KitchenOwl is a smart, self-hosted grocery list and recipe manager. Easily add items to your shopping list before you go shopping. You can also create recipes and get suggestions on what you want to cook. Track your expenses so you know how much you’ve spent. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install KitchenOwl on your Synology NAS using Docker & Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest KitchenOwl v0.6.8 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 KitchenOwl. After that, add the following instructions:

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

Check Enable HSTS

Destination:
Protocol: HTTP
Hostname: localhost
Port: 7180

• 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 one new folder and name it kitchenowl. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

• STEP 11

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 12

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

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

services:
  front:
    image: tombursch/kitchenowl-web:latest
    container_name: KitchenOwl-FRONT
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "nc -z 127.0.0.1 80 || exit 1"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 3
      start_period: 90s
    environment:
      FRONT_URL: https://kitchenowl.yourname.synology.me
    ports:
     - 7180:80
    depends_on:
        - back
    restart: on-failure:5
        
  back:
    image: tombursch/kitchenowl:latest
    container_name: KitchenOwl-BACK
    restart: on-failure:5
    environment:
      JWT_SECRET_KEY: aHZVKFITcKXLcOsdsJiDLPFEwsXvMseE
      FRONT_URL: https://kitchenowl.yourname.synology.me
    volumes:
     - /volume1/docker/kitchenowl:/data:rw

Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for FRONT_URL and type in your own synology.me DDNS with https:// at the beginning that you have previously created at STEP 6.
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for JWT_SECRET_KEY. (Generate your own 32 length JWT_SECRET_KEY.)

• STEP 13

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.

• STEP 14

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

• STEP 15

🟢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 16

Please wait approximately 3 minutes or you will get a blank error page if you try to connect too soon. Now open your browser and type in your HTTPS/SSL certificate like this https://kitchenowl.yourname.synology.me In my case it’s https://kitchenowl.mariushosting.synology.me If everything goes right, you will see the KitchenOwl page. Add your own Username and Password, then click Start. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 17

Click Skip. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 18

On the left Sidebar, click on the Profile icon. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 19

Change the theme to Dark. Click the left arrow to go back to the first page. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 20

Add a new household by clicking the plus button at the bottom right of the page. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 21

Upload your own logo/banner, give a name to the household, then click Add. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 22

On the left Sidebar, click on Recipes. At the bottom right of the page, you can click on the Link button and paste the recipe to import recipes from the world wide web. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 23

Type in the recipe URL. Click Add. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 24

Click Next to add the recipe to your list. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 25

You can also install the KitchenOwl App on your Android Phone and then open it. In the Address area, type in your own synology.me wildcard certificate that you have previously created at STEP 6. Log in using your own credentials that you have previously created at STEP 16. Enjoy your selfhosted KitchenOwl app!

Enjoy KitchenOwl!

🆘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 KitchenOwl 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 Saturday / January 18th, 2025 at 12:41 AM