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Unraid Setup

Run LightningROD on Unraid with Docker Compose Manager.

Note

This guide assumes you are using the Unraid Docker Compose Manager plugin and want LightningROD deployed as a stack.

Prerequisites

1. Clone the project into appdata

Open a terminal on your Unraid server (SSH, local terminal, or terminal add-on), then run:

git clone https://github.com/SquidBytes/LightningROD.git /mnt/user/appdata/LightningROD/

2. Create a new stack

  1. Open the Docker page in the Unraid web UI.
  2. Scroll to the Docker Compose Manager section.
  3. Click Add New Stack.
  4. Name it (for example, LightningROD).

3. Set the stack ENV file path

  1. Click the gear icon for the stack.
  2. Go to Edit Stack -> Stack Settings.
  3. Set ENV File Path to:
/mnt/user/appdata/LightningROD/.env

4. Configure the .env values

  1. Click the gear icon for the stack.
  2. Go to Edit Stack -> Env File.
  3. Set at least:
    • POSTGRES_USER
    • POSTGRES_PASSWORD
  4. Save the file.

Warning

Use a strong password for POSTGRES_PASSWORD and store it in your password manager.

5. Update the Compose File

  1. Click the gear icon for the stack.
  2. Go to Edit Stack -> Compose File.
  3. Use this Compose configuration:
docker-compose.yml
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:16
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    env_file: .env
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U ${POSTGRES_USER} -d ${POSTGRES_DB}"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 10
      start_period: 10s
    restart: unless-stopped

  web:
    image: ghcr.io/squidbytes/lightningrod-web:latest
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      # Required: the app reads DATABASE_URL directly and will not start without it.
      # The asyncpg driver scheme is required (plain postgresql:// will fail with
      # a missing psycopg2 error). The ${POSTGRES_*} values are pulled from .env.
      - DATABASE_URL=postgresql+asyncpg://${POSTGRES_USER}:${POSTGRES_PASSWORD}@db/${POSTGRES_DB}
    depends_on:
      db:
        condition: service_healthy
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  pgdata:

Use:

ports:
  - "8000:8000"

If port 8000 is already in use on your Unraid host, change only the external side:

ports:
  - "8090:8000"

Format is EXTERNAL:INTERNAL.

You can set icons and quick links in UI Labels for each service.

Example icon URLs/paths:

# db icon
https://www.postgresql.org/media/img/about/press/elephant.png

# web icon (if you saved a local PNG on your server)
/mnt/user/appdata/LightningROD/logo.png

For the web service Web UI field, use:

http://[IP]:8000

If you changed the external port, replace 8000 with that port.

7. Start the stack

Click Compose Up.

Verify

  • Open http://[IP]:8000 (or your mapped external port)
  • Confirm the db and web services are running in Docker Compose Manager

You can now continue with Configuration and Data Import.

Alternative: Standalone (SQLite)

If you'd rather run a single container with an embedded SQLite database instead of the two-container Postgres stack, use this Compose file at step 5 in place of the one above. The POSTGRES_* values in .env are unused in this mode -- only APP_PORT, APP_DEBUG, and DEMO_MODE apply.

docker-compose.yml (standalone)
services:
  lightningrod:
    image: ghcr.io/squidbytes/lightningrod-web:latest
    ports:
      - "8000:8000"
    env_file: .env
    environment:
      - DATABASE_URL=sqlite+aiosqlite:////data/lightningrod.db
    volumes:
      - /mnt/user/appdata/LightningROD/data:/data
    restart: unless-stopped

The bind mount puts the SQLite file at /mnt/user/appdata/LightningROD/data/lightningrod.db on your array so it's backed up alongside the rest of your appdata. Everything else (steps 1-4, 6-7) stays the same.