If you searched for "Cal.com self hosted", the answer changed in 2026. The Cal.com product you can sign up for is now closed source, and the code you can run on your own server lives on as Cal.diy, an MIT-licensed fork with the enterprise features stripped out. This guide covers what that means in practice, the one command that trips up manual installs, and how to get Cal.diy running on AWS from a pre-configured AMI.
Cal.com vs. Cal.diy
In April 2026, Cal.com moved its commercial product to a closed-source SaaS model. The open-source codebase that used to be self-hosted as "Cal.com" was relaunched under the MIT license as Cal.diy. If you want the fully managed, production-grade SaaS with official support, use Cal.com directly. If you want to self-host on your own infrastructure for personal or non-production use, Cal.diy is the project this guide covers.
Who Should Self-Host Cal.diy
Cal.diy fits one person or a small group who want a booking page on their own domain, their scheduling data in their own database, and no subscription. It's a weaker fit for a sales team that relied on round-robin assignment or SSO, because those were enterprise features and they're gone. The project's own README recommends it mainly for personal, non-production use unless you can run the infrastructure yourself, which is fair: it's a Next.js app with PostgreSQL, and upgrades are yours to apply.
Why Run Cal.diy on AWS
You need somewhere that keeps a Node.js app and a PostgreSQL database running, gets backed up and has a stable domain with TLS. An EC2 instance in your own account does that, and the Meetrix AMI sets up the app, database, migrations and certificate in one CloudFormation stack, so the manual steps below are optional reading.
Developer Guide
Video Guide
What is Cal.diy?
Cal.diy is the community-maintained, MIT-licensed fork of the Cal.com scheduling platform, published at github.com/calcom/cal.diy. It's built with Next.js, tRPC and Prisma on PostgreSQL, and there's no hosted version: you run it yourself or not at all.
What it does
- Booking pages on your domain, with event types that each have their own duration, booking questions and availability.
- Calendar sync, so bookings respect busy times in the calendars you connect.
- Time zone handling for the person booking. For a one-off check across several cities, the time zone meeting planner shows everyone's working hours side by side.
- Confirmation and cancellation emails through the SMTP server you configure.
- An API for building it into your own app.
What it doesn't do any more: Teams, Organizations, Insights, Workflows (custom reminder sequences) and SSO/SAML. Those were enterprise-licensed in Cal.com and were removed from the fork.
Is Cal.com Still Self Hosted? What Changed in 2026
Cal.diy carries forward the open-source codebase that previously shipped as part of Cal.com. As of April 2026, Cal.com's hosted product moved to a closed-source model, and the self-hostable code was relaunched separately as Cal.diy under the MIT license. This evolution means Cal.diy is now the dedicated home for anyone who wants to run the platform on their own servers, while Cal.com remains the company's fully managed SaaS offering.
The fork isn't a copy of the old self-hosted Cal.com with a new name. Per the Cal.diy README, everything that used to sit behind an enterprise license is gone: Teams, Organizations, Insights, Workflows and SSO/SAML. What's left is the personal scheduling core: event types, availability, calendar sync, booking pages and the API, with no license key and no Cal.com account. If your old self-hosted install relied on team round-robin or SAML login, check that before you migrate.
The yarn workspace @calcom/prisma db-deploy step
If you install by hand, this is the command that trips people up. After you set DATABASE_URL in .env (and copy it into .env.appStore), you apply the Prisma migrations to PostgreSQL:
# production: apply existing migrations
yarn workspace @calcom/prisma db-deploy
# development only: create and apply migrations
yarn workspace @calcom/prisma db-migrateUse db-deploy on a real server; db-migrate is for development and can try to create new migrations. Run db-deploy again after every upgrade, or the app starts against an old schema. On Windows PowerShell the README notes a DATABASE_DIRECT_URL not found error, fixed by running the command from the prisma package directory. The Meetrix AMI runs the migrations during setup, which is most of the reason it saves time.
Cal.diy vs. Cal.com SaaS
If you need a production-grade, fully managed scheduling platform with official commercial support, Cal.com is the SaaS product to use. If you want to self-host on your own infrastructure for personal projects, internal tools, or non-production use, Cal.diy is the open-source option this guide focuses on.
Running Cal.diy Safely on AWS
Self-hosting means the boring parts are yours. On an EC2 instance that's mostly four things:
- Keep PostgreSQL off the public internet: the security group should allow only 443 (and 80 for the certificate) from outside, and SSH from your IP.
- Back up the database, not just the instance. A nightly
pg_dumpto S3, or EBS snapshots on a schedule, covers it. - Set up SMTP before you share the booking link, or people book and nobody gets a confirmation.
- Plan upgrades: pull the new release, run
db-deploy, restart. Skipping releases for months makes the eventual migration bigger.
Meetrix supports the AMI deployment itself (launch, configuration and setup problems) at support@meetrix.io. Cal.diy as a project has community support only.
Calendly vs. Cal.diy
Calendly is the tool most people are replacing. It's polished and needs no server, but it's cloud-only and charges per seat once you need more than the basics. Cal.diy costs only the server and gives you the data, at the price of running it. If neither fits, our roundup of open source Calendly alternatives covers the rest of the field, hosted and self-hosted, and Cal.diy on Google Cloud covers the same setup on GCP.
| Feature/Aspect | Calendly | Cal.diy |
|---|---|---|
| User Interface | Intuitive and straightforward. | User-friendly with additional customization options. |
| Integration Capabilities | Strong with platforms like Google Calendar, Office 365, Zoom. | Similar capabilities with a focus on open-source integrations. |
| Pricing Structure | Free basic plan; paid plans for more features. | Free and open source; you cover your own hosting costs. |
| Customization | Limited customization options. | High degree of customization available. |
| API Access | Provides API access, somewhat limited. | Extensive API, ideal for developers. |
| Self-Hosting Options | Primarily cloud-based, no self-hosting. | Self-hosted only, giving you full data and infrastructure control. |
| Intended Use | Production-ready cloud service for individuals and teams. | Recommended for personal and non-production self-hosting. |
| Market Position | Well-established with strong market presence. | Community edition of Cal.com, popular in open-source communities. |
| Target Audience | Individual professionals, businesses needing straightforward scheduling. | Tech-savvy users and developers comfortable managing their own server. |
| Support and Community | Reliable support, large user community. | Community-driven support; no official commercial SLA. |
Is Self-Hosting Cal.diy Worth It?
For a personal booking page or a small team that wants its scheduling data in its own database, yes: a small instance, no seat fees, and the AMI removes the fiddly install. If you depended on Cal.com's team features or need a vendor SLA, stay on the Cal.com SaaS instead; Cal.diy doesn't have those and isn't trying to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use my own domain with Cal.diy on AWS?
Yes, you can configure your own domain name. The setup process includes steps for DNS configuration and SSL setup for your custom domain.
What kind of support can I expect from Meetrix?
Meetrix offers quick and responsive customer support for any queries or concerns you may have. You can reach out to them at support@meetrix.io.
Is it possible to customize the Cal.diy instance?
Yes, self-hosting Cal.diy on AWS gives you full control to customize the service to your specific needs.
Can you still self host Cal.com?
Not the current Cal.com product. Its code moved to a private repository in 2026, and the public code continues as Cal.diy under the MIT license. Self-hosting Cal.com today means running Cal.diy, which drops the enterprise features such as Teams, Workflows and SSO.
What does yarn workspace @calcom/prisma db-deploy do?
It applies the Prisma database migrations to your PostgreSQL database in production. Run it after setting DATABASE_URL and before starting the app, and again after each upgrade. The development equivalent is db-migrate. The Meetrix AMI runs this step for you.
Is Cal.diy the same as Cal.com?
Cal.diy is the open-source, self-hostable community edition that used to ship as part of Cal.com. Cal.com itself is now a closed-source commercial SaaS product. Cal.diy is maintained under the MIT license and is intended for personal and non-production self-hosting.
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