AgapHost/overleaf/README.md

Overleaf Service

Overleaf is an open-source online LaTeX editor. This directory contains the Docker Compose configuration for running Overleaf on Agap.

Configuration Files

• .env - Docker Compose environment variables (image versions, ports, data paths)
• docker-compose.yml - Service definitions (Overleaf, MongoDB, Redis)
• overleaf.rc - Overleaf toolkit configuration (compatibility layer)
• variables.env - Overleaf application environment variables
• version - Overleaf image version (6.1.2)

Data Directories

The following directories must exist on the host and have appropriate permissions:

/mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/
├── data/              # Overleaf application data
├── mongo/             # MongoDB database files
└── redis/             # Redis persistence files

Create them if they don't exist:

mkdir -p /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/{data,mongo}
mkdir -p /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/redis
chmod 755 /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/*

Quick Start

From the agap_git/overleaf/ directory:

# Start all services (compose reads .env automatically)
docker compose up -d

# Check status
docker compose ps

# View logs
docker compose logs -f sharelatex

# Stop all services
docker compose down

Services

sharelatex

• Image: sharelatex/sharelatex:6.1.2
• Port: 127.0.0.1:8089 (localhost only)
• Data: /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/data:/var/lib/overleaf
• Features:
  • Sandboxed compiles via Docker sibling containers
  • Email disabled by default (see variables.env)
  • Templates and project files enabled (see variables.env)

mongo

• Image: mongo:8.0
• Port: 27017 (internal, exposed only to sharelatex)
• Data: /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/mongo:/data/db
• Replica Set: Initialized automatically on first run with --replSet overleaf

redis

• Image: redis:7.4
• Port: 6379 (internal, exposed only to sharelatex)
• Data: /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/redis:/data
• Persistence: AOF (Append-Only File) enabled

Configuration

Environment Variables

Edit variables.env to customize Overleaf behavior:

• OVERLEAF_APP_NAME - Display name for the instance
• ENABLE_CONVERSIONS - Enable PDF thumbnail generation
• EMAIL_CONFIRMATION_DISABLED - Disable email confirmation requirement
• OVERLEAF_SITE_URL - Public URL (if behind proxy)
• OVERLEAF_BEHIND_PROXY - Set to true if behind reverse proxy
• OVERLEAF_SECURE_COOKIE - Use secure cookies when behind TLS proxy

Port Binding

The OVERLEAF_LISTEN_IP in .env controls which interface Overleaf listens on:

• 127.0.0.1 - Localhost only (default, requires reverse proxy)
• 0.0.0.0 - All interfaces (not recommended without TLS)

Storage

All data is stored on /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/:

• Application data (documents, projects)
• MongoDB replica set database
• Redis cache and session data

Maintenance

Backup

To back up Overleaf data:

# Stop services gracefully
docker compose stop

# Backup directories
tar czf overleaf-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/

# Restart
docker compose up -d

Upgrade Image Version

To upgrade the Overleaf image:

1. Edit .env and update SHARELATEX_IMAGE version tag
2. Pull the new image: docker compose pull
3. Recreate the service: docker compose up -d
4. MongoDB and Redis require no migration for patch/minor version bumps

Database Replica Set

MongoDB is configured with a single-node replica set (--replSet overleaf) which is required by Overleaf. If MongoDB fails to initialize:

docker compose exec mongo mongosh --eval "rs.initiate({ _id: 'overleaf', members: [ { _id: 0, host: 'mongo:27017' } ] })"

Troubleshooting

Overleaf won't start

# Check logs
docker compose logs sharelatex

# Common issues:
# - MongoDB not ready (check mongo logs)
# - Redis not ready (check redis logs)
# - Data volume permissions (check /mnt/ssd/dbs/overleaf/ permissions)

High memory usage

• Redis AOF file can grow; use BGREWRITEAOF if needed
• MongoDB maintenance: run db.collection.reIndex() for indexed collections

Replica set errors in logs

Safe to ignore on first startup; it initializes automatically. If persistent:

docker compose restart mongo

Notes

• This is Overleaf Community Edition (SERVER_PRO=false in overleaf.rc)
• Sibling container sandboxing is enabled but uses single-node mode
• No TLS termination (nginx proxy is disabled); use Caddy or another reverse proxy
• Email is disabled by default; configure SMTP in variables.env to enable

References

• Overleaf Toolkit Documentation
• Overleaf GitHub Wiki