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Installation

Overseer runs as a Docker Compose stack on a Linux server. Installation takes about 5–10 minutes.

Requirements

What Minimum Recommended
Operating system Linux (Debian 12+, Ubuntu 22.04+, RHEL 9+) Debian 13
RAM 2 GB 4 GB from ~50 hosts
CPU 1 core 2 cores from ~50 hosts
Disk 10 GB 50 GB SSD (for log retention)
Software Docker 24+ and Docker Compose 2.20+ latest versions
Network Outbound HTTPS 443 + domain with DNS pointing at the server

Rule of thumb

The stack needs ~1 GB RAM idle. Add roughly +500 MB and one CPU core per additional 100 hosts. Logs and long retention windows mainly increase disk usage.

Why a domain?

With your own domain the setup wizard automatically obtains a Let's Encrypt certificate. Without a domain Overseer runs with a self-signed cert, which causes a browser warning.

Step 1 — Run the setup script

On your server as root or with sudo:

bash curl -sSL https://licence.dailycrust.it/api/v1/install | bash

The script walks you through interactively:

  1. Installs Docker and openssl if missing
  2. Asks for registry credentials — for Community just press Enter to skip
  3. Downloads docker-compose.prod.yml and .env.example from the licence portal
  4. Asks for the Base URL (e.g. https://monitoring.example.com or https://192.168.1.50)
  5. Optionally asks for a licence key (leave empty for Community)
  6. Generates secrets (DB password, JWT key, field encryption key) and prints the encryption key — back this up externally!
  7. Starts all containers

Back up the field encryption key

The FIELD_ENCRYPTION_KEY protects encrypted fields (SNMP communities, passwords). If this key is lost, the encrypted data is permanently unrecoverable. Copy it to a safe location (password manager, external backup) immediately.

Step 2 — Open the setup wizard in your browser

Once the stack is up, open in your browser:

https://your-domain.tld/setup

(or the IP if you're running without a domain)

The wizard walks you through:

  1. Welcome — language selection
  2. Admin account — your first super-admin user (email + password)
  3. Tenant — name of your first tenant
  4. SMTP (optional) — for email alerts
  5. Done — log in and open the dashboard

Step 3 — Add your first host

Once logged in:

  1. Left menu → Hosts → New
  2. Pick a host type (Linux server, Windows server, switch, ...)
  3. Enter IP address or hostname
  4. For Linux/Windows: select Agent, copy the token
  5. Run on the target machine:

bash wget -qO- https://your-domain.tld/agent/install.sh | bash -s -- TOKEN https://your-domain.tld

Download overseer-agent-setup.exe from the Downloads page and run it with the server URL and token.

The agent will report in within 30 seconds.

Updates

Updates ship through the GUI:

  1. Admin → Updates
  2. Check for updates
  3. Update now

The system automatically takes a backup, downloads the new version, runs migrations and restarts the containers. If anything fails it rolls back automatically.

Never run docker compose pull manually

Always use the in-app updater — it handles backup, migrations and rollback. Manual updates can leave the stack in an inconsistent state.

Backups

Default backups (PostgreSQL dumps) live at:

/opt/overseer/backups/

They run daily at 03:00 and are kept for 30 days. Configurable under Admin → Backup.

Troubleshooting

  • Containers won't start → docker compose logs api on the server
  • Wizard not reachable → check DNS, curl -I https://your-domain.tld/setup
  • Licence not accepted → key copied in full? server clock correct? (NTP)
  • Agent can't connect → outbound 443 blocked? token correct? journalctl -u overseer-agent -f

For stubborn issues: open a GitHub issue or email kontakt@overseer.dailycrust.it.