Docmost Installation with Backups

This guide will show you how to install Docmost on your machine, using Docker. Additionally, you can use Rclone and crontab to setup weekly backups for your instance in Proton drive.

Prerequisites

Before installing Docmost, create a .env file from the .env.template file and fill it. All the purposes of the variables are defined inside the template file.

Additionally, make sure the following tools are installed on your machine:

• zip
• unzip
• docker
• rclone (optional)
• crontab (optional)

Required environment variables

• APP_URL: The base URL of your Docmost instance.
• APP_SECRET: The secret of docmost, you can generate one using openssl rand -hex 32.
• PG_PASSWORD: The PostgreSQL password.

Docker

Docmost requires Docker to function properly. Follow the official instructions to install Docker based on your operating system:

Docker Installation Guide

Rclone (optional)

Rclone is a tool for syncing and managing files in cloud storage. It will allow you to store your backups on your Proton Drive account.

Installation:

sudo -v ; curl https://rclone.org/install.sh | sudo bash -s beta

Run instance

Once the environment variables are set, execute the following command:

docker compose up -d

This will initialize Docmost and PostgreSQL using Docker.

Setting up Rclone to Access Proton Drive

After installing Rclone, follow these steps to configure it for Proton Drive:

1. Run the configuration command:

   rclone config

2. Enter n to create a new remote.
3. Give a name to the remote: use the same name as specified in the .env file for RCLONE_REMOTE_NAME.
4. Then, a list of configurations should appear, you need to enter Proton Drive id (which is as of today 43 or protondrive)
5. Enter your username and password, leaving the rest of the settings as default.

Warning: After setting up your credentials, you must first log in to your account via a browser using EXACTLY the same credentials as the one you provided. Otherwise, you may encounter an error requiring you to validate a captcha.

Note: If you cannot see Proton Drive in the list of configurations available, verify your Rclone version. You need to have Rclone in a beta version as Proton Drive is currently a beta feature.

Testing the Setup

To verify that Rclone is correctly set up, run:

rclone ls $RCLONE_REMOTE_NAME:

A list of the files stored in your Proton Drive account should appear.

Once these prerequisites are installed and configured, you can proceed with installing Docmost.

Setting up a Cron Job for Database Backup

To automatically back up your Docmost database every Monday at 8 PM (as described in the below example), you need to create a cron job that runs save_backup.sh.

Adding the Cron Job

1. Open the cron job editor:

   crontab -e

2. Add the following line at the end of the file:

   0 20 * * 1 cd /home/ubuntu/doc/backup && ./save_backup.sh >> backups.log 2>&1

   • 0 20 * * 1 means the script will run at 20:00 (8 PM) every Monday.
   • cd /home/ubuntu/doc/backup && is mandatory to find .env
   • >> backups.log append logs to backups.log
   • 2>&1 redirects stderr to stdout

   TODO : voir pour avoir un fichier de log pour chaque backup

3. Save and exit the editor.

Verifying the Cron Job

To check if the cron job is set up correctly, run:

crontab -l

This should display the newly added cron job.

Now, your database backups will automatically run every Monday at 8 PM.

Restoring a Backup with restore_backup.sh

To restore a specific database backup using restore_backup.sh, follow these steps:

Running the Restore Script

Execute the following command, replacing <backup-file.tar.gz> with the actual backup file you want to restore:

./restore_backup.sh /path/to/<backup-file.tar.gz>

Notes:

• Ensure that the backup file exists and is accessible before running the script.
• The restore process will replace the current database with the backup version.

Now, you can use restore_backup.sh to revert to a specific backup whenever necessary.

Troubleshooting:

• Error processing file upload. (error 400 in console)

  docker exec -u 0 -it docmost_instance sh
  chown -R 1000:1000 /app/data/storage

Example

This repo is used for our personnal use, you can see the public part of our documentation here