How to Install Seafile on Your Synology NAS

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How to Install Seafile on Your Synology NAS

Seafile is an open source file Sync and Share solution designed for high reliability, performance and productivity. Sync, share and collaborate across devices and teams. Seafile is an alternative for Dropbox and Synology Drive. In this step by step guide I will show you how to install Seafile on your Synology NAS using Docker and Portainer.

💡Note: This guide works perfectly with the latest Seafile 11.0.13 release.

  • STEP 1

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  • 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.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 1

  • STEP 5

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

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 2

  • 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 Seafile. After that, add the following instructions:

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

Check Enable HSTS

Destination:
Protocol: HTTP
Hostname: localhost
Port: 8611

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 3

  • 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.

Synology Proxy WebSocket

  • STEP 8

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

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 4

  • STEP 9

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

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 5

  • STEP 10

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

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 6

  • STEP 11

Now create two new folders inside the seafile folder that you created at STEP 10 and name them data and db. Follow the instructions in the image below.
Note: Be careful to enter only lowercase, not uppercase letters.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 7

  • 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.

1 Synology Portainer Add Stack

  • STEP 13

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

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

services:
  db:
    image: mariadb:11.4-noble
    container_name: Seafile-DB
    hostname: seafile-db
    mem_limit: 1g
    cpu_shares: 768
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:false
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/seafile/db:/var/lib/mysql:rw
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpass
      TZ: Europe/Bucharest
    restart: on-failure:5

  cache:
    image: memcached:1.6
    entrypoint: memcached -m 256
    container_name: Seafile-CACHE
    hostname: memcached
    mem_limit: 512m
    cpu_shares: 768
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    read_only: true
    user: 1026:100
    restart: on-failure:5

  seafile:
    image: seafileltd/seafile-mc:11.0-latest
    container_name: Seafile
    hostname: seafile
    mem_limit: 2g
    cpu_shares: 768
    security_opt:
      - no-new-privileges:true
    healthcheck:
      test: wget --no-verbose --tries=1 --spider http://localhost
    volumes:
      - /volume1/docker/seafile/data:/shared:rw
    ports:
      - 8611:80
    environment:
       DB_HOST: seafile-db
       DB_ROOT_PASSWD: rootpass
       TIME_ZONE: Europe/Bucharest
       SEAFILE_ADMIN_EMAIL: yourown@email
       SEAFILE_ADMIN_PASSWORD: mariushosting
       SEAFILE_SERVER_LETSENCRYPT: false
       SEAFILE_SERVER_HOSTNAME: seafile.yourname.synology.me
       FORCE_HTTPS_IN_CONF: true
    restart: on-failure:5
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_started
      cache:
        condition: service_started

Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value numbers for user with your own UID and GID values. (Follow my step by step guide on how to do this.) 1026 is my personal UID value and 100 is my personal GID value. You have to type in your own values.
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.)
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for SEAFILE_ADMIN_EMAIL. You have to type in your own email address that you will need later at STEP 27.
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for SEAFILE_ADMIN_PASSWORD. mariushosting is an example for a password. You have to type in your own password that you will need later at STEP 27.
Note: Before you paste the code above in the Web editor area below, change the value for SEAFILE_SERVER_HOSTNAME and type in your own synology.me DDNS without https:// at the beginning that you have previously created at STEP 6.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 8 new 2028

  • 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.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 9 new 2028

  • STEP 15

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

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 10

  • STEP 16

⚠️Warning: Wait 5 minutes now before touching anything.

  • STEP 17

Go back to STEP 1 or you will deal with karma 🙂

  • STEP 18

Install Text Editor via Synology “Package Center”. If you already have Text Editor installed on your Synology NAS, skip this STEP.

Synology Install Text Editor 2023

  • STEP 19

Right click on the seafile folder that you have previously created at STEP 10 then click Properties. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 1

  • STEP 20

Go to the Permission tab then click Advanced options. From the drop-down menu choose “Make inherited permissions explicit“. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 2

  • STEP 21

Select Everyone then click the Edit tab. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 3

  • STEP 22

Check all Read and Write Permissions. Click Done. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 4

  • STEP 23

After you click Done on STEP 22, check “Apply to this folder, sub-folders and files“. Click Save. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 5

  • STEP 24

Go to the /volume1/seafile/data/seafile/conf folder, then double click on the seahub_settings.py file. Copy then paste the code below at the end of the seahub_settings.py file, then add your own synology.me DDNS with https at the beginning that you have previously created at STEP 6. After you have added the code below, save the settings by clicking X. Follow the instructions in the image below.

CSRF_TRUSTED_ORIGINS = ["https://seafile.yourname.synology.me"]

Synology Seafile Permissions 6

  • STEP 25

On the left sidebar in Portainer, click Containers. Identify your Seafile instances, select them then click Restart. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Synology Seafile Permissions 7

  • STEP 26

Go back to STEP 1 or you will deal with karma

  • STEP 27

Please wait approximately 2 minutes for the installation to be completed or you will get a blank page if you try to connect too soon. Now open your browser and type in your HTTPS/SSL certificate like this https://seafile.yourname.synology.me that you have previously created at STEP 6. In my case it’s https://seafile.mariushosting.synology.me If everything goes right, you will see the Seafile log in page. Type in your own Email address and Password that you have previously added at STEP 13 then click Log in. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 11

  • STEP 28

Your Seafile dashboard will look like this.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 12 new 2025

  • STEP 29

At the top right of the page click on the user icon then System Admin. On the left sidebar click Settings. In the SERVICE_URL field and FILE_SERVER_ROOT field type in https instead of http before your DDNS name, then confirm the modification by clicking Submit. Follow the instructions in the image below.

Seafile Synology NAS Set up 13

  • STEP 30

Set Up Email Notifications on Seafile.

  • STEP 31

You can also download the Seafile application for Android and Apple devices.

Enjoy Seafile!

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 Seafile 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 / November 8th, 2024 at 12:16 PM

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