Install AFFiNE with Docker Compose, Traefik and Let's Encrypt

This article is for those looking for a detailed and straightforward guide on installing AFFiNE using Docker Compose.

AFFiNE is a full-featured, open-source workspace that functions as an operating system for all the components that form your knowledge base and beyond. It integrates features like a wiki, knowledge management, presentations, and digital assets management. AFFiNE is a superior alternative to platforms like Notion and Miro.

TIP

Architecture Context

Choose self-hosted AFFiNE when your team requires full data ownership over knowledge management content or operates under data residency requirements. For teams prioritizing speed of adoption over infrastructure control, Notion provides a managed alternative with richer integrations. Self-hosting trades operational overhead for complete control over data storage, backup schedules, and access policies.

💾 You can find the repository used in this guide on GitHub.

NOTE

We’ll use Traefik as our reverse proxy. It’ll handle obtaining cryptographic certificates from Let’s Encrypt for your domain names and route requests to the corresponding services based on those domains.

CAUTION

To obtain cryptographic certificates, you will need A-type records in the external DNS zone, which point to the IP address of your server where Traefik is installed. If you have created these records recently, you should wait before starting the installation of the services. Full replication of these records between DNS servers can take from a few minutes to 48 hours or even longer in rare cases.

IMPORTANT

Docker Engine and Docker Compose must be installed on the server.

For a step-by-step guide on installing Docker Engine on Ubuntu Server, see Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose on Ubuntu Server

IMPORTANT

OpenSSH must be installed on the server, and port 22 must be open to be able to connect to the server using the SSH protocol.

To install OpenSSH on the server you can use the command:

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sudo apt install openssh-server

NOTE

To connect to the server from a Windows system, you can use tools like PuTTY or MobaXterm.

NOTE

This guide walks you through connecting to a server with the iTerm2 terminal emulator on macOS.

CAUTION

You will need to open the following TCP ports for access to the services:

• TCP port 80 - to obtain a free cryptographic certificate through the Let’s Encrypt certification center.
• TCP port 443 - to access the AFFiNE web interface.

We connect to the server on which AFFiNE is planned to be installed.

Now it is necessary to create networks for your services.

We create a network for Traefik using the command:

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docker network create traefik-network

We create a network for AFFiNE using the command:

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docker network create affine-network

Next, you need to clone the repository that contains the configuration files, which include all the necessary conditions for AFFiNE to work.

You can clone the repository using the command:

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git clone https://github.com/heyvaldemar/affine-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.git

Navigate to the directory with the repository using the command:

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cd affine-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose

Next, you need to change the variables in the .env file according to your requirements.

IMPORTANT

The .env file should be in the same directory as affine-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml.

Now let’s start AFFiNE with the command:

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docker compose -f affine-traefik-letsencrypt-docker-compose.yml -p affine up -d

To access the AFFiNE management panel, go to https://affine.heyvaldemar.net from your workstation, where affine.heyvaldemar.net is the domain name of my service. Accordingly, you need to specify your domain name that points to the IP address of your server with the installed Traefik service, which will redirect the request to AFFiNE.

NOTE

You need to specify the domain name of the service, previously defined in the .env file.

Click on the “Continue” button.

The next step is to provide: your full name, an email address and a password to create a AFFiNE administrator account.

Click on the “Continue” button.

Welcome to the AFFiNE control panel.

To access the Traefik control panel, go to https://traefik.affine.heyvaldemar.net from your workstation, where traefik.affine.heyvaldemar.net is the domain name of my service. Accordingly, you need to specify your domain name that points to the IP address of your server with the installed Traefik.

NOTE

You need to specify the domain name of the service, previously defined in the .env file.

Enter the username and password previously set in the .env file, and click the “OK” button.

Welcome to the Traefik control panel.