DraftilaDraftila

Installation

Draftila is designed to be self-hosted. The easiest way to get started is with Docker Compose. By default, Draftila uses SQLite — no external database required.

Requirements

  • Docker and Docker Compose

Quick Start

Create a .env file:
ENV
BETTER_AUTH_SECRET=your-secret-key-at-least-32-characters

Generate a secure secret with:

Shell
openssl rand -base64 32
Create a docker-compose.yml file:
YAML
services:
  app:
    image: draftila/draftila:latest
    ports:
      - '3001:3001'
    environment:
      BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: '${BETTER_AUTH_SECRET}'
      BETTER_AUTH_URL: 'http://localhost:3001'
      FRONTEND_URL: 'http://localhost:3001'
      ADMIN_EMAIL: 'admin@example.com'
      ADMIN_PASSWORD: 'change-me-please'
    volumes:
      - draftila_data:/app/data
    restart: unless-stopped
 
volumes:
  draftila_data:

Then start the service:

Shell
docker compose up -d
That's it. Draftila is now running at http://localhost:3001 with SQLite, and your admin account is ready to use.

Admin Setup

The first admin user is created automatically when you set the ADMIN_EMAIL and ADMIN_PASSWORD environment variables. These are checked on every container start — if the admin already exists, it's a no-op.

You can also create admin users manually:

Shell
docker exec <container> bun run --filter @draftila/api db:create-admin -- \
  --email admin@example.com \
  --password your-password \
  --name "Admin Name"

Using PostgreSQL

By default, Draftila uses SQLite which stores everything in a single file. This is great for small teams and simple deployments.

For larger deployments or when you need concurrent access from multiple instances, switch to PostgreSQL:

YAML
services:
  app:
    image: draftila/draftila:latest
    ports:
      - '3001:3001'
    environment:
      DB_DRIVER: 'postgresql'
      DATABASE_URL: 'postgresql://draftila:secret@db:5432/draftila'
      BETTER_AUTH_SECRET: '${BETTER_AUTH_SECRET}'
      BETTER_AUTH_URL: 'http://localhost:3001'
      FRONTEND_URL: 'http://localhost:3001'
      ADMIN_EMAIL: 'admin@example.com'
      ADMIN_PASSWORD: 'change-me-please'
    depends_on:
      - db
    restart: unless-stopped
 
  db:
    image: postgres:17
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: draftila
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: secret
      POSTGRES_DB: draftila
    volumes:
      - pgdata:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    restart: unless-stopped
 
volumes:
  pgdata:

Data Persistence

The draftila_data volume stores both the SQLite database and uploaded files. Make sure this volume is backed up regularly.

The default paths inside the container:

  • SQLite database: /app/data/draftila.sqlite
  • Uploaded files: /app/data/storage/

Reverse Proxy

For production, put Draftila behind a reverse proxy with SSL. Here's an example with Nginx:

Nginx
server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name draftila.example.com;
 
    ssl_certificate /etc/ssl/certs/draftila.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/ssl/private/draftila.key;
 
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3001;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
    }
}
WebSocket support is required for real-time collaboration. Make sure your reverse proxy passes the Upgrade and Connection headers.
When behind a reverse proxy, set TRUSTED_PROXY_IPS so rate limiting uses the real client IP:
ENV
TRUSTED_PROXY_IPS=127.0.0.1
Set it to * to trust all proxies (e.g., when Nginx runs in the same Docker network).
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