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sc-cms Guide

Installing sc-cms

A site needs three things: PostgreSQL 18, file storage (a disk or an S3-compatible bucket), and the sc-cms app. The app runs as two processes from the same image: web serves the site and admin, and worker does background work such as image resizing, scheduled publishing, email, and backups. Nothing else is required: no Redis, no search server.

Quick start with Docker

Section titled “Quick start with Docker”

On a server with Docker installed, from a copy of the repository:

Terminal window
export APP_SECRET=$(openssl rand -hex 32)       # keep a copy somewhere safe
export SITE_URL=https://www.example.com
docker compose -f docker/compose.yml up -d --build

This starts PostgreSQL, runs database migrations once, then starts web (port 4321) and worker. Put a reverse proxy or load balancer with HTTPS in front of port 4321.

Then open https://www.example.com/admin. The first visit runs the setup wizard.

Settings you will likely change

Section titled “Settings you will likely change”

Every setting is an environment variable, checked when the app starts. The full annotated list is in .env.example.

Setting What it does
SITE_URL The public address of the site, used for links in emails, sitemaps, and feeds.
APP_SECRET 32 or more random characters. Required.
STORAGE_DRIVER local (a disk folder) or s3 (any S3-compatible bucket). Use s3 if you run more than one web server.
SMTP_URL, MAIL_FROM Outgoing email for invitations and password resets. Without SMTP_URL, emails are only written to the log.
MEDIA_MAX_BYTES Largest upload accepted (default 50 MB).
BACKUP_* Backup schedule, retention, encryption, and where backups are stored. See Backups and recovery.
TRUSTED_PROXY_HOPS How many proxies (CDN, load balancer) sit in front, so rate limits and the activity log see real visitor addresses.
OIDC_* Single sign-on. See Single sign-on.
TURNSTILE_SITE_KEY, TURNSTILE_SECRET_KEY Turns on a bot check (Cloudflare Turnstile) for member sign-up and contact forms. Get both keys free under Turnstile in the Cloudflare dashboard.
ANTHROPIC_API_KEY Turns on AI assistance.
APP_ENV=staging Marks a copy of production that must never email anyone or contact outside services.

Other hosting options

Section titled “Other hosting options”