SelfHostYour.Tech Documentation

Overview

SelfHostYour.Tech is an all-in-one Docker kit designed to help businesses self-host their complete tech stack. It's specifically tailored for companies with 1 to 100 employees who want to maintain control over their data and services.

Important Links:

• Main Site: https://selfhostyour.tech
• Source Code: https://github.com/Monadical-SAS/selfhostyourtech
• Community: https://selfhostyour.org

Getting Started

DNS Configuration

To properly set up the DNS for this, you need to configure the following records in your domain's DNS settings:

1. A Record:

   • Create an A record for the root domain (e.g., example.com)
   • Point this record to your server's IP address

2. Wildcard CNAME Record:

   • Create a CNAME record with * as the hostname
   • Point this record to the value of your A record (e.g., example.com)

This configuration ensures that both the root domain and all subdomains resolve to your server.

Quickstart

Get up and running in minutes with our automated installer that configures everything with sensible defaults.

1. Clone the repository (recommended location is /opt):

   cd /opt
   git clone https://github.com/Monadical-SAS/selfhostyourtech.git
   cd selfhostyourtech

2. Quickstart (Ubuntu only):

   ./bin/shtool quickstart <domain> <email> <traefik_username> <traefik_password>

Detailed Installation

1. Clone the repository (recommended location is /opt):

   cd /opt
   git clone https://github.com/Monadical-SAS/selfhostyourtech.git

2. Install Docker (Ubuntu only):

   cd /opt/selfhostyourtech
   ./bin/shtool install_docker

3. Configure Let's Encrypt for SSL certificates:

   docker compose run --rm manager shtool setup_letsencrypt <domain> <email> [traefik_username] [traefik_password] [environment]

   Parameters:

   • <domain>: Your domain name (required)
   • <email>: Email for Let's Encrypt notifications (required)
   • [username]: Admin username (optional, defaults to "admin")
   • [password]: Admin password (optional, auto-generated if not specified)
   • [environment]: Environment type - "prod" or "dev" (optional, defaults to "prod")

   Example:

   docker compose run --rm manager shtool setup_letsencrypt example.com [email protected] myadmin mysecurepass prod

   Note: If password is omitted, a secure random password will be generated.

4. Configure your apps by editing the enabled apps file (optional):

   nano /opt/selfhostyourtech/etc/apps-enabled.yaml

5. Configure application settings including credentials and passwords:

   docker compose run --rm manager shtool configure_app_settings

   This interactive tool will help you set up passwords, credentials, and other important settings for all enabled applications.

6. Update the Homer dashboard to reflect your enabled apps (optional):

   docker compose run --rm manager shtool update_homer_config

7. Deploy your selected apps:

   docker compose up -d

Environment Configuration

SelfHostYour.Tech supports two deployment environments:

Production Environment (prod)

• HTTPS enabled: All services use SSL/TLS certificates from Let's Encrypt
• Secure redirects: HTTP traffic is automatically redirected to HTTPS
• Full SSL validation: Complete certificate chain validation
• Recommended for: Live deployments, production use

Development Environment (dev)

• HTTP only: Services run without SSL certificates
• No redirects: Direct HTTP access without HTTPS enforcement
• Local development: Suitable for localhost testing
• Recommended for: Testing, development, local setups

The environment is configured during the setup_letsencrypt step and affects all services automatically.

Starting/Stopping/Status Services

docker compose exec -ti manager shtool start
docker compose exec -ti manager shtool stop
docker compose exec -ti manager shtool start <service>
docker compose exec -ti manager shtool stop <service>
docker compose exec -ti manager shtool status
docker compose exec -ti manager shtool reload

Managing Services by Docker Compose wrapper

You can manage individual services using the shtool manage command followed by the service name and docker-compose command:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage <service_name> <command>

Examples:

• Check service status: docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage nextcloud ps
• Stop a service: docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage zulip stop
• Start a service: docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage nextcloud up -d
• View logs: docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage ghost logs -f

Deployment Management

Deploy Individual Services

Deploy or redeploy a specific service:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool deploy <service_name> [force_rebuild]
docker compose run --rm manager shtool redeploy <service_name> [force_rebuild]

Examples:

# Deploy Nextcloud
docker compose run --rm manager shtool deploy nextcloud

# Redeploy with forced rebuild
docker compose run --rm manager shtool redeploy nextcloud true

Deploy All Services

Redeploy all enabled services:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool redeploy_all [force_rebuild]

Example:

# Redeploy all services with forced rebuild
docker compose run --rm manager shtool redeploy_all true

Data Management and Cleanup

Clean All Data

⚠️ WARNING: This will permanently delete ALL data

docker compose run --rm manager shtool clean

This command will:

• Stop all services
• Remove all Docker volumes
• Require confirmation with a randomly generated code

Clean Individual Service Data

⚠️ WARNING: This will permanently delete data for the specified service

docker compose run --rm manager shtool clean_app <service_name>

Example:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool clean_app nextcloud

Application Configuration

Configure all applications at once:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool configure_app_settings

Configure a single application:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool configure_app <app_name>

Example:

docker compose run --rm manager shtool configure_app nextcloud

This will launch a configuration script specifically for the selected application, allowing you to set or update:

• Admin credentials
• Database settings
• Storage paths
• Integration options
• Application-specific parameters

For zulip

Use this command to create the organization.

cd ./apps/zulip
docker compose exec -u zulip zulip /home/zulip/deployments/current/manage.py generate_realm_creation_link

For Authentik

Use this url to access the admin settings.

https://authentik./if/flow/initial-setup/

CUSTOM_SUBDOMAIN Configuration Guide

The CUSTOM_SUBDOMAIN environment variable provides a way to override the default subdomain behavior in your application. When configured, it allows you to specify a custom subdomain that will be used instead of the application's default subdomain logic.

Configuration

Add the following to your application's .env file:

CUSTOM_SUBDOMAIN=your_custom_subdomain

Available Services

Communication

• Zulip
  • Description: Team chat with threaded conversations
  • Type: Chat Platform

Office

• Nextcloud

  • Description: File sharing and collaboration platform
  • Type: Nextcloud

• ONLYOFFICE

  • Description: Online document editing suite
  • Type: Document Editor

• HedgeDoc

  • Description: Collaborative markdown editor
  • Type: Documentation

CRM & Data

• Baserow

  • Description: No-code database & CRM solution
  • Type: Database/CRM

• Twenty

  • Description: Modern CRM platform
  • Type: CRM

Security

• Authentik

  • Description: Identity provider & SSO solution
  • Type: Identity Management

• Traefik

  • Description: Reverse proxy & SSL management
  • Type: Traefik

Publishing

• Ghost

  • Description: Professional publishing platform
  • Type: CMS

• WordPress

  • Description: Popular content management system
  • Type: CMS

Development

• Gitea
  • Description: Self-hosted Git service with web interface
  • Type: Version Control

AI & Productivity

• LibreChat
  • Description: AI chat interface supporting multiple providers
  • Type: AI Assistant

Analytics

• Matomo
  • Description: Privacy-focused web analytics platform
  • Type: Analytics

System

• Homer

  • Description: Homepage dashboard
  • Type: System Dashboard

• Portainer

  • Description: Container management web interface
  • Type: Container Management

Coming Soon

The following services are in development or planned for future releases:

• ArchiveBox - Web archiving tool
• Databox - Analytics platform
• Duplicati - Backup solution
• And more...

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

• Service doesn't start: Check logs with docker compose run --rm manager shtool manage <service> logs
• Can't access service: Verify Traefik configuration and DNS settings
• SSL certificate problems: Run docker compose run --rm manager shtool setup_letsencrypt again
• Incorrect credentials: Reconfigure application settings with docker compose run --rm manager shtool configure_app_settings
• Configuration issues: Check application-specific configuration files in the service directory
• Environment mismatch: Ensure your environment (prod/dev) is correctly configured

Environment-Specific Issues

Production Environment:

• Verify domain DNS is pointing to your server
• Ensure ports 80 and 443 are open and accessible
• Check Let's Encrypt certificate generation in Traefik logs

Development Environment:

• Services will be accessible via HTTP only
• Use localhost or your local IP address
• No SSL certificates required

Best Practices

1. Regularly back up your data
2. Keep the system updated with git pull in the repository directory
3. Monitor system resources to ensure adequate capacity
4. Implement proper security measures and network isolation
5. Set up monitoring for critical services
6. Use production environment for live deployments
7. Test changes in development environment first

Support and Community

Join our Zulip community at https://zulip.selfhostyour.tech for support, discussions, and to connect with other users.

For bug reports and feature requests, please use the GitHub repository at https://github.com/Monadical-SAS/selfhostyourtech.

Table of Contents

• Authentik
• Ghost
• HedgeDoc
• Nextcloud
• ONLYOFFICE
• Traefik
• Twenty
• Zulip

Authentik

Ghost

HedgeDoc

Nextcloud

ONLYOFFICE

Traefik

Twenty

Zulip

Gitea

LibreChat

Matomo

WordPress

Portainer