Teedy: Self-Hosting Made Simple

Teedy is a lightweight, open-source document management system designed for simplicity, efficiency, and complete self-hosting control. It empowers users to organize, search, and manage documents effortlessly while maintaining full data ownership. In this guide, we’ll walk you through installing Teedy, configuring it with a reverse proxy, enabling logging, setting up backups, updating the app, and leveraging its unique features to maximize its potential.

Installing Teedy

📦 Docker/Docker Compose Setup

Using Docker Compose is the easiest way to deploy Teedy with minimal effort. Here’s the process:

1. Create the docker-compose.yml file:

version: '3.7'

services:

teedy:

image: sismics/docs:latest

container_name: teedy

ports:

- "8080:8080" # Expose port 8080 for external access

volumes:

- teedy-data:/var/lib/teedy # Persistent data storage

environment:

- DOCS_TIMEZONE=UTC # Set the timezone (adjust as needed)

volumes:

teedy-data:

2. Deploy Teedy:

mkdir teedy && cd teedy

nano docker-compose.yml  # Paste the content above

docker-compose up -d

This will start Teedy on port 8080. You can access it via http://<your-server-ip>:8080.

🚀 Manual Installation

If you prefer a manual setup on a Linux server, follow these steps:

1. Install Java (Teedy requires Java 8+):

sudo apt update

sudo apt install openjdk-11-jre -y

2. Download Teedy:

wget https://github.com/sismics/docs/releases/latest/download/teedy.jar -O teedy.jar

3. Run Teedy:

java -jar teedy.jar

By default, Teedy will run on port 8080. You can customize options like port and database in the configuration file.

Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy

🌐 Nginx Configuration

Set up Nginx to route traffic from a domain to Teedy:

1. Create an Nginx server block:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/teedy

2. Add this configuration:

server {

listen 80;

server_name yourdomain.com;

location / {

proxy_pass http://localhost:8080;

proxy_set_header Host $host;

proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;

proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

}

}

3. Enable the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/teedy /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

sudo nginx -t

sudo systemctl reload nginx

🔒 SSL/TLS Setup

Secure your Teedy installation with HTTPS:

1. Install Certbot for Let’s Encrypt:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y

2. Obtain and configure an SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com

3. Set up automatic renewal:

sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer

Logging and Debugging Teedy

🗃️ Enabling Debug Logs

To enable debug logging in Teedy, edit its configuration:

1. Create or edit the configuration file:

nano config.properties

2. Add debug logging:

log.level=DEBUG

3. Restart Teedy:

docker restart teedy

## If running manually

java -jar teedy.jar

📄 Viewing Logs

Access logs to monitor Teedy’s behavior:

1. With Docker:

docker logs teedy

2. With manual setup:

tail -f logs/teedy.log

🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues

• Port conflicts: Check if another service is using port 8080.

sudo lsof -i :8080

• Database connection errors: Ensure the database service is running and accessible.

📤 Exporting Logs

To export logs for external analysis:

docker logs teedy > teedy_logs.txt

Backup and Restore

🗂️ File-Based Backups

Backup Teedy’s configuration and data files:

tar -czvf teedy-backup.tar.gz /var/lib/docker/volumes/teedy-data/

🔄 Database Backups

If using a database (e.g., PostgreSQL), back it up:

docker exec -it postgres pg_dump -U username teedydb > teedy-db-backup.sql

To restore:

docker exec -i postgres psql -U username teedydb < teedy-db-backup.sql

📅 Automated Backup Scripts

Set up a cron job for periodic backups:

sudo crontab -e

Add:

0 2 * * * tar -czvf /backups/teedy-$(date +\%F).tar.gz /var/lib/docker/volumes/teedy-data/

Updating and Upgrading Teedy

⬆️ Updating Docker Images

1. Pull the latest Teedy image:

docker-compose pull

2. Recreate the container:

docker-compose down

docker-compose up -d

🛠️ Manual Updates

1. Download the latest JAR:

wget https://github.com/sismics/docs/releases/latest/download/teedy.jar -O teedy.jar

2. Restart the application:

java -jar teedy.jar

🔍 Checking for Updates

Monitor the GitHub repository for releases:

https://github.com/sismics/docs/releases

Leveraging Teedy’s Unique Features

🔧 Enabling APIs

Teedy provides an API for integrations and automation:

1. Enable the API:

api.enabled=true

2. Test the API:

curl -X GET http://localhost:8080/api

3. Use with scripts:

import requests

response = requests.get("http://localhost:8080/api")

print(response.json())

🌟 Advanced Configurations

• Custom storage paths: Change the default storage directory in config.properties.

storage.path=/custom/path

• Database integration: Configure Teedy to use PostgreSQL or MySQL for scalability.

Wrapping Up

In this guide, we’ve covered installing, configuring, and managing Teedy, a powerful self-hosted document management system. With its lightweight design and robust features, Teedy is ideal for users who value simplicity and control. Start implementing these steps today to create a fully functional and secure document management environment tailored to your needs. Happy hosting!