Run AFFiNE with Custom Options

When you use the provided compose.yml to run AFFiNE, docker compose will generate AFFiNE configuration files within the CONFIG_LOCATION directory you specified in your .env file on the host system after the initial startup.

If you want save the configuration file elsewhere, please modify compose.yml

To custom your service to your needs, you can adjust the environment variables located in $CONFIG_LOCATION/.env.

The environment variables utilized by AFFiNE are listed as follows:

Environment Variable Name	Description	Default Value
AFFINE_SERVER_HOST	Default access domain of AFFiNE. Make sure this matches the URL in browser.	localhost
AFFINE_SERVER_PORT	Default access port of AFFiNE. Make sure this matches the URL in browser.	3010
AFFINE_SERVER_HTTPS	Use https prefix in url. Make sure this matches the URL in browser.	false
AFFINE_SERVER_EXTERNAL_URL	Used to factor url to server resources	(default to `[protocol]://[host][:port]`)
MAILER_HOST	Email server domain
MAILER_PORT	Email server port
MAILER_USER	Email login user
MAILER_PASSWORD	Email password
MAILER_SENDER	Email sender (not avaliable for consumer mail service like gmail/outlook)
DATABASE_URL	Postgres server Url
REDIS_SERVER_HOST	Redis server domain/ip
REDIS_SERVER_PORT	Redis server port
REDIS_SERVER_USER	Redis server user
REDIS_SERVER_PASSWORD	Redis server password
REDIS_SERVER_DATABASE	Redis server database (0-20 number only)	0

Q&A

Why is the environment variable I set not taking effect?

The environment variable reading of AFFiNE has a specific priority. Please modify it through $CONFIG_LOCATION/.env as a priority, as environment variables passed through the container may be ignored.

Why can’t emails be sent after configuring the email service?

Most personal email providers’ SMTP services require using a separate password different from your login password.

We cannot list configuration tutorials for all email providers, here are only some official setup tutorials for popular personal email providers:

Provider	Guide
Gmail	https://support.google.com/mail/answer/185833?hl=en
Outlook	https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/pop-imap-and-smtp-settings-for-outlook-com-d088b986-291d-42b8-9564-9c414e2aa040
iCloud	https://support.apple.com/en-us/102525
Proton	https://proton.me/support/smtp-submission

Can i create user / invite user without mail service?

Here are some workarounds to avoid setting up the mail service, but their use is not officially supported. It is recommended to configure the mail service to experience the full functionality:

Create User

Go to your-domain.com/admin/accounts with your admin account, add a user, then click menu -> Reset Password, you can get a reset link, send it to the person who needs to create a user
Invite user into workspace

Accept invite in notification, avaliable after 0.21.0