DocManFu

Docker ready

Your private document vault is one Docker Compose stack away.

DocManFu packages the web app, API, database, task queue, and OCR worker into one Docker Compose stack.

01

Clone the repository

You need Git, Docker Engine, and Docker Compose v2.

git clone https://github.com/DocManFu/DocManFu.git
cd DocManFu
02

Create your configuration

Copy the production example and set a strong PostgreSQL password and JWT secret. The deployment guide documents every option.

cp .env.production.example .env
$EDITOR .env
Required: Change POSTGRES_PASSWORD and JWT_SECRET_KEY before starting.
03

Start DocManFu

./prod up -d
./prod ps

The first build downloads images and prepares OCR dependencies. Open http://localhost:8080 when the services are healthy.

04

Create your administrator

The first-run setup screen creates the admin account. Sign in, upload a document, and watch OCR progress in real time.

05

Optional: enable local AI

DocManFu works without AI. For CPU-only local Ollama, add these values to .env, start the Ollama profile, pull the model, and recreate the application services. NVIDIA and native macOS options are covered in the deployment guide.

# Add to .env
AI_PROVIDER=ollama
AI_BASE_URL=http://ollama-cpu:11434
AI_MODEL=llama3.2

# Then run
./prod up -d --profile ollama-cpu
./prod pull-models

Before you begin

  • Docker + Compose v2
  • At least 2 GB RAM
  • Persistent storage
  • A backup destination

Useful links

Deployment guide ↗Architecture ↗Environment example ↗Get help ↗

Going public?

Put DocManFu behind HTTPS, use unique secrets, keep Docker updated, restrict server access, and test your backups.

Scanner-folder helper

Install the folder watcher.

The optional docmanfu CLI watches a directory and attempts to upload new PDFs or images. Verify uploads in DocManFu, especially when a scanner writes large files slowly.

brew tap DocManFu/docmanfu
brew install docmanfu
docmanfu --path ~/scans
SCANNER→~/scans→DocManFuWatches for new files · verify completed uploads

Your documents. Your rules.

Ready to master the paper pile?

One Docker Compose command puts a private, searchable document vault on hardware you control. Prefer not to self-host? A hosted version is coming soon—ask @DustinDavis on X.

Start self-hostingView on GitHub ↗