AdventureLog with Docker Compose

What AdventureLog needs

Only figures AdventureLog's own documentation publishes, each linked to the page it is on. Where the project gives no number, this page does not invent one.

On top of this, Caddy (the reverse proxy in the file) is a single small container. AdventureLog itself runs as 2 containers: adventurelog-app, adventurelog-db.

Which hardware AdventureLog has images for

Read from each image's manifest list in its registry (anonymous, read-only) when this page was built. An app counts for a CPU only if every one of its images lists it.

• x86-64 PC or NAS (linux/amd64): every image has a build.
• Raspberry Pi 4/5, 64-bit OS (linux/arm64): no image for db. AdventureLog's Advanced Deployment page: "If running on an ARM based machine, you will need to use a different PostGIS image. It is recommended to use the imresamu/postgis:16-3.5-alpine image". postgis/postgis:16-3.5, the database image of its compose file, is built for amd64 only; the recommended one is PostgreSQL 16 with PostGIS 3.5 too, on Alpine, from another publisher. The page adds: "The AdventureLog containers are ARM compatible." The builder does not write these into the file. Source: AdventureLog docs: Advanced Deployment (ARM: imresamu/postgis:16-3.5-alpine) checked 2026-10-09
• Raspberry Pi 3 or Zero 2 W, 32-bit OS (linux/arm/v7): no image for app, db. No image for this hardware; the builder leaves the app out.

A manifest says an image exists for a CPU, not how well AdventureLog runs on it: a build for arm64 or arm/v7 can still be too slow or need more memory than the board has. The RAM and disk AdventureLog publishes are in the table above and, for a whole set of apps against a Raspberry Pi, on Will it run on my machine?. A tag like latest can move to a new digest after the date checked.

docker-compose.yml

This is exactly what the builder writes for AdventureLog alone on example.org: the official definition with its published ports removed and Caddy added in front. Every ${VARIABLE} is defined in the .env below.

# docker-compose.yml built at dankhost.com for: AdventureLog
# Each app block is its official compose definition. Only the names were prefixed with
# the app slug (services, containers, volumes, bind folders, .env variables) so any set of
# apps can share one file; other differences are listed under "Changed:" in each block.
# Only Caddy publishes ports. Secrets live in .env next to this file.

services:
  # ---- Caddy: the one reverse proxy, HTTPS certificates from Let's Encrypt ----
  # Source: https://caddyserver.com/docs/running (checked 2026-09-23)
  # Source: https://github.com/dani-garcia/vaultwarden/wiki/Using-Docker-Compose (checked 2026-09-23)
  # Caddyfile goes in ./caddy/Caddyfile. Fixed address 172.30.0.2 so apps can trust it exactly.
  caddy:
    image: "caddy:2"
    container_name: "caddy"
    restart: "unless-stopped"
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
      - "443:443/udp"
    volumes:
      - "./caddy:/etc/caddy"
      - "caddy-data:/data"
      - "caddy-config:/config"
    networks:
      proxy:
        ipv4_address: "172.30.0.2"

  # ---- AdventureLog (adventurelog.example.org) ----
  # Source: https://github.com/seanmorley15/AdventureLog/blob/main/docker-compose.yml (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://github.com/seanmorley15/AdventureLog/blob/main/.env.example (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://adventurelog.app/docs/install/standard.html (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://adventurelog.app/docs/install/docker.html (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://adventurelog.app/docs/configuration/operations.html (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://adventurelog.app/docs/guides/admin_panel.html (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Source: https://adventurelog.app/docs/install/caddy.html (checked 2026-10-09)
  # Changed: Removed the documented '${HOST_PORT:-8015}:80' port and both container_names; Caddy reaches app:80 on the proxy network.
  #          env_file: .env is replaced by the variables the Standard Deployment's .env.example sets, written into the environment, because this .env is shared with your other apps. POSTGRES_PASSWORD (changeme123 in .env.example) is generated in .env, and SITE_URL is https://adventurelog.example.org: the page says to set it to your public HTTPS URL behind a reverse proxy.
  #          The first-boot admin from .env.example is kept as the user admin, with a generated DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD in .env instead of admin/admin. DJANGO_ADMIN_EMAIL keeps its default, admin@example.com; change it in the app.
  adventurelog-app:
    image: "ghcr.io/seanmorley15/adventurelog:latest"
    container_name: "adventurelog-app"
    restart: "unless-stopped"
    environment:
      SITE_URL: "https://adventurelog.example.org"
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${ADVENTURELOG_POSTGRES_PASSWORD}"
      PGHOST: "db"
      POSTGRES_DB: "database"
      POSTGRES_USER: "adventure"
      PORT: "3000"
      DJANGO_ADMIN_USERNAME: "admin"
      DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD: "${ADVENTURELOG_DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD}"
    volumes:
      - "adventurelog-adventurelog_media:/code/media/"
    depends_on:
      adventurelog-db:
        condition: "service_healthy"
    healthcheck:
      test:
        - "CMD-SHELL"
        - "python3 -c \"import urllib.request; urllib.request.urlopen('http://127.0.0.1:80/health')\""
      interval: "30s"
      timeout: "5s"
      retries: 5
      start_period: "120s"
    networks:
      proxy: {}
      adventurelog-backend:
        aliases:
          - "app"
  adventurelog-db:
    image: "postgis/postgis:16-3.5"
    container_name: "adventurelog-db"
    restart: "unless-stopped"
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: "database"
      POSTGRES_USER: "adventure"
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: "${ADVENTURELOG_POSTGRES_PASSWORD}"
    volumes:
      - "adventurelog-postgres_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data/"
    healthcheck:
      test:
        - "CMD-SHELL"
        - "pg_isready -U adventure -d database"
      interval: "5s"
      timeout: "5s"
      retries: 5
      start_period: "10s"
    networks:
      adventurelog-backend:
        aliases:
          - "db"

networks:
  # Pinned so the trusted-proxy address given to each app (172.30.0.2) is exact.
  # If "docker compose up" reports "Pool overlaps", change 172.30.0 here, in Caddy's
  # ipv4_address and in every trusted-proxy value to a free 172.x.0 range.
  proxy:
    ipam:
      config:
        - subnet: "172.30.0.0/24"
          ip_range: "172.30.0.128/25"
          gateway: "172.30.0.1"
  adventurelog-backend:
    internal: true

volumes:
  caddy-data:
  caddy-config:
  adventurelog-postgres_data:
  adventurelog-adventurelog_media:

Caddyfile save as caddy/Caddyfile

Caddy gets and renews the HTTPS certificate for adventurelog.example.org by itself once the DNS record points at your server and ports 80 and 443 reach it.

# Caddyfile built at dankhost.com. Save it as ./caddy/Caddyfile next to docker-compose.yml.
# Caddy gets and renews a Let's Encrypt certificate for each name below by itself,
# once the DNS records point at this server and ports 80 and 443 reach it.

# AdventureLog
adventurelog.example.org {
	reverse_proxy adventurelog-app:80
}

Already running nginx, Nginx Proxy Manager, Caddy or Traefik? The reverse-proxy settings AdventureLog needs, for all four, each cited to AdventureLog's own docs.

.env

The secrets are left blank here on purpose: a password printed on a public page is the same for everyone who copies it. The builder fills them with random letters and digits made in your browser.

# .env for AdventureLog, from dankhost.com/app/adventurelog/. Fill the blank secrets before starting.
# Keep this file private (chmod 600).

# AdventureLog
# 32 random letters and digits: the builder fills this in your browser
ADVENTURELOG_POSTGRES_PASSWORD=
# 24 random letters and digits: the builder fills this in your browser
ADVENTURELOG_DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD=

Changes from the official file

Besides prefixing every service, container, volume, folder and variable with adventurelog (so any set of apps can share one file), these are all the differences from what the project documents:

• Removed the documented '${HOST_PORT:-8015}:80' port and both container_names; Caddy reaches app:80 on the proxy network.
• env_file: .env is replaced by the variables the Standard Deployment's .env.example sets, written into the environment, because this .env is shared with your other apps. POSTGRES_PASSWORD (changeme123 in .env.example) is generated in .env, and SITE_URL is https://adventurelog.example.org: the page says to set it to your public HTTPS URL behind a reverse proxy.
• The first-boot admin from .env.example is kept as the user admin, with a generated DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD in .env instead of admin/admin. DJANGO_ADMIN_EMAIL keeps its default, admin@example.com; change it in the app.

Notes for AdventureLog behind the proxy

• Sign in at https://adventurelog.example.org as admin with ADVENTURELOG_DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD from .env. The first start imports world geography data, which is why the docs ask for 2 GB of RAM then.
• Anyone who reaches the address can register until you set DISABLE_REGISTRATION: "True" in the app's environment (Disable Registration page) and run docker compose up -d.
• The database image postgis/postgis:16-3.5 is published for amd64 only. On a Raspberry Pi or another ARM machine, the Advanced Deployment page recommends imresamu/postgis:16-3.5-alpine instead.
• The tag is latest; the Updating steps pull whatever is newest.

Back it up

AdventureLog's Operations page: its backup.sh saves the env file, a PostgreSQL dump (database.sql) and an archive of the media volume. The script expects the repository's own compose file, so here are those steps with this file's names.

Below is the BACKUP.md the builder writes next to the compose file above: which of its folders and volumes hold data, the dump command the project documents, rewritten for this file's service names, what to copy with which container stopped, and a restore check. Pick more apps in the builder and it covers them all in one file.

# BACKUP.md built at dankhost.com for: AdventureLog

What to copy from the docker-compose.yml built with this file, the database dump each project documents (rewritten for the service names in that file), what to copy with which container stopped, and how to check the result. Run every command in the folder that holds docker-compose.yml.

The folders are owned by the containers' users: put sudo in front of tar if it says "Permission denied". Named volumes live under /var/lib/docker/volumes, not next to the compose file, so they are copied through a throwaway ubuntu container (Docker's documented --volumes-from method). tar makes a full copy each run; for large folders an incremental tool (restic, borg, rsync) saves time and space.

Never run "docker compose down -v" on this file: it deletes the named volumes of every app in it.

## Before you start

    BACKUP=/mnt/backup/selfhost   # change this: a disk or machine other than this server's system disk
    mkdir -p "$BACKUP"

## Every time: the three stack files

    tar czf "$BACKUP/stack-files.tar.gz" docker-compose.yml .env caddy

.env holds the database passwords and secret keys the apps were set up with; keep this archive as private as the data.

## Caddy (the reverse proxy)

Caddy's docs: 'The data directory must not be treated as a cache.' It holds the TLS certificates and their private keys; without it Caddy has to ask Let's Encrypt for every certificate again.

- caddy-data (named volume, /data in caddy)
  BACK UP: TLS certificates, private keys, OCSP staples.
- caddy-config (named volume, /config in caddy)
  SKIP: the last active configuration, kept for 'caddy run --resume', which this setup does not use: it starts from the Caddyfile.
- ./caddy (/etc/caddy in caddy)
  IN stack-files.tar.gz: the Caddyfile, copied with the stack files above.

Copy (Caddy keeps serving while you copy):

    docker run --rm --volumes-from caddy -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu tar cvf /backup/caddy-data.tar /data

Restore check:

    tar tf "$BACKUP/caddy-data.tar" > /dev/null && echo OK
    docker run --rm --volumes-from caddy -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu bash -c "cd /data && tar xvf /backup/caddy-data.tar --strip 1"

Sources:
- Caddy docs: Conventions, Data directory: https://caddyserver.com/docs/conventions#data-directory (checked 2026-09-24)
- Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes: https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/volumes/#back-up-restore-or-migrate-data-volumes (checked 2026-09-24)

## AdventureLog

AdventureLog's Operations page: its backup.sh saves the env file, a PostgreSQL dump (database.sql) and an archive of the media volume. The script expects the repository's own compose file, so here are those steps with this file's names.

What this compose mounts:
- adventurelog-adventurelog_media (named volume, /code/media in adventurelog-app)
  BACK UP: uploaded photos and attachments (/code/media).
- adventurelog-postgres_data (named volume, /var/lib/postgresql/data in adventurelog-db)
  COVERED BY THE COMMAND BELOW: PostGIS data files: users, locations, visits, trips, collections. The pg_dump below is the copy to keep.

1. Database dump for adventurelog-db:

    docker compose exec -T adventurelog-db pg_dump -U adventure database > "$BACKUP/adventurelog-database.sql"

   The database.sql step of backup.sh, run in this file's db service with the file's user and database name.

2. Copy (AdventureLog keeps running):
   pg_dump gives a consistent copy while AdventureLog runs.

    docker run --rm --volumes-from adventurelog-app -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu tar cvf /backup/adventurelog-adventurelog_media.tar /code/media

Restore check:

    grep -c 'PostgreSQL database dump complete' "$BACKUP/adventurelog-database.sql"   # 1 means pg_dump finished
    tar tf "$BACKUP/adventurelog-adventurelog_media.tar" > /dev/null && echo OK

Put a copy back (with AdventureLog stopped):

    docker run --rm --volumes-from adventurelog-app -v "$BACKUP":/backup ubuntu bash -c "cd /code/media && tar xvf /backup/adventurelog-adventurelog_media.tar --strip 2"

Into a fresh install, before the app starts against it:

    docker compose up -d adventurelog-db
    docker compose exec -T adventurelog-db psql -U adventure database < "$BACKUP/adventurelog-database.sql"

Put the media volume back, then:

    docker compose up -d

Sources:
- AdventureLog docs: Operations & Maintenance (backup.sh: database.sql and media): https://adventurelog.app/docs/configuration/operations.html (checked 2026-10-09)
- PostgreSQL docs: SQL Dump (pg_dump, restoring with psql): https://www.postgresql.org/docs/current/backup-dump.html (checked 2026-10-09)
- Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes: https://docs.docker.com/engine/storage/volumes/#back-up-restore-or-migrate-data-volumes (checked 2026-10-09)

Update it

What docker compose pull does depends only on how each image line in the compose file above is tagged. For AdventureLog as this page writes it:

What AdventureLog's docs say about updating

AdventureLog's Standard Deployment page, Updating (its --env-file .env is not needed here):

docker compose pull
docker compose up -d --wait

Source: AdventureLog docs: Standard Deployment (one container, 2 GB RAM on first boot, updating) checked 2026-10-09

The steps

1. Back up first, as in Back it up above. An update can migrate AdventureLog's data on its first start; the copy is the way back.
2. Download the new images. Running containers are not touched yet:

   docker compose pull

3. Recreate the containers whose image changed. Volumes and bind-mounted folders stay as they are:

   docker compose up -d

4. Watch AdventureLog start (Ctrl+C stops following the log, not the app):

   docker compose logs -f adventurelog-app

5. Optional: remove the old images the pull left without a tag. This covers every stack on the machine, not only this one:

   docker image prune

Docker's reference for these commands: Docker docs: docker compose pull checked 2026-09-30; Docker docs: docker compose up (recreates changed containers, keeps volumes) checked 2026-09-30; Docker docs: docker image prune checked 2026-09-30

Locked out? Reset the admin password

AdventureLog's docs give no command or setting that resets a password.

1. What they do name: the admin panel at /admin on your AdventureLog address, where a staff user can create, edit and deactivate user accounts. So one admin can set another user's password there. Source: AdventureLog docs: Admin Panel (/admin, Users, first-boot superuser) read 2026-10-09
2. DJANGO_ADMIN_USERNAME and DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD create the superuser on the first boot only ("First-boot superuser"); changing them later does not reset the password. Keep ADVENTURELOG_DJANGO_ADMIN_PASSWORD from .env somewhere safe. Source: AdventureLog docs: Admin Panel (/admin, Users, first-boot superuser) read 2026-10-09; AdventureLog: .env.example (POSTGRES_PASSWORD, SITE_URL, first-boot admin) read 2026-10-09

Sources

Every page below was fetched on the date shown.

• AdventureLog on GitHub (repository description) checked 2026-10-09 (what it does)
• AdventureLog docs: Standard Deployment (one container, 2 GB RAM on first boot, updating) checked 2026-10-09 (hardware requirements, compose definition and proxy settings, update notes)
• AdventureLog: docker-compose.yml (Standard Deployment: app, db) checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• AdventureLog: .env.example (POSTGRES_PASSWORD, SITE_URL, first-boot admin) checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• AdventureLog docs: Advanced Deployment (ARM PostGIS image) checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• AdventureLog docs: Operations & Maintenance (backup.sh: database.sql and media) checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings, backup plan)
• AdventureLog docs: Admin Panel (/admin, Users, first-boot superuser) checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• AdventureLog docs: Installation with Caddy checked 2026-10-09 (compose definition and proxy settings)
• Caddy docs: Keep Caddy running (Docker Compose section) checked 2026-09-23 (Caddy)
• Vaultwarden wiki: Caddy with HTTP challenge (uses the caddy:2 image) checked 2026-09-23 (Caddy)
• PostgreSQL docs: SQL Dump (pg_dump, restoring with psql) checked 2026-10-09 (backup plan)
• Docker docs: Volumes, Back up, restore, or migrate data volumes checked 2026-10-09 (backup plan)
• Caddy docs: Conventions, Data directory checked 2026-09-24 (backup plan)
• Docker docs: docker compose pull checked 2026-09-30 (update steps)
• Docker docs: docker compose up (recreates changed containers, keeps volumes) checked 2026-09-30 (update steps)
• Docker docs: docker image prune checked 2026-09-30 (update steps)

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