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Self-hostingVersion 0.9.0

Running OpenTodo on Render

OpenTodo is one container with one data folder and no required settings. On Render it runs as a web service that pulls the released image, with a persistent disk on /data and https on its onrender.com address.

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It costs money. The database lives on a persistent disk, and Render only attaches disks to paid instance types; a Free web service loses its files on every restart. The Blueprint uses the smallest paid instance (0.5 CPU, 512 MB, plenty for OpenTodo) and a 1 GB disk; see Render's pricing.

Deploy#

  1. Click the button (or open the link) and sign in to Render:

    Deploy to Render

    https://render.com/deploy?repo=https://github.com/pixari/opentodo&path=deploy/render/render.yaml

  2. Give the Blueprint a name. Check that Blueprint Path says deploy/render/render.yaml; if it shows render.yaml, type deploy/render/render.yaml.

  3. Review the service opentodo and its disk, and click Deploy Blueprint.

Without the button: New → Blueprint in the Render Dashboard, choose Public Git Repository and enter https://github.com/pixari/opentodo (or connect your fork), branch main, Blueprint Path deploy/render/render.yaml, then Deploy Blueprint.

The service is deployed in Render's default region (Oregon). For another region, deploy from a fork with region: (for example frankfurt) added to the service in deploy/render/render.yaml; the region cannot be changed later.

First visit#

  1. Open the service's Environment page and copy the value of OPENTODO_SETUP_TOKEN (Render generated it).
  2. Open the service's address, https://opentodo.onrender.com or similar (shown at the top of the service page).
  3. The first visitor creates the owner account; the setup screen asks for the token. After that, sign-up is closed and the owner invites people.

The address is public from the first minute, which is why the token is set: without it, whoever opens the address first would become the owner.

Settings#

Variable Value What it does
OPENTODO_BASE_URL the service's https://….onrender.com address Taken from the service (RENDER_EXTERNAL_URL). Passkeys, secure cookies and links in emails use it.
OPENTODO_SETUP_TOKEN generated Asked when the owner account is created.
OPENTODO_ALLOW_SIGNUP false true lets anyone who can reach the address create an account.
OPENTODO_TRUSTED_PROXIES empty Leave it empty: Render's load balancer is the only proxy, and OpenTodo trusts proxies on private addresses by default. Set cloudflare if you put Cloudflare's proxy in front of a custom domain.
PORT 8080 Tells Render which port OpenTodo listens on. Do not change it.

Change or add variables on the service's Environment page (other OPENTODO_* variables are in the configuration table); saving redeploys the service.

A custom domain#

Add the domain under the service's Settings → Custom Domains and follow Render's DNS steps; Render issues the certificate. Then point OpenTodo at it:

  1. On the Blueprint's Settings page, set Auto Sync to No. Otherwise the next sync of the Blueprint sets OPENTODO_BASE_URL back to the onrender.com address.
  2. On the service's Environment page, set OPENTODO_BASE_URL to https://todo.example.com and save.

Passkeys belong to one address, so register them after the switch (or register them again).

Updates#

The service uses the stable image, which every release moves. Render does not redeploy when the tag moves, but it pulls the image again on every deploy. To update, open the service and click Manual Deploy → Deploy latest reference. To automate it, call the service's Deploy Hook URL (under Settings) from a scheduled job of your own. Migrations run on start and there are no down-migrations, so back up first. Render stops the old instance before starting the new one when a disk is attached, so a deploy has a few seconds of downtime.

With Auto Sync on, a change to the Blueprint file in OpenTodo's repository also redeploys the service; such changes are listed in the changelog.

To stay on one release line, set the image to ghcr.io/pixari/opentodo:0.9 (or one version, 0.9.0) as the Image URL in the service's Settings, with Auto Sync off (a sync would set stable again).

Data and backups#

Everything OpenTodo stores (the database, attachments and its own backups) is on the disk mounted on /data. Render takes a snapshot of the disk every day and keeps it for at least seven days (Disks page of the service, Persistent Disks); restoring one replaces the whole disk. For backups off Render, turn on scheduled backups in OpenTodo's Settings → Server with an S3 or WebDAV destination. Backups written only to backups/ stay on the same disk. The image has no shell, so Render's shell and SSH cannot open it. See Backups.

The service runs one instance: a service with a disk cannot be scaled out.

Troubleshooting#

  • The deploy fails right after it starts: the log names the setting, for example a setup token shorter than 16 characters if you replaced it.
  • The log says "permission denied", "readonly database" or "unable to open database file": OpenTodo cannot write the disk on /data. Check that the disk's mount path is /data and open an issue with the log.
  • Sign-in does not stick after adding a custom domain: OPENTODO_BASE_URL still names the other address. Set it to the address you open (see above).
  • Live updates do not arrive: see Live updates through the proxy for the test page.

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