Install Karakeep: Self-Hosted Bookmark Manager with Docker

In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at Karakeep. Karakeep is a promising bookmark app that aims to enable bookmarking for everything. Whether it’s websites, notes, images, or even RSS feeds – Karakeep aims to become your central hub.

We will install Karakeep together on a server, secure it for external access, and even explore some of its optional AI features.

What is Karakeep?

Karakeep is an open-source bookmark manager designed to store more than just URLs. You can:

• Save and archive websites (Full Page Archive).
• Add notes and images.
• Have tags automatically assigned by AI.
• Have content summarized by AI.
• Subscribe to and read RSS feeds.
• Import bookmarks from browsers or other services.
• Quickly add content via browser extensions and mobile apps.

Since it’s a self-hosted application, you retain full control over your data.

Glossary: Important Terms and Technologies

Prerequisites

Before we start, make sure you have the following:

1. A Server: This can be a home server or a public VPS. For this guide, I’m using a VPS from Hetzner (Affiliate link: As a new customer, you’ll receive a €20 starting credit with this link). The server should be running a Linux operating system (e.g., Ubuntu).
2. (Optional, but recommended) A Domain: If you want to access Karakeep securely and easily over the internet, a domain pointing to your server’s IP address is very useful.

Installing Karakeep with Docker Compose

Installing Karakeep is relatively straightforward thanks to Docker Compose. Karakeep is under active development, so it is worth checking the official Karakeep documentation in case details change.

0. Install Docker and Docker Compose

First, we connect to our server via SSH and ensure Docker is installed. If not, Docker and Docker Compose need to be installed. It’s best to follow the official documentation.

For Ubuntu, execute the following:

# Add Docker's official GPG key:
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install ca-certificates curl
sudo install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings
sudo curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
sudo chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

# Add the repository to Apt sources:
echo \
  "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/ubuntu \
  $(. /etc/os-release && echo "${UBUNTU_CODENAME:-$VERSION_CODENAME}") stable" | \
  sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null
sudo apt-get update

And then:

sudo apt-get install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

1. Create a Directory and compose.yaml File

We create a directory for Karakeep.

mkdir karakeep
cd karakeep

Next, we create the compose.yaml file. This file describes how our Karakeep application should be started with Docker.

nano compose.yaml

Copy the following content into the file:

services:
    web:
        image: ghcr.io/karakeep-app/karakeep:${KARAKEEP_VERSION}
        container_name: karakeep_web # Needed later for the reverse proxy
        restart: unless-stopped
        ports:
            - "{{port}}:3000" # Host port:container port (can be adjusted)
        env_file:
            - .env
        environment:
            MEILI_ADDR: http://meilisearch:7700
            BROWSER_WEB_URL: http://chrome:9222
        volumes:
            - ./data:/data # Bind mount for Karakeep data
        depends_on:
            - chrome
            - meilisearch
        networks:
            - internal

    chrome:
        image: ghcr.io/karakeep-app/karakeep-chrome:release
        restart: unless-stopped
        init: true
        command:
            - --disable-gpu
            - --disable-dev-shm-usage
            - --hide-scrollbars
            - --disable-blink-features=AutomationControlled
            - --window-size=1440,900
        networks:
            - internal

    meilisearch:
        image: getmeili/meilisearch:v1.55.0
        restart: unless-stopped
        env_file:
            - .env
        environment:
            MEILI_NO_ANALYTICS: "true"
        volumes:
            - ./meilisearch_data:/meili_data
        networks:
            - internal

networks:
    internal:
        external: false

Important notes on compose.yaml:

• Image version: The Karakeep version is not in this file but in the .env (KARAKEEP_VERSION). The karakeep-chrome image only exists with the tag release, and the Karakeep project maintains it. I pinned the Meilisearch version to v1.55.0, as in the official example.
• Volumes: I use bind mounts here (./data and ./meilisearch_data). This means the data is stored in subfolders relative to your compose.yaml. Create these folders:
  Terminalbash

  mkdir data
  mkdir meilisearch_data

• Ports: {{port}}:3000 means Karakeep will be reachable on port 3005 of your server and forwards requests to port 3000 in the container. If the port is taken, choose another one (e.g., 3006:3000).
• Networks: Both services are attached to the network internal. We extend this later for the reverse proxy.

Save the file (in nano with Ctrl+X, then Y and Enter).

2. Create the .env File

The .env file contains configuration variables.

nano .env

Add the following content and adjust the values:

KARAKEEP_VERSION=0.34.1
DATA_DIR=/data
MEILI_MASTER_KEY=YOUR_SUPER_SECRET_KEY_1
NEXTAUTH_SECRET=YOUR_SUPER_SECRET_KEY_2
NEXTAUTH_URL=http://{{server_ip}}:{{port}}

Important: Replace YOUR_SUPER_SECRET_KEY_1 and _2 with long, random strings. You can generate them, for example, like this:

openssl rand -base64 36 | tr -dc 'A-Za-z0-9'

Run the command twice and copy the results into the .env file. You find the current Karakeep version on GitHub. Avoid latest or release, because the version can then change unnoticed on the next restart.

NEXTAUTH_URL is the address you use to open Karakeep in the browser. If you later set up a reverse proxy with a domain, you change it there.

Save the file.

3. Start Karakeep Containers

Now we can start Karakeep:

sudo docker compose up -d

Docker will now download the images and start the containers in the background (-d). This might take a while the first time.

You can check the status of the containers:

sudo docker compose ps
# Or view the logs:
sudo docker compose logs -f
# Or check resource usage:
sudo docker compose stats

Normally, the containers should be running after a short time. The web server reports healthy once the database migration is done:

sudo docker compose ps --format 'table {{.Service}}\t{{.Image}}\t{{.Status}}'

SERVICE       IMAGE                                          STATUS
chrome        ghcr.io/karakeep-app/karakeep-chrome:release   Up 16 seconds
meilisearch   getmeili/meilisearch:v1.55.0                   Up 16 seconds
web           ghcr.io/karakeep-app/karakeep:0.34.1           Up 16 seconds (healthy)

The logs can be very helpful in case of problems. On the first start, Meilisearch might need some time for indexing.

4. First Access and Create Admin Account

Open your web browser and enter the IP address with the port from your compose.yaml, so http://{{server_ip}}:{{port}}.

You should see the Karakeep login screen.

1. Click on “Sign up”.
2. Create your user account. The first user automatically becomes the administrator.

After signing in, you see the empty dashboard. You add bookmarks at the top left: paste a link and click “Save”. Karakeep fetches the page in the background with the Chrome container, stores the title and preview image and keeps a copy.

You change the language via your user menu (avatar at the top right): “User Settings” -> “User Info” -> “Interface Language” -> “German”.

Basic Configuration and First Steps

After successful installation and the first login, I recommend making a few basic settings.

Disable Signups (DISABLE_SIGNUPS)

Once you’ve created your admin account, it’s advisable to disable public registration unless you want anyone to be able to sign up.

1. Open the .env file:
   Terminalbash

   nano .env

2. Add the following line:
   .env

   DISABLE_SIGNUPS=true

3. Save the file and restart Karakeep so the changes take effect:
   Terminalbash

   sudo docker compose down
   sudo docker compose up -d

   If you now log out and open the page /signup, it says Signups are currently disabled. As an administrator, you create further users yourself under “Admin Settings” -> “Users List”.

Set OCR Languages (OCR_LANGS)

If you want Karakeep to recognize text in images (OCR), you can set the languages for it.

1. Open the .env file.
2. Add (e.g., for English and German):
   .env

   OCR_LANGS=eng,deu

3. Save and restart Karakeep:
   Terminalbash

   sudo docker compose down
   sudo docker compose up -d

(Optional) Advanced Features with AI

Karakeep offers optional AI features like automatic tagging and summaries. This is not active by default. If you want to use your own API key (e.g., from OpenAI or OpenRouter):

I like to use OpenRouter as it gives me access to various models.

1. Get an API Key: Create an account at OpenRouter.ai and generate an API key. Top up your balance if necessary.
2. Adjust the .env file:
   Terminalbash

   nano .env

   Add/change the following variables:
   .env

   OPENAI_API_KEY=YOUR_OPENROUTER_API_KEY # Your key from OpenRouter
   OPENAI_BASE_URL=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
   INFERENCE_TEXT_MODEL=google/gemini-3.5-flash-lite
   INFERENCE_IMAGE_MODEL=google/gemini-3.5-flash-lite

   You can find a list of available models on the OpenRouter website. Model names change quickly. For the image mode, the model must understand images.
3. Restart Karakeep:
   Terminalbash

   sudo docker compose down
   sudo docker compose up -d

Now, when you add bookmarks, tags should be generated automatically. You can also try to have articles summarized. Using the API costs money, but with moderate use and inexpensive models (like Gemini Flash), the costs are manageable (often less than a cent per request). Free models are also available, but they are less reliable (not in terms of results, but regarding rate limits, etc.).

Integrate RSS Feeds

Under “User Settings” -> “RSS Subscriptions”, you can add RSS feeds (e.g., from your favorite blog https://deployn.de/rss.xml). Karakeep will then import the articles, and you can read and manage them directly in the app – optionally, have them automatically tagged too!

Set up a Reverse Proxy with Caddy (HTTPS and Domain)

To securely access Karakeep via a domain with HTTPS (e.g., https://{{domain}}), we’ll set up a reverse proxy with Caddy. Caddy automatically handles SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt.

1. Prepare Karakeep

a) Adjust Container Name and Networks in Karakeep’s compose.yaml:

We have already defined container_name: karakeep_web in Karakeep’s compose.yaml. Now, we’ll adjust the network settings. Open Karakeep’s compose.yaml:

cd ~/karakeep # Make sure you are in the Karakeep directory
nano compose.yaml

Remove the port mapping and attach the web service to the external network proxy:

services:
    web:
        image: ghcr.io/karakeep-app/karakeep:${KARAKEEP_VERSION}
        container_name: karakeep_web # Important for Caddy
        restart: unless-stopped
        ports:
            - "{{port}}:3000"
        # ... env_file, environment, volumes and depends_on stay the same
        networks:
            - internal
            - proxy

networks:
    internal:
        external: false
    proxy:
        external: true

The services chrome and meilisearch stay unchanged.

Save the changes.

b) Adjust NEXTAUTH_URL in .env:

Open Karakeep’s .env file:

nano .env

Change NEXTAUTH_URL to your future HTTPS domain:

NEXTAUTH_URL=https://{{domain}}

Save the file.

2. Create Docker Network for the Proxy

This network will be shared by Caddy and Karakeep.

sudo docker network create proxy

(If it already exists, that’s okay.)

3. Set up Caddy

We will create a separate directory for Caddy.

cd ~ # Go to home directory
mkdir caddy
cd caddy
mkdir data config # Subdirectories for Caddy data and configuration

a) Create Caddy compose.yaml:

nano compose.yaml

Content:

services:
    caddy:
        image: caddy:2
        container_name: caddy
        restart: unless-stopped
        ports:
            - "80:80"
            - "443:443"
            - "443:443/udp"
        volumes:
            - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile # Configuration file
            - ./data:/data # For certificates and other data
            - ./config:/config # For Caddy configuration
        networks:
            - proxy # Assign Caddy to the proxy network

networks:
    proxy:
        external: true

Save the file.

b) Create Caddyfile:

This is the configuration file for Caddy.

nano Caddyfile

Content:

{{domain}} {
    encode gzip

    # Forward to the Karakeep web container via the Docker network
    # karakeep_web is the container_name from the Karakeep compose.yaml
    # 3000 is the internal port of Karakeep in the container
    reverse_proxy karakeep_web:3000
}

Save the file. Make sure your domain points to your server’s IP address via a DNS A-record!

4. Restart Caddy and Karakeep

First, we start Caddy:

cd ~/caddy # Change to the Caddy directory
sudo docker compose up -d

Then, we restart Karakeep so it picks up the network changes:

cd ~/karakeep # Change to the Karakeep directory
sudo docker compose down # Stops and removes the old containers
sudo docker compose up -d # Starts Karakeep with the new configuration

5. Access via HTTPS Domain

Wait a moment for Caddy to issue the SSL certificate. You should now be able to reach Karakeep at https://{{domain}}.

Updating Karakeep

To update Karakeep:

1. Check the Karakeep releases for a new version and read the release notes.
2. In the .env, change the line KARAKEEP_VERSION to the new version.
3. Pull the new images and restart:
   Terminalbash

   cd ~/karakeep
   sudo docker compose pull
   sudo docker compose up -d

   Docker only replaces the containers whose image changed. The database migration runs automatically on start.

Conclusion

Karakeep is a powerful and flexible bookmark manager that can be self-hosted relatively easily thanks to Docker and Docker Compose. With a reverse proxy like Caddy, access becomes secure and user-friendly. The optional AI features and RSS integration complete the package, making Karakeep a central hub.

Are you already using a self-hosted bookmark manager? Which features are most important to you? Feel free to write it in the comments!

FAQ