Self-hostingVersion 0.9.0

Running OpenTodo on CapRover

OpenTodo is one container with one volume and no required settings. The one-click app sets up the container, the volume and a generated setup token for the owner account.

Install#

OpenTodo is not in CapRover's one-click list yet. Until it is, paste it as a template:

1. In the CapRover dashboard, open Apps → One-Click Apps/Databases.
2. At the end of the list, choose >> TEMPLATE <<.
3. Paste the content of opentodo.yml and click Next.
4. Give the app a name, for example todo, check the fields below and click Deploy.

When it is done, CapRover shows a message with the address and the setup token. Copy the token.

First visit#

Open http://<app name>.<your root domain>. The first visitor creates the owner account, and the setup screen asks for the setup token from the message. If you lost it, it is under the app's App Configs as OPENTODO_SETUP_TOKEN. After that, sign-up is closed and the owner invites people.

Settings#

The fields become environment variables of the app. Change them later under App Configs → Environmental Variables and click Save & Update. Other OPENTODO_* variables from the configuration table can be added there too.

https and the base URL#

CapRover serves a new app over plain http. On it, tasks, projects, sync, sharing and attachments work. Installing the app on a phone, working offline, push notifications, passkeys and end-to-end encryption need https, because browsers only allow them there.

Keep the base URL empty on plain http. An https:// value there makes the session cookie secure-only, so the browser drops it and you cannot sign in.

To turn on https:

1. Open the app's HTTP Settings and click Enable HTTPS (CapRover gets a Let's Encrypt certificate; if it asks, enable HTTPS for the root domain on the dashboard first). To use your own domain, add it there first and enable HTTPS for it.
2. Turn on Force HTTPS by redirecting all HTTP traffic to HTTPS and save.
3. Under App Configs, set OPENTODO_BASE_URL to the https address, for example https://todo.captain.example.com, and click Save & Update.

More on proxies and https in Running with Docker.

Data and permissions#

Everything OpenTodo stores (the database, attachments and its own backups) is in the Docker volume <app name>-data, on the server at /var/lib/docker/volumes/<app name>-data/_data. CapRover keeps an app with a volume on one server and at one instance; keep it at one.

The image runs as user 65532. A new named volume takes the owner from the image, so it works as installed. If you change the persistent directory to a host path, give that folder to the same user before you save, or the container stops with "permission denied" in its log:

chown -R 65532:65532 /path/on/the/server

Updates and backups#

The version field picks one release, and CapRover never updates an installed app by itself. To update, open the app's Deployment tab and, under Deploy via ImageName, enter the new version, for example ghcr.io/pixari/opentodo:0.9.0, then deploy. CapRover pulls the image you name each time you deploy, so entering ghcr.io/pixari/opentodo:stable instead gets the current release whenever you deploy it again. Migrations run on start. There are no down-migrations, so back up first. Releases are listed on GitHub.

Back up the volume folder above with your server's backups, or turn on scheduled backups in OpenTodo's Settings → Server (they are written to backups/ in the same volume, or to S3 or WebDAV). See Backups.

Troubleshooting#

• Sign-in does not stick: OPENTODO_BASE_URL starts with https:// but the app is still served over plain http. Empty it, or turn on HTTPS, then Save & Update.
• The setup screen says the token is wrong: copy OPENTODO_SETUP_TOKEN from App Configs again.
• The app shows CapRover's "nothing here yet" page or a 502: open the app's Deployment tab and check the log. "permission denied" on /data means a host path that is not owned by 65532 (see above).

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