furtka/README.md

# Furtka

**Open-source home server OS — simple enough for everyone.** · [furtka.org](https://furtka.org)

> "Furtka" is Polish for *gate* — a play on the gateway concept (reverse proxy + DNS as your home's front door).

Turn any x86 PC into a powerful, self-hosted home server with an app-store experience. No terminal skills required.

## Vision

People are tired of big companies knowing everything about them. Synology NAS comes close to solving this, but it's expensive and still too complicated for most people.

Furtka aims to be:

- **As easy to install as Windows** — boot from USB, click through a wizard, done
- **As easy to use as an app store** — want Nextcloud? Click install, pick a name, wait a few minutes, and you have `nextcloud.yourdomain.de`
- **Container-based** — everything runs in Docker, with sensible default configs
- **Built for normal people** — your dad should be able to run his own cloud server
- **Fully open source** — with an optional support/infrastructure subscription (Proxmox model)

## Principles

- **Everything already exists** — We're not inventing, we're connecting. Docker, reverse proxies, Let's Encrypt — it all works. We just wire it together with default configs and a simple wrapper.
- **Dogfooding** — We build what we use ourselves. If we wouldn't run it at home, we don't ship it.
- **Two-tier UX** — Dead simple for beginners (click Install, done), full control for advanced users (SSH in, edit configs, do whatever you want).

## Architecture

```
+------------------+
|   Web UI         |  <- Simple admin panel / app store
+------------------+
|   Settings       |  <- UI/API wrapper that generates Docker configs
|   Wrapper        |     from simple user choices
+------------------+
|   Docker         |  <- Containers with sensible default configs
+------------------+
|   Gateway        |  <- Reverse proxy, SSL, DNS (self-hosted or managed)
+------------------+
|   Base OS        |  <- Minimal Linux (leaning Arch, Debian as fallback)
+------------------+
|   Any x86 HW     |  <- Old PC, mini PC, NUC, whatever
+------------------+
```

## Key Decisions

| Decision | Status | Notes |
|----------|--------|-------|
| Base OS | Leaning Arch | Robert already has Arch running on Proxmox and is building custom images. Debian remains fallback (FAI, Proxmox ecosystem). |
| Containers | Docker | Lower overhead than VMs, easier default configs |
| Installation | Web-based wizard | Robert's webapp prototype (device reader + form → JSON) is working. Full spec: [wizard-flow.md](docs/wizard-flow.md) |
| Reverse proxy | Caddy | Automatic Let's Encrypt, simplest config of any reverse proxy |
| Identity provider | Authentik | Bundled SSO from day one — every app template auto-wires to it at install |
| Managed gateway DNS | NS delegation to `ns1.furtka.org` | User delegates once at registrar; we handle wildcard cert + subdomain creation |
| Local HTTPS | Local CA | One-click CA install → green padlock on every service, no browser warnings |
| Gateway | Flexible | Own reverse proxy OR managed through our infrastructure |
| UI approach | UI-first | Design the simplest possible UI, then build everything to match |

## Landscape (Existing Projects)

| Project | Type | Apps | Key Trait |
|---------|------|------|-----------|
| [CasaOS](https://casaos.io) | Layer on existing Linux | ~100 | Simplest install, runs on any distro |
| [Umbrel](https://umbrel.com) | Debian-based full OS | ~300 | Slick UI, crypto/privacy focus |
| [Runtipi](https://runtipi.io) | Docker-based, GPL-3.0 | 200+ | Largest default app catalog |
| [HomeDock OS](https://github.com/BansheeTech/HomeDockOS) | Pseudo-OS layer | Hundreds | Desktop-style UX with window manager |
| [Cosmos Server](https://github.com/azukaar/Cosmos-Server) | All-in-one platform | Docker | Built-in 2FA, anti-DDoS, security focus |
| [YunoHost](https://yunohost.org) | Debian-based OS (since 2012) | 400+ | Most mature, biggest catalog |
| [TurnKey Linux](https://www.turnkeylinux.org) | Pre-built system images | Hundreds | One image per use case |

### Recent signals (from [competitors.md](docs/competitors.md))

- **Umbrel's license is the #1 r/selfhosted complaint.** PolyForm Noncommercial 1.0.0 isn't OSI-approved; Citadel forked explicitly over this.
- **Umbrel has refused HTTPS on its local UI for 4+ years.** [Issue #546](https://github.com/getumbrel/umbrel/issues/546) open since Feb 2021. Community quote: *"all it takes is one Umbrel vuln to bring down half of the lightning network."*
- **CasaOS is in maintenance mode.** IceWhale pivoted focus to ZimaOS (paid hardware). Users are [openly asking](https://github.com/IceWhaleTech/CasaOS/discussions/2386) if the project is still alive.

### Where we differentiate

1. **Full OS + device-aware installer wizard** — Boot USB, open `https://proksi.local`, wizard detects hardware and configures everything. No existing project does this — CasaOS/HomeDock are layers on existing Linux, Umbrel's x86 installer asks you to type a drive number, YunoHost runs stock Debian partitioning.
2. **Auto setup intelligence** — Tests drive speeds, auto-assigns boot/LVM storage. Competitors just ask you to pick a drive.
3. **Gateway-as-a-service** — No competitor offers managed reverse proxy + DNS + SSL as a service. Even YunoHost (best SSL story of the three) punts DNS setup to the user's registrar — that's the UX cliff where newbies quit.
4. **HTTPS + AGPL from day one** — HTTPS on the local UI via a one-click local CA install (no browser warnings, unlike YunoHost's self-signed model). Fully AGPL-3.0 — the exact counter-position to Umbrel's non-OSI license complaints.

### Gap we're targeting

None of these nail the "your dad can set this up" experience. The installer wizard + managed gateway + HTTPS-by-default is the strongest angle.

## Resources

- [awesome-docker-compose.com](https://awesome-docker-compose.com) — Ready-made Docker Compose configs (useful later for app store defaults)

## Inspiration

- **Azure Local** — cluster management for enterprises, we want this for home users
- **Proxmox community-scripts** — great base, but VM-focused (more overhead)
- **Synology DSM** — closest to our UX goal, but proprietary and expensive
- **Home Assistant** — app-store model for smart home, we want this for all services

## Roadmap

- [x] Installer webapp prototype — device reader + form → JSON (Robert)
- [x] Arch running on Proxmox, custom image builds in progress (Robert)
- [x] Competitor analysis — see [docs/competitors.md](docs/competitors.md)
- [x] Wizard flow spec — see [docs/wizard-flow.md](docs/wizard-flow.md)
- [x] Release process + CI — CalVer tags, conventional commits, Forgejo Actions (ruff, pytest, JSON, link checks), `26.0-alpha` tagged
- [x] Forgejo runner live on Proxmox VM (`forge-runner-01`, Ubuntu 24.04) — docker-outside-of-docker with host-mode jobs for ISO builds, setup captured in [docs/runner-setup.md](docs/runner-setup.md) + [ops/forgejo-runner/](ops/forgejo-runner/)
- [x] **ISO-build in CI** — `.forgejo/workflows/build-iso.yml` runs `iso/build.sh` on every push to `main` and publishes the resulting `.iso` as the `furtka-iso` artifact (14 d retention). Push → green run → download → test.
- [x] **Forgejo Releases + tag-driven release pipeline** — `.forgejo/workflows/release.yml` fires on `[0-9]*` tags, `scripts/build-release-tarball.sh` packages `furtka/` + `apps/` + `assets/` + a root VERSION, `scripts/publish-release.sh` uploads tarball + sha256 + release.json to the Forgejo releases page. Releases `26.1-alpha`, `26.3-alpha`, and `26.4-alpha` live at [releases](https://forgejo.sourcegate.online/daniel/furtka/releases) (26.2 stalled on a `jq` apt hang, fixed in 26.3). Needs one repo secret (`FORGEJO_RELEASE_TOKEN`).
- [x] **Walking-skeleton live ISO — end to end** — `iso/build.sh` produces a hybrid BIOS/UEFI Arch-based ISO. It boots in a Proxmox VM, DHCPs onto the LAN, shows a console welcome with `http://proksi.local:5000` (+ IP fallback), serves the Flask webinstaller, runs `archinstall --silent`, reboots the VM via a Reboot-now button, and the installed system logs in and runs `docker ps` without sudo. Build infra in [`iso/`](iso/).
- [x] **Drop loop/rom devices from drive list** — `webinstaller/drives.py` filters by `lsblk` `TYPE=disk`, so the live squashfs and CD-ROM no longer appear as install targets. Boot-USB filtering on bare metal is still TODO; see [iso/README.md](iso/README.md).
- [x] **Rebrand GRUB menu** — `iso/build.sh` rewrites "Arch Linux install medium" → "Furtka Live Installer" across GRUB, syslinux, and systemd-boot configs; default entry marked `(Recommended)`.
- [x] **Wizard: account form → drive picker → overview → archinstall** — S1 collects hostname/user/password/language with validation, S2 picks boot drive, overview confirms, `/install/run` writes `user_configuration.json` + `user_credentials.json` (0600) and execs `archinstall --silent` against its 4.x schema (`default_layout` disk_config + `!root-password` / `!password` sentinel keys + `custom_commands` for post-install group joins). Install log page polls a JSON endpoint and renders a phase-based progress bar with a collapsible raw log. `FURTKA_DRY_RUN=1` skips the real exec for testing.
- [x] **mDNS `proksi.local`** — hostname baked into the live ISO, avahi + nss-mdns in the package list, advertised as soon as network-online fires. The HTTPS + local-CA half of this milestone is still open below.
- [x] **Base OS post-install (demo level)** — after reboot the installed system comes up with Caddy on `:80` serving a Furtka landing page (welcome + live uptime/Docker/disk tiles), the console shows a banner pointing at `http://<hostname>.local`, and `nss-mdns` makes that URL resolve on the LAN. Written by `webinstaller/app.py`'s `_post_install_commands` via archinstall's `custom_commands`.
- [x] **Resource manager + first bundled app (`fileshare`/SMB)** — `furtka/` Python package handles scan / install / remove / reinstall of apps shipped under `apps/`. Manifest schema with settings fields drives an in-browser config form (no SSH needed). First app is a `dperson/samba` share mountable from Mac/Win/Linux. Validated end-to-end on VM 2026-04-16.
- [x] **On-box web UI uplevel** — shared `/style.css` served by Caddy, persistent top nav, landing page with an "Your apps" tile grid + live status, `/apps` with real per-app icons (inlined SVG from each manifest), new `/settings` page (hostname, IP, version, kernel, RAM, Docker, uptime + Furtka-updates card). `prefers-color-scheme` light/dark.
- [x] **Versioned on-box layout + Phase 1 per-app updates** — `/opt/furtka/versions/<ver>/` + `current` symlink; `/var/lib/furtka/` for runtime state. `POST /api/apps/<name>/update` runs `docker compose pull` + compares digests + conditional `up -d`.
- [x] **Phase 2 Furtka self-update** — `/settings` → Check → Update now. Downloads signed tarball (SHA256), stages, atomic symlink flip, reloads Caddy, daemon-reload, restarts services, health-checks the new api with auto-rollback on failure. CLI: `furtka update [--check]` + `furtka rollback`. Validated end-to-end on VM 2026-04-16 (`26.0-alpha` → `26.3-alpha` → rollback → reboot).
- [x] **Local HTTPS Phase 1** — Caddy `tls internal` on `:443` alongside plain `:80`. Per-box root CA generated on first start, `rootCA.crt` downloadable from `/settings`, per-OS install guide at `/https-install/`. Opt-in "force HTTPS" toggle only exposes itself once the current browser already trusts the cert, so enabling it can't lock the user out. Shipped in 26.4-alpha.
- [x] **Post-build smoke VM on Proxmox** — `.forgejo/workflows/build-iso.yml` hands the freshly built ISO to `scripts/smoke-vm.sh`, which boots it in a throwaway VM on `pollux` (192.168.178.165) and curls the webinstaller on `:5000`. VMID range 9000–9099, last 5 kept. Green end-to-end since 26.4-alpha.
- [ ] Installer wizard screens S3–S7 — per-device purpose, network, domain, SSL, diagnostic. S5/S6 blocked on managed-gateway DNS infra not yet built.
- [ ] Local HTTPS Phase 2 — dedicated local CA (not Caddy's `tls internal`), streamlined one-click install across Win/Mac/Linux/Android, and HTTPS on the live-installer wizard (`https://proksi.local:5000`).
- [ ] Caddy + Authentik wired into first-boot bootstrap
- [ ] Managed gateway infrastructure — `ns1/ns2.furtka.org` + DNS-01 wildcard automation
- [ ] First containerized service (Nextcloud?) with auto-SSO + auto-subdomain
- [ ] Competitor hands-on testing on Proxmox — validate findings from docs/competitors.md
- [ ] UI mockups / drafts (Robert)

## Business Model

Furtka starts as a private/personal project. The long-term model follows Proxmox:

- **Free & open source** — anyone can download, install, and use it
- **Paid support & managed infrastructure** — for users who want hassle-free setup
- **Managed gateway option** — the gateway (reverse proxy, SSL, DNS) can be self-hosted or run through our managed infrastructure (potential subscription revenue)

## Team

- **Robert** — Architecture, UI design, webapp installer prototype
- **Daniel** — Infrastructure, testing, DevOps

## License

AGPL-3.0 — open source, community-driven.