In this tutorial, we will look at how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS. Nextcloud is an extremely popular program but is something that most Synology users don’t implement because there isn’t a default package, and first-party Synology applications like Synology Drive are great.
However, the biggest downside of first-party Synology applications is that you need a Synology for them to operate. When you use a program like Nextcloud, that will no longer be a requirement, meaning that if you purchase a separate device like a TerraMaster NAS or decide to build your own, you’ll be able to migrate your Nextcloud instance to the new device. For this reason, it’s a good idea to at least consider running Nextcloud on your Synology NAS.
If you follow the tutorial below on how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS, you must be willing to install Portainer on your NAS!
How to Set Up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS
We will look at how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS below utilizing Docker and Portainer to install the application. This allows you to easily migrate the application to a separate device in the future if ever needed.
The container that we’ll be creating must be mounted to existing folders on the Synology NAS. These folders are where all of the important Nextcloud data will be stored. Therefore, if you ever want to migrate this Nextcloud instance to a new device, you’ll have to migrate this data as well.
1. Log in to DSM, open File Station, select the docker folder, then create a new subfolder named Nextcloud.
2. Create two subfolders inside of the Nextcloud folder named config and database,
3. After these folders are created, you can move on to the next step which will be the container configuration.
Nextcloud Container Configuration
Due to how Nextcloud operates (meaning that it uses a database), it’s easiest to configure this with Portainer. I have a full tutorial created for the Portainer setup, so that is a prerequisite that must be configured before proceeding.
1. Configure Portainer and make sure that you navigate to the management UI.
2. Select Stacks, then Add Stack to create a new stack. This is what we’ll use to create the Nextcloud container and database.
3. Create the stack and set the name as nextcloud.
4. Paste the contents below into the web editor. A few notes:
- If you have multiple volumes on your Synology NAS, you might have to update the volume1 locations below.
- You should update the passwords below. Make sure the MYSQL_PASSWORD matches for the Database and Nextcloud container.
- The volume mounts are case-sensitive, so make sure the folder created on your NAS matches what’s below.
version: '2'
services:
db:
image: mariadb:10.5
restart: always
command: --transaction-isolation=READ-COMMITTED --binlog-format=ROW
volumes:
- /volume1/docker/Nextcloud/database:/var/lib/mysql
environment:
- MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD=password
- MYSQL_PASSWORD=password
- MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
- MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
app:
image: nextcloud
restart: always
ports:
- 8080:80
links:
- db
volumes:
- /volume1/docker/Nextcloud/config:/var/www/html
environment:
- MYSQL_PASSWORD=password
- MYSQL_DATABASE=nextcloud
- MYSQL_USER=nextcloud
- MYSQL_HOST=db
5. After all changes have been made, select Deploy the stack at the bottom to create the two containers.
6. The container should now be created! You’ll have one for the Nextcloud container and one for the database.
NOTE: If you’re using Synology’s Firewall, make sure you create two allow rules for TCP ports 8080 and 3306. This is for the application and database.
Nextcloud Configuration
Now that the container has been created, we can proceed to configure Nextcloud.
1. Navigate to your Synology NAS’s IP address and port 8080. Set up a username and password at the first screen, then select Install.
http://[SYNOLOGY_NAS_IP]:8080
2. Install the recommended apps or skip this step. If you choose to install apps, this step will take a few minutes.
3. Nextcloud will now be ready to use!
Nextcloud Remote Access
After configuring Nextcloud, one of the most important things is being able to access it remotely. While you can use it locally only, you’ll soon find that accessing it remotely is extremely helpful. There are many ways to access Nextcloud remotely, but the two options below are my favorite.
VPN Server
When you access Nextcloud using a VPN, you connect to the VPN, then access Nextcloud the same way you do locally. This is helpful because VPNs are inherently safe, and you’ll be able to access any services you have on your local network (not only Nextcloud). I prefer running VPN servers on my router (if possible), however, there are two ways to configure it on your Synology NAS:
If you are comfortable port forwarding, you can configure OpenVPN on a Synology NAS.
If you’d rather not port forward (or can’t), you can configure Tailscale which is a zero-configuration VPN.
Reverse Proxy
The final option you can utilize is a reverse proxy. I generally prefer utilizing a VPN, but in certain scenarios, that’s not an option which makes a reverse proxy very helpful.
Conclusion & Final Thoughts
This tutorial looks at how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS. The process is extremely easy with Portainer as it allows us to utilize Docker Compose. You can also utilize Docker Compose through SSH as well, but the process is a little cleaner with Portainer in my opinion. Please make sure that the folders configured are backed up properly as they will hold all of the Nextcloud data.
Thanks for checking out the tutorial on how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS. If you have any questions on how to set up Nextcloud on a Synology NAS, please leave them in the comments!
Thanks for this post. However, i am struggling somewhat with security. What account is the container running on?
I defined the data storage on another drive like this:
volumes:
– /volume1/docker/Nextcloud/config:/var/www/html
– /volume3/RAID/data/nextcloud:/var/www/html/data
But what user do I have to grant access to /volume3/RAID/data/nextcloud
I used to add something like this to docker-compose.yaml on order to avoid this container running as root, but unsure how it is on the Synology NAS
environment:
– UID=1000
– GID=1000
The UID/GID would have to be a user that you granted permission to on those folders. I didn’t need to set it, but since this is an old tutorial, you’re probably better off using Container Manager rather than Portainer.
I’m also having an issue. I discovered it whilst in the container’s terminal to edit the config.php so I can access this from a cloudflare tunnel. If I “apt update” (to install an editor) the ubuntu repos do not resolve. I eventually shutdown my firewall and the command worked. I also noticed i couldn’t get the local weather widget to work properly unless the firewall was down. I have both 8080/tcp and 3306/tcp allowed. I do not have this issue with my freshrss or radarr containers.
I’m not aware of any issues like that (haven’t experienced any myself), but 8080 and 3306 are the only ports “listening”. It almost sounds like a DNS issue (TCP/53), but I’m not exactly sure why there would be DNS issues for this. I’d give that a try and see if that works.
Yes, I have a firewall enabled. Does it need to be resolved?
Yes, the Firewall is most likely the issue. Can you create an allow rule for TCP ports 8080 and 3306?
just found the comments i missed =)
same issues ,
yes i m confirmed the database passwords is match , and i just have only one MariaDB running
Got it! When you go to the containers section of Portainer, are both containers (DB and Nextcloud) running? Also, are you using Synology’s Firewall by any chance?
thx for the reply=) , yes , both of them DB and Nextcloud is running . i m using Synologys firewall and the port is fine for it , i m still due with this problem, once the problem solved , will let u know !! =)
Can you create an allow rule for TCP ports 8080 and 3306?
hi mate!!! thank you all of your sharing about the NAS =)
just trying install the nextcloud follow all of your step,
somehow i can’t make it work, suck at the Nextcloud Configuration step. it always said
” Error
Error while trying to create admin user: Failed to connect to the database: An exception occurred in the driver: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection timed out
Create an admin account ”
it would be great if u can show me what step i missed?
thanks again!!!
Sunny
Hello!
Error while trying to create admin user: Failed to connect to the database: An exception occurred in the driver: SQLSTATE[HY000] [2002] Connection timed out
Create an admin account. How to resolve?
Do you have multiple instances of MariaDB running by any chance (could be running as a package)? If not, did the database passwords match when you created the container? That error indicates the container can’t access the database.