Obsidian is a personal knowledge base and note-taking software application that operates on Markdown files. It allows users to make internal links for notes and then to visualize the connections as a graph. It is designed to help users organize and structure their thoughts and knowledge in a flexible, non-linear way. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install Obsidian on your Synology NAS with Docker & Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest version of Obsidian v1.8.6

💡Note: Check out my new guide on how to Install Obsidian v1.8.6 with LinuxServer Image

• 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

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

• STEP 4

Now create two new folders inside the obsidian folder that you created at STEP 3 and name them config and vaults. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

• STEP 5

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 6

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

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

services:
  obsidian:
    image: sytone/obsidian-remote:latest
    container_name: Obsidian-Remote
    hostname: obsidian-remote
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: curl -f http://localhost:8080/ || exit 1
    ports:
      - 4501:8080
      - 27123:27123
      - 27124:27124
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/obsidian/vaults:/vaults:rw
      - /volume1/docker/obsidian/config:/config:rw
    environment:
      PUID: 0
      PGID: 0
      TZ: Europe/Bucharest
      DOCKER_MODS: linuxserver/mods:universal-git
    restart: on-failure:5

Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for TZ. (Select your current Time Zone from this list.)

• STEP 7

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 Obsidian image is about 1.3GB.

• STEP 8

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

• STEP 9

🟢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 10

The installation process can take up to a few seconds/minutes. It will depend on your Internet speed connection. Now open your browser and type in http://Synology-ip-address:4501 Create a new vault, choose an existing vault or Markdown file or Open vault from Obsidian Sync. In the example below I chose to Create a new Vault. Follow the instructions in the image below

• STEP 11

Give a name to the Vault, then click Browse. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 12

On the left sidebar, click Other Locations, then Computer. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 13

Click the little home icon. Select the vaults folder, then click Open. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 14

Click Create. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 15

Your Obsidian dashboard at a glance! Click the settings icon. Follow the instructions in the image below.

• STEP 16

On the left sidebar, click Appearance, then switch the theme to Dark. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Enjoy Obsidian!

🆘TROUBLESHOOTING

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

Note: If you want to run the Obsidian container over HTTPS, check out my guide on How to Run Docker Containers Over HTTPS. In order to make Obsidian work over https, it’s also mandatory to set up WebSocket.

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 Obsidian 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 Friday / February 14th, 2025 at 12:21 PM