diff --git a/content/posts/silverbullet-self-hosted-knowledge-management/index.md b/content/posts/silverbullet-self-hosted-knowledge-management/index.md index 21b845e..ca5c312 100644 --- a/content/posts/silverbullet-self-hosted-knowledge-management/index.md +++ b/content/posts/silverbullet-self-hosted-knowledge-management/index.md @@ -1,9 +1,8 @@ --- -title: "SilverBullet: A Brilliant Self-Hosted Knowledge Management Web App" -date: 2024-08-12 +title: "SilverBullet: Self-Hosted Knowledge Management Web App" +date: "2024-08-22T02:56:12Z" # lastmod: 2024-08-12 -draft: true -description: "This is a new post about..." +description: "Deploying SilverBullet with Docker Compose, and accessing it from anywhere with Tailscale and Cloudflare Tunnel." featured: false toc: true reply: true @@ -12,13 +11,12 @@ tags: - cloudflare - containers - docker - - javascript - linux - selfhosting - tailscale --- -A few days ago I [posted on my other blog](https://srsbsns.lol/is-silverbullet-the-note-keeping-silver-bullet/) about trying out [SilverBullet](https://silverbullet.md), an open-source self-hosted web-based note-keeping app. SilverBullet has continued to impress me as I use it and learn more about its [features](https://silverbullet.md/SilverBullet@1992). It really fits my multi-device use case much better than Obsidian ever did (even with its paid sync plugin). +I [recently posted on my other blog](https://srsbsns.lol/is-silverbullet-the-note-keeping-silver-bullet/) about trying out [SilverBullet](https://silverbullet.md), an open-source self-hosted web-based note-keeping app. SilverBullet has continued to impress me as I use it and learn more about its [features](https://silverbullet.md/SilverBullet@1992). It really fits my multi-device use case much better than Obsidian ever did (even with its paid sync plugin). In that post, I shared a brief overview of how I set up SilverBullet: @@ -40,11 +38,12 @@ sudo chown john:docker /opt/silverbullet # [tl! .cmd:1] cd /opt/silverbullet ``` -### SilverBullet +### SilverBullet Setup The documentation offers easy-to-follow guidance on [installing SilverBullet with Docker Compose](https://silverbullet.md/Install/Docker), and that makes for a pretty good starting point. The only change I make here is setting the `SB_USER` variable from an environment variable instead of directly in the YAML: ```yaml # torchlight! {"lineNumbers":true} +# docker-compose.yml services: silverbullet: image: zefhemel/silverbullet @@ -64,17 +63,22 @@ services: - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock ``` -I used a password manager to generate a random password *and username*, and I store those in a `.env` file alongside the Docker Compose configuration. For example: +I used a password manager to generate a random password *and username*, and I stored those in a `.env` file alongside the Docker Compose configuration; I'll need those credentials to log in to each SilverBullet session. For example: -```text +```shell +# .env SB_CREDS='alldiaryriver:XCTpmddGc3Ga4DkUr7DnPBYzt1b' ``` -### Tailscale -That's all that's really needed for running SilverBullet locally, but I also want to be able to access the application from any device connected to my Tailscale tailnet. So I add in a [Tailscale sidecar](/tailscale-serve-docker-compose-sidecar/#compose-configuration), and update the `silverbullet` service to share Tailscale's network: +That's all that's needed for running SilverBullet locally, and I *could* go ahead and `docker compose up -d` to get it running. But I really want to be able to access my notes from other systems too, so let's move on to enabling remote access right away. + +### Remote Access +#### Tailscale +It's no secret that I'm a [big fan of Tailscale](/secure-networking-made-simple-with-tailscale/) so I use Tailscale Serve to enable secure remote access through my tailnet. I just need to add in a [Tailscale sidecar](/tailscale-serve-docker-compose-sidecar/#compose-configuration) and update the `silverbullet` service to share Tailscale's network: ```yaml # torchlight! {"lineNumbers":true} +# docker-compose.yml services: tailscale: # [tl! ++:12 **:12] image: tailscale/tailscale:latest @@ -102,18 +106,22 @@ services: - 3000:3000 network_mode: service:tailscale # [tl! ++ **] - watchtower: + watchtower: # [tl! collapse:4] image: containrrr/watchtower container_name: silverbullet-watchtower volumes: - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock ``` -That of course means adding a few more items to the `.env` file: a [pre-authentication key](https://tailscale.com/kb/1085/auth-keys), the hostname to use for the application's presence on my tailnet, and the `--ssh` extra argument to enable SSH access to the container (not strictly necessary, but can be handy for troubleshooting): +That of course means adding a few more items to the `.env` file: +- a [pre-authentication key](https://tailscale.com/kb/1085/auth-keys), +- the hostname to use for the application's presence on my tailnet, +- and the `--ssh` extra argument to enable SSH access to the container (not strictly necessary, but can be handy for troubleshooting). -```text +```shell +# .env SB_CREDS='alldiaryriver:XCTpmddGc3Ga4DkUr7DnPBYzt1b' -TS_AUTHKEY=tskey-auth-[...] [tl! ++:2 **:2] +TS_AUTHKEY=tskey-auth-[...] # [tl! ++:2 **:2] TS_HOSTNAME=silverbullet TS_EXTRA_ARGS=--ssh ``` @@ -122,6 +130,7 @@ And I need to create a `serve-config.json` file to configure [Tailscale Serve](/ ```json // torchlight! {"lineNumbers":true} +// serve-config.json { "TCP": { "443": { @@ -140,17 +149,18 @@ And I need to create a `serve-config.json` file to configure [Tailscale Serve](/ } ``` -### Cloudflare Tunnel -But what if I want to consult my notes from outside of my tailnet? Sure, I *could* use [Tailscale Funnel](/tailscale-ssh-serve-funnel/#tailscale-funnel) to publish the SilverBullet service on the internet, but (1) funnel would require me to use a URL like `https://silverbullet.tailnet-name.ts.net` instead of simply `https://silverbullet.example.com` and (2) I'm still a little wary of putting a login page on the public web. +#### Cloudflare Tunnel +But what if I want to consult my notes from *outside* of my tailnet? Sure, I *could* use [Tailscale Funnel](/tailscale-ssh-serve-funnel/#tailscale-funnel) to publish the SilverBullet service on the internet, but (1) funnel would require me to use a URL like `https://silverbullet.tailnet-name.ts.net` instead of simply `https://silverbullet.example.com` and (2) I've seen enough traffic logs to not want to expose a login page directly to the public internet if I can avoid it. [Cloudflare Tunnel](/publish-services-cloudflare-tunnel/) is able to address those concerns without a lot of extra work. I can set up a tunnel at `silverbullet.example.com` and use [Cloudflare Access](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/applications/configure-apps/) to put an additional challenge in front of the login page. -I just need to add a `cloudflared` container to my stack: +I just have to add a `cloudflared` container to my stack: ```yaml # torchlight! {"lineNumbers":true} +# docker-compose.yml services: - tailscale: + tailscale: # [tl! collapse:12] image: tailscale/tailscale:latest container_name: silverbullet-tailscale restart: unless-stopped @@ -185,26 +195,27 @@ services: - ./space:/space network_mode: service:tailscale - watchtower: + watchtower: # [tl! collapse:4] image: containrrr/watchtower container_name: silverbullet-watchtower volumes: - /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock ``` -To get the required `$CLOUDFLARED_TOKEN`, I have to [create a new `cloudflared` tunnel](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/connections/connect-networks/get-started/create-remote-tunnel/) in the Cloudflare dashboard, and then I just add the generated value to my `.env` file: +To get the required `$CLOUDFLARED_TOKEN`, I [create a new `cloudflared` tunnel](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/connections/connect-networks/get-started/create-remote-tunnel/) in the Cloudflare dashboard and add the generated token value to my `.env` file: -```text +```shell +# .env SB_CREDS='alldiaryriver:XCTpmddGc3Ga4DkUr7DnPBYzt1b' TS_AUTHKEY=tskey-auth-[...] TS_HOSTNAME=silverbullet TS_EXTRA_ARGS=--ssh -CLOUDFLARED_TOKEN=eyJhIjo[...]BNSJ9 [tl! ++ **] +CLOUDFLARED_TOKEN=eyJhIjo[...]BNSJ9 # [tl! ++ **] ``` Back in the Cloudflare Tunnel setup flow, I select my desired public hostname (`silverbullet.example.com`) and then specify that the backend service is `http://localhost:3000`. -Now I'm ready to start up my containers: +Now I'm finally ready to start up my containers: ```shell docker compose up -d # [tl! .cmd .nocopy:1,5] @@ -216,8 +227,8 @@ docker compose up -d # [tl! .cmd .nocopy:1,5] ✔ Container silverbullet-cloudflared Started ``` -### Cloudflare Access -The finishing touch will be configuring a bit of extra protection in front of the public-facing login page, and Cloudflare Access makes that very easy. I'll just used the wizard to [add a new web application](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/applications/configure-apps/) through the Cloudflare Zero Trust dashboard. +#### Cloudflare Access +The finishing touch will be configuring a bit of extra protection in front of the public-facing login page, and Cloudflare Access makes that very easy. I'll just use the wizard to [add a new web application](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/applications/configure-apps/) through the Cloudflare Zero Trust dashboard. The first part of that workflow asks "What type of application do you want to add?". I select **Self-hosted**. @@ -228,4 +239,6 @@ I'm then asked to Add Policies, and I have to start by giving a name for my poli And then I just click through the rest of the defaults. ### Recap -So now I have deployed SilverBullet in Docker Compose on a server in my homelab. I can access it from any device on my tailnet at `https://silverbullet.tailnet-name.ts.net` (thanks to the magic of Tailscale Serve). And I can visit it on external devices at `https://silverbullet.example.com` (thanks to Cloudflare Tunnel), \ No newline at end of file +So now I have SilverBullet running in Docker Compose on a server in my homelab. I can access it from any device on my tailnet at `https://silverbullet.tailnet-name.ts.net` (thanks to the magic of Tailscale Serve). I can also get to it from outside my tailnet at `https://silverbullet.example.com` (thanks to Cloudflare Tunnel), and but I'll use a one-time passcode sent to my approved email address before also authenticating through the SilverBullet login page (thanks to Cloudflare Access). + +I think it's a pretty sweet setup that gives me full control and ownership of my notes and lets me read/write my notes from multiple devices without having to worry about synchronization. \ No newline at end of file