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ConvoLog Docs

Quickstart & Self-hosting

ConvoLog ships as a Docker image. You will need:

  • A Linux server (VPS, home lab, or any machine with Docker installed)
  • Docker and Docker Compose
  • A domain name or local hostname (optional, but recommended for HTTPS)

1. Pull the image

Terminal window
docker pull ghcr.io/your-org/convolog:latest

PLACEHOLDER — replace your-org/convolog with the actual GHCR path once the repo is public.

2. Create a docker-compose.yml

services:
  convolog:
    image: ghcr.io/your-org/convolog:latest
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"
    volumes:
      - ./data:/app/data         # SQLite database and uploads
      - ./backups:/app/backups   # Scheduled backup output
    environment:
      DATABASE_URL: file:/app/data/convolog.db
      NEXTAUTH_SECRET: "change-me-to-a-random-string"
      NEXTAUTH_URL: "http://localhost:3000"
      # Optional — see Configuration for the full list

3. Start the container

Terminal window
docker compose up -d

4. Create the first admin account

On first run, ConvoLog creates a setup wizard at http://localhost:3000/setup. Complete it to create your SUPER_ADMIN account.

The setup route is disabled after the first user is created.

For production use, put ConvoLog behind a reverse proxy such as Nginx or Caddy to terminate TLS.

Example Caddyfile:

convolog.example.com {
    reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Upgrading

Pull the new image and restart:

Terminal window
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d

Database migrations run automatically on startup.

Troubleshooting

  • Container exits immediately — check docker compose logs convolog for the error.
  • Cannot reach the setup page — ensure port 3000 is not blocked by a firewall.
  • Database errors — verify the ./data directory is writable by the container user.

Next steps