2025 Guide to your own cloud on a Raspberry Pi 5!

Introduction

In this tutorial, we'll guide you through the process of setting up your personal cloud storage using NextCloud on a Raspberry Pi 5, all within a Docker container managed by Portainer. This setup allows you to host your files, documents, and media without paying monthly fees, empowering you with control over your data. NextCloud is open-source and offers various applications for office work, media management, and email access.

Step 1: Prepare Your Raspberry Pi

1. Update Raspberry Pi OS

   • Make sure your Raspberry Pi OS is up to date. Open a terminal and run:

     sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
     

2. Install Docker

   • Use the following command to install Docker:

     curl -sSL https://get.docker.com | sh
     

   • After installation, add your user to the Docker group:

     sudo usermod -aG docker $USER
     

   • Reboot your Raspberry Pi:

     sudo reboot
     

3. Verify Docker Installation

   • After rebooting, check your user group:

     groups
     

   • Test Docker by running:

     docker run hello-world
     

Step 2: Install Portainer

1. Pull Portainer Image

   • Execute the following command to download the Portainer image:

     docker pull portainer/portainer-ce:latest
     

2. Create Portainer Data Volume

   • Create a volume for Portainer data:

     docker volume create portainer_data
     

3. Run Portainer Container

   • Run the Portainer container with the following command:

     docker run -d -p 8000:8000 -p 9443:9443 --name=portainer --restart=always -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock -v portainer_data:/data portainer/portainer-ce:latest
     

   • This command ensures Portainer restarts with the Raspberry Pi and uses the specified ports.

4. Access Portainer

   • Check your Raspberry Pi's IP address:

     ifconfig
     

   • Open a browser and navigate to https://your_ip_address:9443.

Step 3: Configure Portainer

1. Set Up Admin Account

   • Create your Portainer admin username and password. Make sure to write these down.

2. Update App Template URL

   • Click on 'Settings' in the lower left corner.
   • Paste the following URL into the app template URL box:

     https://raw.githubusercontent.com/TomChantler/portainer-templates/refs/heads/v3/templates_v3.json
     

   • Click 'Save'.

3. Access NextCloud Template

   • Click on 'Templates' on the left-hand side and type 'Next' in the search box.
   • Select 'Nextcloud' to add its container.

4. Configure NextCloud Settings

   • Enter your timezone in the format Country/City (e.g., England/London).
   • Set a password for the database and MariaDB. Write these down.
   • The database user should be nextcloud, and the database name is nextcloud_db.
   • Choose a port number different from 9443 (e.g., 5443) for NextCloud.

5. Deploy NextCloud

   • Click 'Deploy this stack'.
   • Open another browser window and navigate to https://your_ip_address:5443.

Step 4: Set Up NextCloud Admin

1. Create Admin Account

   • Set an admin username and password for NextCloud. Record these credentials.

2. Configure Database Settings

   • Select 'MySQL/MariaDB' for your database.
   • Database Account: nextcloud
   • Password: Enter the password you set in Portainer.
   • Database Name: nextcloud_db
   • Database Host: nextcloud_db:3306

3. Complete Installation

   • Click 'Install' to finalize the setup.
   • You should see the NextCloud welcome screen upon successful installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully set up your personal cloud storage using NextCloud on a Raspberry Pi 5 with Docker and Portainer. This setup not only provides you with a secure way to manage your files but also offers a customizable platform for future applications.

Next steps could include exploring additional NextCloud applications or enhancing security settings. Enjoy your self-hosted cloud!