ubuntu-post-install/README.md

ubuntu-post-install

Modular post-install system for Ubuntu servers. One repo, one entry point, install exactly what you need — interactively or by name.

Quick start on a fresh box

Public repo — paste on any new box:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/outis1one/ubuntu-post-install/main/bootstrap.sh | sudo bash

USB thumb drive — works for public or private repos:

Prepare the USB once on any machine (no git required):

1. Go to the repo on GitHub → green Code button → Download ZIP
2. Unzip it — you'll get a folder called ubuntu-post-install-main
3. Copy that folder to your USB drive

On every new box:

1. Plug in the USB — it opens in the file manager
2. Navigate into the ubuntu-post-install-main folder
3. Either:
   • Right-click inside the folder → Open in Terminal → type bash bootstrap.sh
   • Or double-click bootstrap.sh → if prompted, choose Run in Terminal

The script asks for your password if needed. It detects it is running from inside the repo, copies everything to ~/ubuntu-post-install, then launches the wizard — the USB can be unplugged once setup starts.

Private repo — PAT (alternative):

sudo bash bootstrap.sh --pat ghp_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Use a fine-grained read-only PAT scoped to just this repo (Contents: Read). The PAT is stripped from the stored remote URL after cloning.

Usage

sudo ./setup.sh                        # interactive wizard
sudo ./setup.sh caddy immich           # install specific services
sudo ./setup.sh configure              # set site defaults (timezone, domain, Caddy network)
./setup.sh --list                      # list all services grouped by category
sudo ./setup.sh --dry-run immich       # preview without making changes
sudo ./setup.sh --unattended base      # non-interactive, use defaults

What the wizard does

First run:

1. Installs essential CLI packages (git, curl, htop, ncdu, jq, glow, …)
2. Installs Docker CE and the Compose plugin automatically if not already present
3. Offers to set site defaults — timezone, base domain, Caddy Docker network — so every service picks them up automatically instead of asking each time
4. Offers to install Caddy (the reverse proxy most services use)
5. Drops into a category menu — pick a group, tick services, install, repeat

Re-run: skips steps 1–2 (already done), goes straight to the menu.

Site defaults are saved to ~/docker/.config and pre-fill every service prompt. Update them any time with sudo ./setup.sh configure.

Services

Group	Services
base	base, glow
homelab	caddy, crowdsec, authelia, homeassistant
utilities	actualbudget, ddclient, filebrowser, fmd, magicmirror, mealie, meshcentral, ntfy, portainer, traccar, uptimekuma, watchtower, wg-easy
media	arm, audiobookshelf, emby, immich, jellyfin, lyrion
cameras	frigate, frigate-audio, frigate-notify, sky-cam
gaming	js99er, minecraft, wolf, wolf-pair
extras	linux-to-sync, silent-send, sync-cc
backup	backup

Run ./setup.sh --list to see descriptions.

Layout

setup.sh          dispatcher — wizard, direct install, --list, --dry-run
lib/common.sh     shared helpers: logging, prompts, site config, OS detection
services/         one file per service (self-registering)
extras/           non-Docker assets bundled with the repo (e.g. sync_cc.py)

Managing installed services

Every Docker service installs to its own ~/docker/<name>/ folder:

cd ~/docker/immich
docker compose up -d        # start
docker compose logs -f      # logs
docker compose pull && docker compose up -d   # update
docker compose down         # stop

Using a USB drive for Docker data

Storing Docker volumes and service data on a large USB drive keeps your OS disk free and makes migrating to a new machine trivial.

1 — Mount the USB drive

Find the device name:

lsblk -o NAME,SIZE,FSTYPE,MOUNTPOINT

Format as ext4 if needed (skip if already formatted):

sudo mkfs.ext4 /dev/sdX1   # replace sdX1 with your partition

Create a permanent mount point and mount it:

sudo mkdir -p /mnt/docker-data
sudo mount /dev/sdX1 /mnt/docker-data

Make it mount automatically on boot by adding to /etc/fstab:

# Get the drive's UUID (stable across reboots)
sudo blkid /dev/sdX1
# Add a line like this to /etc/fstab:
UUID=your-uuid-here  /mnt/docker-data  ext4  defaults,nofail  0  2

The nofail option means the system still boots normally if the drive is absent.

2 — Point this setup at the USB drive

The wizard stores all Docker service folders under ~/docker/ by default. To use the USB drive instead, set DOCKER_DIR before running setup:

export DOCKER_DIR=/mnt/docker-data/docker
sudo -E ./setup.sh

Or configure it as the permanent default by creating/editing ~/.config/ubuntu-post-install.conf:

echo 'DOCKER_DIR=/mnt/docker-data/docker' >> ~/.config/ubuntu-post-install.conf

The wizard reads this file on every run, so you only need to set it once.

3 — Move existing Docker data (optional)

If you already have data under ~/docker/ and want to move it:

sudo systemctl stop docker
sudo cp -a ~/docker/. /mnt/docker-data/docker/
sudo mv ~/docker ~/docker.bak            # keep as backup
export DOCKER_DIR=/mnt/docker-data/docker
sudo systemctl start docker

Verify everything works, then delete the backup: sudo rm -rf ~/docker.bak

Tips

• Check free space on the USB drive: df -h /mnt/docker-data
• Check the drive's health: sudo smartctl -a /dev/sdX (install: sudo apt install smartmontools)
• For Minecraft world data especially, a fast USB 3.0 drive or SSD is recommended — spinning drives can cause I/O lag during chunk generation

Compatibility

Tested on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS and 26.04 LTS. Works on any Ubuntu LTS ≥ 22.04; non-LTS releases also work. The wizard shows the detected OS in the header and warns on unknown versions.