Obsidian

Setup

Here is a clean, professional, and well-structured Markdown guide for your Obsidian Self-Hosted LiveSync documentation.

I have organized the configuration into logical, step-by-step technical phases, cleaned up syntax formatting (such as fixing case sensitivity in commands like docker exec), and added visual callouts for important warnings and credentials.

Obsidian Self-Hosted LiveSync Configuration Guide

This guide details the deployment of a self-hosted CouchDB instance using Docker Compose and the generation of configuration URIs to enable cross-device synchronization for Obsidian.

1. Prerequisites

A reverse proxy (e.g., Nginx Proxy Manager, Cloudflare Tunnels, or Caddy) configured to route external traffic to your container.
SSL/TLS certificate configured for your sync domain: https://obsidian.mikemcfetridge.com

2. Database Deployment (Docker Compose)

Deploy the specialized CouchDB image tailored for Obsidian LiveSync. Create a docker-compose.yml file in your directory and add the service definition below:

YAML

``` services: couchdb-obsidian-livesync: image: 'docker.io/oleduc/docker-obsidian-livesync-couchdb:master' container_name: couchdb-obsidian-livesync restart: always ports: - '5984:5984' environment: - COUCHDB_DATABASE=obsidian - COUCHDB_USER=miker - COUCHDB_PASSWORD=tw9222dvO91ZHb - SERVER_DOMAIN=https://obsidian.mikemcfetridge.com volumes: - ./data:/opt/couchdb/data


<div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-88 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation" id="bkmrk--1"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-88"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-88"></div></div></div>### Deployment Verification

1. Launch the container stack in detached mode:
    
    <div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-89 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-89"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-89"><div class="code-block-decoration header-formatted gds-emphasized-body-m ng-tns-c1605810258-89 ng-star-inserted"><span class="ng-tns-c1605810258-89">Bash</span><div class="buttons ng-tns-c1605810258-89 ng-star-inserted"></div></div></div></div></div>```
    docker compose up -d
    
    ```
    
    <div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-89 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-89"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-89"></div></div></div>
2. Validate that the CouchDB instance is active and accessible via the web administration console by navigating to: `https://obsidian.mikemcfetridge.com/_utils`

## 3. Generate the Client Setup URI

To easily provision your desktop and mobile clients, log into the running container environment to generate an encrypted initialization URI using Deno.

### Step 1: Open an Interactive Terminal in the Container

<div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-90 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation" id="bkmrk-bash"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-90"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-90"><div class="code-block-decoration header-formatted gds-emphasized-body-m ng-tns-c1605810258-90 ng-star-inserted"><span class="ng-tns-c1605810258-90">Bash</span><div class="buttons ng-tns-c1605810258-90 ng-star-inserted"></div></div></div></div></div>```
docker exec -it couchdb-obsidian-livesync /bin/bash

### Step 2: Configure Environment Variables & Run the Generator Script

Paste the following block into the container terminal to set up the runtime environment and execute the configuration tool:

Bash

``` export hostname=https://obsidian.mikemcfetridge.com export database=obsidian export username=miker export password=tw9222dvO91ZHb export passphrase=7ixpCPi5OEDF6J

Execute the setup URI generator script

deno run -A https://raw.githubusercontent.com/vrtmrz/obsidian-livesync/main/utils/flyio/generate_setupuri.ts


<div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-91 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation" id="bkmrk--7"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-91"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-91"></div></div></div>### Step 3: Capture the Output

The script will output your specific **Setup-URI Passphrase** and the **Obsidian configuration string**.

> ⚠️ **Important:** The text passphrase generated by the script will **never** be shown again. Save it immediately in a secure location.

*Example Output:*

<div class="code-block ng-tns-c1605810258-92 ng-animate-disabled ng-trigger ng-trigger-codeBlockRevealAnimation" id="bkmrk-plaintext"><div class="formatted-code-block-internal-container ng-tns-c1605810258-92"><div class="animated-opacity ng-tns-c1605810258-92"><div class="code-block-decoration header-formatted gds-emphasized-body-m ng-tns-c1605810258-92 ng-star-inserted"><span class="ng-tns-c1605810258-92">Plaintext</span><div class="buttons ng-tns-c1605810258-92 ng-star-inserted"></div></div></div></div></div>```
Your passphrase of Setup-URI is: little-shadow

obsidian://setuplivesync?settings=%25dcc45454e4eda1f3feb43f050100000041732c3c957c9bac41a96df3040ab6b5uEIf1EWiXa%2BgGabAhHBCF9wkHfvj%2BwSfHlZOctmyUYdDfqwkIfbibE4yge9uNaARqtixj4OZH9XZs3S4cjRclUNvpZiqsq46SOniGB9X2Svk58HFcwfNaW67mNQLQn2cSWRwvN9SudeqVWiLjWKczz6DWBcYGwwsyO%2BLxnw86txKZBC6yE2AaY%2B2dz%2F0qWQBZaxh%2FCJWjxPyRGewUhfUbZnuLQmtu0RY%2FfYgVQQZ%2FNvzmmUpSrpFeJq%2BYP%2F3V1w9PmVNSiDo62a9rnWjjBpk0ffQGxuNEb36Tu9i%2BrRKROnz4T3nsOX6IWZJd4WhuljboUsz9dKHwcNSsDFyNDFx3XMPcjaFO1%2BcMulxP8zJh%2BS3p%2BNrvg5kdsM0%2BGsg%2F29mMUnbFXXETdIAX62Jb%2FhuuRaOy0Cwjccpg02tpXc6HGj7tZCXh1fh4EPNUK09QmkzDOtIcb33yva%2FMNCzY9cVr0TCLr2MVLlnRR9P1sQkGCDTqI0NJvG1B0FvGE3XASBQpCKQH1XnED0z5IFsTH4m8gjHbR2XtDaTbFqNA%2BL9cGjztPXKa0g8xD0mruF5uH1zCp0sELD%2Fghw%2FsXUYcCPt7gmVryU9ioFzjRVt7UTexFpr50ZPOfOfVwfy3FCHk4lCNDREeHdstj2EI19lyBL4NyVuIt5%2FqE%2FaOib04ZefjsTETB%2F7rdbblwebgD1Il%2FWPjtL3uKyxiM11W6pUQtXiT7CvoXfu3rf9K5%2FihFjiomY08xYb60Q1LyIjhG1SIB%2BsvS7Vc9qzyGFW1JdQUEWz3IFpX7QVuk1ZX2uovJiAqwD4eTp0xIUXPNLmeTbQ0rFeKd8yYR6DpMLejkWedW9x%2FxL0q62yvlXsOuAKhQLOgPRQ3A%3D%3D

## 4. Client Plugin Provisioning

Repeat these final configuration steps across each device (Desktop, Mobile, or Tablet) you intend to synchronize.

Install Plugin: Ensure the community plugin Self-hosted LiveSync is installed and enabled inside your Obsidian client.
Import Settings: Open the Obsidian Command Palette (Ctrl+P or Cmd+P), choose Self-hosted LiveSync: Use the copied setup URI, and paste your full obsidian://setuplivesync?settings=... string.
Authenticate: Provide the setup-uri text passphrase generated in Section 3 when prompted.
Initialize: Click Yes when prompted to initiate the storage sync configuration sequence. Select Keep them disabled during the initial sync dialogue if you wish to configure sync intervals manually later.
Finalize: Reload the Obsidian application to apply and activate the synchronization backend.

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