext
 
# 開発サーバー起動（確認用）
bench start

In your browserhttp://<VPSのIP>:8000 If you access the URL and the ERPNext login screen appears, the process was successful.
In productionbench setup production Then we switch to nginx + supervisor management.

Honest Warning — Hidden Costs of Building Your Own Game

While VPS server fees are around 2,000 yen per month, there are many other costs involved in actually running a VPS.

If you find it difficult to do it on your own

"I set up my own VPS, but Japanese language support and operation/maintenance are a real pain..."
If that's the case, please consider ERPNext.JP's Cloud SaaS Plan (¥100,000/month).

• Japanese language environment and manufacturing industry customization are set up from the start.
• Leave all your backup, security, updates, and incident response needs to us.
• Unlimited number of accounts
• 14-day free trial available

For more details ERPNext.JP Implementation Cost Guide Please take a look.