Anki/docs/syncserver/README.md
Omar Kohl b189820218
Ensure data is stored in a volume in anki-sync-server Docker image (#3674)
Otherwise data would be lost by default when removing (or re-creating) a
container.

It would be possible to expose the default directory (e.g.
/home/anki/.syncserver) but it would be different for the two Dockerfiles and
less convenient for users of the Docker container to specify such a long path
when naming their volumes.

Setting the permissions is necessary since anki will be running with 'anki'
user permissions inside the container.
2025-01-10 21:42:55 +11:00

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# Building and running Anki sync server in Docker
This is an example Dockerfile contributed by an Anki user, which shows how you can run a self-hosted sync server,
similar to what AnkiWeb.net offers.
Building and running the sync server within a container has the advantage of fully isolating
the build products and runtime dependencies from the rest of your system.
## Requirements
- [x] [Docker](https://docs.docker.com/get-started/)
| **Aspect** | **Dockerfile** | **Dockerfile.distroless** |
| ---------------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- | --------------------------------------------------------- |
| **Shell & Tools** | ✅ Includes shell and tools | ❌ Minimal, no shell or tools |
| **Debugging** | ✅ Easier debugging with shell and tools | ❌ Harder to debug due to minimal environment |
| **Health Checks** | ✅ Supports complex health checks | ❌ Health checks need to be simple or directly executable |
| **Image Size** | ❌ Larger image size | ✅ Smaller image size |
| **Customization** | ✅ Easier to customize with additional packages | ❌ Limited customization options |
| **Attack Surface** | ❌ Larger attack surface due to more installed packages | ✅ Reduced attack surface |
| **Libraries** | ✅ More libraries available | ❌ Limited libraries |
| **Start-up Time** | ❌ Slower start-up time due to larger image size | ✅ Faster start-up time |
| **Tool Compatibility** | ✅ Compatible with more tools and libraries | ❌ Compatibility limitations with certain tools |
| **Maintenance** | ❌ Higher maintenance due to larger image and dependencies | ✅ Lower maintenance with minimal base image |
# Building image
To proceed with building, you must specify the Anki version you want, by replacing `<version>` with something like `24.11` and `<Dockerfile>` with the chosen Dockerfile (e.g., `Dockerfile` or `Dockerfile.distroless`)
```bash
# Execute this command from the root directory of your project
docker build -f docs/syncserver/<Dockerfile> --no-cache --build-arg ANKI_VERSION=<version> -t anki-sync-server .
```
# Run container
Once done with build, you can proceed with running this image with the following command:
```bash
# this will create anki server
docker run -d \
-e "SYNC_USER1=admin:admin" \
-p 8080:8080 \
--mount type=volume,src=anki-sync-server-data,dst=/anki_data \
--name anki-sync-server \
anki-sync-server
```
However, if you want to have multiple users, you have to use the following approach:
```bash
# this will create anki server with multiple users
docker run -d \
-e "SYNC_USER1=admin:admin" \
-e "SYNC_USER2=admin2:admin2" \
-p 8080:8080 \
--mount type=volume,src=anki-sync-server-data,dst=/anki_data \
--name anki-sync-server \
anki-sync-server
```
Moreover, you can pass additional env vars mentioned
[here](https://docs.ankiweb.net/sync-server.html). Note that you should **not**
override SYNC_BASE because you risk data loss.