# Linderhof

> *Linderhof* — the smallest and most intimate of Ludwig II's Bavarian palaces, the only one he lived to see completed; built entirely to his own vision as a private retreat. ([Wikipedia](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Linderhof_Palace))

**[codeberg.org/opennomad/linderhof](https://codeberg.org/opennomad/linderhof)**

a self-hosting stack based on ansible and docker compose that comes with email, web server, git hosting, matrix, monitoring, web analytics, calendar & contacts, backups, overlay networking, and intrusion prevention — no databases, no external services.

set `enable_<service>: false` in `config.yml` to disable any service — DNS records, Docker networks, and deployment tasks are all skipped automatically.

| service | toggle | default | powered by |
|---|---|---|---|
| web server | `enable_caddy` | on | [caddy](https://caddyserver.com/) |
| email | `enable_mail` | on | [docker-mailserver](https://github.com/docker-mailserver/docker-mailserver), [rainloop](https://www.rainloop.net/) |
| git hosting | `enable_forgejo` | on | [forgejo](https://forgejo.org/) |
| matrix homeserver | `enable_tuwunel` | on | [tuwunel](https://github.com/matrix-construct/tuwunel) |
| monitoring | `enable_monitoring` | on | [prometheus](https://prometheus.io/), [grafana](https://grafana.com/), [loki](https://github.com/grafana/loki), [alloy](https://github.com/grafana/alloy) |
| web analytics | `enable_goaccess` | on | [goaccess](https://goaccess.io/) |
| calendar & contacts | `enable_radicale` | on | [radicale](https://radicale.org/) |
| backups | `enable_restic` | **off** | [restic](https://github.com/restic/restic) |
| overlay network | `enable_nebula` | on | [nebula](https://github.com/slackhq/nebula) |
| image update alerts | `enable_diun` | on | [diun](https://github.com/crazy-max/diun) |
| intrusion prevention | `enable_fail2ban` | on | [fail2ban](https://github.com/fail2ban/fail2ban) |

> **restic** is off by default — it requires a [Hetzner Storage Box](https://www.hetzner.com/storage/storage-box/). run `ansible-playbook playbooks/storage_box.yml` once to create the box, generate an SSH key pair, and install it — then set `enable_restic: true` and re-run `site.yml`.


## what you need

- **a domain name** — from any registrar. you'll point its nameservers at Hetzner DNS, or manage DNS yourself
- **a [Hetzner Cloud](https://console.hetzner.cloud/) account** with an API token (Read & Write) — used to provision the server and manage DNS records
- **local tools:**
  - `ansible` and `ansible-galaxy`
  - `direnv` (optional but recommended — loads `.envrc` automatically)
  - `ssh-keygen`, `openssl`, `envsubst` (standard on most systems)
  - `sshpass` (only needed for `storage_box.yml`)

if you already have a server with SSH access and passwordless sudo, you can skip provisioning and jump straight to [deploy](#deploy).


## setup

run the interactive setup wizard:

```bash
./setup.sh
```

it walks you through: stack name, SSH key, admin username, server hostname, domain, Hetzner API token, storage box name and password, and generates all secrets. config is written to `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/linderhof/<stack>/` and won't overwrite existing files.

activate the stack and review the generated config:

```bash
direnv allow   # reads .stack file — or: export LINDERHOF_STACK=<stack>

vi $LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/config.yml
ansible-vault edit $LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/vault.yml
```

install ansible collections:

```bash
ansible-galaxy collection install -r requirements.yml
```


## deploy

full deployment order for a fresh server:

```bash
ansible-playbook playbooks/storage_box.yml        # if using restic: create storage box and install SSH key (run before deploy.yml)
ansible-playbook playbooks/deploy.yml             # provision → dns → bootstrap → site (all-in-one)
ansible-playbook playbooks/dkim_sync.yml          # generate DKIM keys and publish to DNS (run once after mail is up)
```

or step by step:

```bash
ansible-playbook playbooks/provision.yml          # create server, writes IP to stack config
ansible-playbook playbooks/dns.yml                # create DNS zones and records
ansible-playbook playbooks/storage_box.yml        # if using restic: create storage box and install SSH key
ansible-playbook playbooks/site.yml --tags bootstrap  # users, SSH hardening, packages, Docker
ansible-playbook playbooks/site.yml               # deploy all services
ansible-playbook playbooks/dkim_sync.yml          # generate DKIM keys and publish to DNS
```

**provision** creates the server on Hetzner, registers your SSH key, and writes the IP to your stack config automatically. default type is `cx23` (2 vCPU, 4 GB); override with `-e hcloud_server_type=cx33`.

**dns** creates all zones and records conditional on your `enable_*` settings — disabled services get no DNS entries.

**bootstrap** connects as `root` (the only user on a fresh server), creates your admin user with passwordless sudo, hardens SSH, and installs base packages including Docker.

**site.yml** deploys all enabled services. subsequent runs are idempotent — safe to re-run to apply config changes.

> **note:** on first deployment, the mail role briefly stops Caddy to acquire a Let's Encrypt certificate for the mail hostname via certbot standalone. Caddy is restarted immediately after. this only happens once.

**dkim_sync** generates DKIM keys for all mail domains, writes them to your stack config, and publishes the `mail._domainkey` DNS records. safe to re-run.


## bring your own server

if you already have an Ubuntu server with SSH access:

1. run `./setup.sh` — enter the server's existing hostname and IP when prompted
2. ensure your SSH key is authorized for the admin user and they have passwordless sudo — or run `ansible-playbook playbooks/site.yml --tags bootstrap` first if starting from root access
3. skip `provision.yml` and `dns.yml` if you're managing DNS elsewhere
4. run `ansible-playbook playbooks/site.yml`


## multiple stacks

each stack is an independent deployment with its own inventory, vault, and secrets. to create a second stack:

```bash
./setup.sh          # enter a different stack name when prompted
echo other-stack > .stack && direnv allow
```

switch between stacks by changing `LINDERHOF_STACK` or updating `.stack`:

```bash
echo home > .stack && direnv allow
echo work > .stack && direnv allow
```

stack config lives at `$XDG_CONFIG_HOME/linderhof/<stack>/`:

```
<stack>/
  hosts.yml              # server connection info
  vault-pass             # vault encryption key (chmod 600)
  stack.env              # per-stack shell vars (DOCKER_HOST, etc.)
  group_vars/
    all/
      config.yml         # public ansible settings
      vault.yml          # encrypted secrets
      dns.yml            # DNS zone definitions
      overrides.yml      # optional: variable overrides
```



## overriding variables

to override any variable without editing `config.yml`, create `overrides.yml` in the stack's `group_vars/all/`. ansible loads all files there automatically:

```bash
vi $LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/overrides.yml
```

```yaml
# override mail hostname (e.g. during migration)
mail_hostname: mail2.example.com

# add extra static sites to caddy
caddy_sites:
  - example.com
  - example2.com

# add extra mail-hosted domains
mail_domains:
  - example.com
  - example2.com
```


## secrets

sensitive data is stored in `$LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/vault.yml`, encrypted with ansible-vault. generated by `setup.sh` and never committed to the repo.

```bash
# view secrets
ansible-vault view $LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/vault.yml

# edit secrets (decrypts, opens editor, re-encrypts on save)
ansible-vault edit $LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/vault.yml
```


## after first mail deployment — DKIM

run `dkim_sync.yml` once after the first mail deployment — it generates DKIM keys for all mail domains, writes them to your stack config, and publishes the `mail._domainkey` DNS records automatically:

```bash
ansible-playbook playbooks/dkim_sync.yml
```

keys are stored in `$LINDERHOF_DIR/group_vars/all/dkim.yml` (plain file — DKIM public keys are not secret). safe to re-run; only generates keys for domains that don't have one yet.


## common operations

services are deployed to `/srv/<service>`. each has a `compose.yml` and can be managed with docker compose.

### docker compose

```bash
cd /srv/mail && docker compose logs -f
cd /srv/caddy && docker compose restart
cd /srv/forgejo && docker compose ps
```

### reloading caddy

```bash
cd /srv/caddy && docker compose exec caddy caddy reload --config /etc/caddy/Caddyfile
```

### managing email users

```bash
# list accounts
docker exec mailserver setup email list

# add account
docker exec mailserver setup email add user@domain.com password

# delete account
docker exec mailserver setup email del user@domain.com

# update password
docker exec mailserver setup email update user@domain.com newpassword
```

to manage users via ansible, edit `mail_users` in the vault and run:
```bash
ansible-playbook playbooks/mail.yml --tags users
```

### managing email aliases

```bash
docker exec mailserver setup alias list
docker exec mailserver setup alias add alias@domain.com target@domain.com
docker exec mailserver setup alias del alias@domain.com
```

### managing forgejo

```bash
docker exec forgejo forgejo admin user list
docker exec forgejo forgejo admin user create --username myuser --password mypassword --email user@domain.com
docker exec forgejo forgejo admin user change-password --username myuser --password newpassword
```

### monitoring

```bash
# reload prometheus config
docker exec prometheus kill -HUP 1

# restart alloy
cd /srv/monitoring && docker compose restart alloy
```

### nebula overlay network

nebula runs directly on the host (not in Docker). certificates live in `/etc/nebula/`.

```bash
# sign a client certificate
cd /etc/nebula
nebula-cert sign -name "laptop" -ip "192.168.100.2/24"
# copy laptop.crt, laptop.key, ca.crt to client
```

### backups

```bash
docker exec restic restic snapshots
docker exec restic restic backup /data
docker exec restic restic restore latest --target /restore
```


## upstream documentation

- [docker-mailserver](https://docker-mailserver.github.io/docker-mailserver/latest/)
- [caddy](https://caddyserver.com/docs/)
- [forgejo](https://forgejo.org/docs/latest/)
- [tuwunel](https://github.com/matrix-construct/tuwunel)
- [grafana](https://grafana.com/docs/grafana/latest/) · [prometheus](https://prometheus.io/docs/) · [loki](https://grafana.com/docs/loki/latest/) · [alloy](https://grafana.com/docs/alloy/latest/)
- [goaccess](https://goaccess.io/man)
- [radicale](https://radicale.org/v3.html)
- [restic](https://restic.readthedocs.io/)
- [nebula](https://nebula.defined.net/docs/)
- [diun](https://crazymax.dev/diun/)
- [fail2ban](https://fail2ban.readthedocs.io/)