Install Docmost - Open Source Notion Clone

Do you need a knowledge base tool for your team?

And you don’t want to spend hundreds of dollars for Notion?

Then you can give docmost a try. And this tutorial shows how to install it on a server.

My name is Till Carlos. I am here to help software teams work more effectively, and today we look into self-hosting a wiki.

My company needs a shared space to post meeting notes. The other day I went on Hacker News and found a tool that’s similar, but self-hosted. So I thought I install it for my team.

Yes, there is better Wiki software out there (like wiki.js) but I just didn’t like the editing experience.

What is DocMost?

It’s like a notion. You can add users and create spaces for teams.

Exactly what we need.

Problem: the docs are missing a self-host installer. You can boot it up locally, but hosting it on a server is not well doceumented.

In this tutorial you’ll learn how to use , which gets us a SSL certificate to host Docmost online. We’ll also walk through setting up DocMost on a root server using Docker and Traefik for SSL certificate management. Here’s what we’ll cover:

In this guide, we’ll walk through setting up DocMost on a root server using Docker and Traefik v3 for SSL certificate management. Here’s what we’ll cover:

1. Getting a root server
2. Setting up DNS
3. Installing DocMost
4. Configuring with SSL

General notes about this tutorial

• Change every placeholder: [YOUR_EMAIL], anything with [ ].
• This is for testing only. If you think Docmost is for you: hire an admin and lock it behind a VPN.

Step 1: Get a root server

For this tutorial, we’ll use Hetzner, but you can use any cloud provider you prefer (like DigitalOcean). Here’s what you need to do:

• Create a Hetzner account

• Choose your closet location

• Select the Docker CE image

• Pick a server size (CX11 for €3.29/month is sufficient for testing)

• Add your SSH key

• Create the server

Step 2: Set Up DNS

Once you have your server’s IP address:

Log into your domain registrar’s DNS management Add an A record for your subdomain (e.g., docs.yourdomain.com) pointing to your server’s IP

Step 3: Installing DocMost

SSH into your new server:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Create necessary directories:

mkdir /docmost/certs/
chmod 600 /docmost/certs/
cd /docmost
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/docmost/docmost/main/docker-compose.yml

Step 4: Configure Docker Compose

Instead of using the default docker-compose.yml, we’ll use a custom one that includes Traefik for SSL. Create a new file:

vim docker-compose.yml

services:
  docmost:
    image: docmost/docmost:latest
    depends_on:
      - db
      - redis
    environment:
      APP_URL: 'http://[MY_DOMAIN]'
      APP_SECRET: '...use openssl rand -hex 32 for this'
      DATABASE_URL: 'postgresql://docmost:[POSTGRES_PASSWORD]@db:5432/docmost?schema=public'
      REDIS_URL: 'redis://redis:6379'
    ports:
      - '3000:3000'
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - docmost:/app/data/storage
    labels:
      - 'traefik.enable=true'
      - 'traefik.http.routers.docmost.rule=Host(`[MY_DOMAIN]`)'
      - 'traefik.http.services.docmost.loadbalancer.server.port=3000'
      - 'traefik.http.routers.docmost.entrypoints=websecure'
      - 'traefik.http.routers.docmost.tls.certresolver=myresolver'
      - 'traefik.docker.network=web'
    networks:
      - web

  db:
    image: postgres:16-alpine
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: docmost
      POSTGRES_USER: docmost
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: [POSTGRES_PASSWORD]
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    networks:
      - web

  redis:
    image: redis:7.2-alpine
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - redis_data:/data
    networks:
      - web

  traefik:
    restart: unless-stopped
    image: traefik:v3.0
    command:
      - '--api.insecure=true'
      - '--providers.docker=true'
      - '--entrypoints.web.address=:80'
      - '--entrypoints.websecure.address=:443'
      - '--certificatesresolvers.myresolver.acme.tlschallenge=true'
      - '--certificatesresolvers.myresolver.acme.email=[MY EMAIL]'
      - '--certificatesresolvers.myresolver.acme.storage=/certs/acme.json'
      - '--log.level=DEBUG'
    ports:
      - '80:80'
      - '443:443'
      - '8080:8080'
    volumes:
      - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock
      - /docmost/certs:/certs
    networks:
      - web

networks:
  web:
    external: true

volumes:
  docmost:
  db_data:
  redis_data:

Create the Docker network:

docker network create web

Start the containers:

dockercompose up -d

Now you should see this:

Step 5: Access Your DocMost Instance

Once everything is up and running (which may take a few minutes for SSL certificates to be issued), you should be able to access your DocMost instance at https://your_domain.com.

Troubleshooting

If you encounter issues:

1. Check the Traefik dashboard at http://your_server_ip:8080/dashboard/ (remember to disable this in production).

• Add - "8080:8080" to the traefik ports.

2. Review Docker logs: docker compose logs.

3. Ensure your firewall allows traffic on ports 80 and 443.

Limitations and Next Steps

1. Email Invitations: The current setup doesn’t include email functionality. To invite users, you’ll need to configure SMTP settings in the docker-compose.yml file.
2. File Storage: DocMost uses local storage by default. For production use, you may want to set up a more robust storage solution.
3. Backups: Ensure you set up regular backups of your data volumes.
4. Security: This setup is basic. For production use, consider putting DocMost behind a VPN and implementing additional security measures.

Remember, this tutorial is meant for testing purposes. For a production environment, consult with a system administrator to ensure proper security measures are in place.

Watch the full video tutorial here: