Gramps Web is a web based application, ideally suited for collaborating with others to build your family tree together. It can be accessed from any mobile or portable web-enabled device. Gramps Web is a free & open source software, with the privacy and control of your data a top priority! In this step by step guide I will show you how to install Gramps Web on your Synology NAS using Docker & Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest Gramps Web v24.12.2 release.

• STEP 1

Please Support My work by Making a Donation.

• STEP 2

Install Portainer using my step by step guide. If you already have Portainer installed on your Synology NAS, skip this STEP. Attention: Make sure you have installed the latest Portainer version.

• STEP 3

Make sure you have a synology.me Wildcard Certificate. Follow my guide to get a Wildcard Certificate. If you already have a synology.me Wildcard certificate, skip this STEP.

• STEP 4

Go to Control Panel / Login Portal / Advanced Tab / click Reverse Proxy. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 5

Now click the “Create” button. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 6

After you click the Create button, the window below will open. Follow the instructions in the image below.

On the General area, set the Reverse Proxy Name description: type in Gramps-Web. After that, add the following instructions:

Source:
Protocol: HTTPS
Hostname: grampsweb.yourname.synology.me
Port: 443

Check Enable HSTS

Destination:
Protocol: HTTP
Hostname: localhost
Port: 5449

• STEP 7

On the Reverse Proxy Rules click the Custom Header tab. Click Create and then, from the drop-down menu, click WebSocket. After you click on WebSocket, two Header Names and two Values will be automatically added. Click Save. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 8

Go to Control Panel / Network / Connectivity tab/ Check Enable HTTP/2 then click Apply. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 9

Go to Control Panel / Security / Advanced tab/ Check Enable HTTP Compression then click Apply. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 10

Go to File Station and open the docker folder. Inside the docker folder, create two new folders and name them grampsweb. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

• STEP 11

Go to File Station and open the docker folder. Inside the grampsweb folder, create eight folders and name them cache, database, dbuser, indexdir, media, secret, thumbnail, tmp. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

• STEP 12

Log into Portainer using your username and password. On the left sidebar in Portainer, click on Stacks then + Add stack. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 13

In the Name field type in gramps. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Note: Copy Paste the code below in the Portainer Stacks Web editor.

services:
  grampsweb:
    image: ghcr.io/gramps-project/grampsweb:latest
    container_name: Gramps-Web
    healthcheck:
      test: timeout 10s bash -c ':> /dev/tcp/127.0.0.1/5000' || exit 1
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 90s
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    ports:
      - 5449:5000
    environment:
      GRAMPSWEB_TREE: Mariushosting #This env variable will create a new tree if not exists.
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/dbuser:/app/users:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/indexdir:/app/indexdir:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/thumbnail:/app/thumbnail_cache:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/cache:/app/cache:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/secret:/app/secret:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/database:/root/.gramps/grampsdb:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/media:/app/media:rw
      - /volume1/docker/grampsweb/tmp:/tmp:rw
    restart: on-failure:5

Note: Before you paste the code above in the Run command area below, change the value for GRAMPSWEB_TREE. Add your own tree name. Mariushosting is an example for a tree name.

• STEP 14

Scroll down on the page until you see a button named Deploy the stack. Click on it. Follow the instructions in the image below. The installation process can take up to a few minutes. It will depend on your Internet speed connection.

⌛Now just wait because the Gramps Web image is about 5.2GB.

• STEP 15

If everything goes right, you will see the following message at the top right of your screen: “Success Stack successfully deployed“.

• STEP 16

Follow my step by step guide on how to activate SMTP for your Gmail account. This step is mandatory. Note: If you don’t want to use the easiest way for SMTP with Google and you already have SMTP details from your own Mail Server, you can just skip this STEP and use your personalized email SMTP details instead.

• STEP 17

🟢Please Support My work by Making a Donation. Almost 99,9% of the people that install something using my guides forget to support my work, or just ignore STEP 1. I’ve been very honest about this aspect of my work since the beginning: I don’t run any ADS, I don’t require subscriptions, paid or otherwise, I don’t collect IPs, emails, and I don’t have any referral links from Amazon or other merchants. I also don’t have any POP-UPs or COOKIES. I have repeatedly been told over the years how much I have contributed to the community. It’s something I love doing and have been honest about my passion since the beginning. But I also Need The Community to Support me Back to be able to continue doing this work.

• STEP 18

Now open your browser and type in your HTTPS/SSL certificate like this https://grampsweb.yourname.synology.me that you have previously created at STEP 6. In my case it’s https://grampsweb.mariushosting.synology.me Create your administrator account. Type in your own details. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 19

Type in your own gmail SMTP details that you have previously created at STEP 16. Type in the following details:

SMTP host: smtp.gmail.com
SMTP port: 465
SMTP user: Type in your own Gmail address. / STEP 16
SMTP password: Type in your own Gmail App Password / STEP 16
From address: Type in your own Gmail address. / STEP 16

In the Gramps Web base URL area, type in your own synology.me DDNS address with https:// at the beginning that you have previously created at STEP 6.

Click SUBMIT. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 20

Click START. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 21

At the top right of the page, click the + icon then Person to add your first person. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 22

Your First Person is created!

• STEP 23

Your Ancestor Tree at a glance!

Enjoy Gramps Web!

🆘TROUBLESHOOTING

If you encounter issues by using this container, make sure to check out the Common Docker issues article.

Note: Can I run Docker on my Synology NAS? See the supported models.
Note: How to Back Up Docker Containers on your Synology NAS.
Note: Find out how to update the Gramps Web container with the latest image.
Note: How to Free Disk Space on Your NAS if You Run Docker.
Note: How to Schedule Start & Stop For Docker Containers.
Note: How to Activate Email Notifications.
Note: How to Add Access Control Profile on Your NAS.
Note: How to Change Docker Containers Restart Policy.
Note: How to Use Docker Containers With VPN.
Note: Convert Docker Run Into Docker Compose.
Note: How to Clean Docker.
Note: How to Clean Docker Automatically.
Note: Best Practices When Using Docker and DDNS.
Note: Some Docker Containers Need WebSocket.
Note: Find out the Best NAS Models For Docker.
Note: Activate Gmail SMTP For Docker Containers.

This post was updated on Wednesday / January 22nd, 2025 at 3:31 AM