We have redeveloped the entire app store and application management in the CasaOS v0.4.4 Alpha version, adopted a new app store based on Git repositories, and brought native Docker feature support based on the application format based on docker compose, which made it easier for developers and users.

One of our community members, Ali.Sa, is here to share his experience and insights on using CasaOS v0.4.4 Alpha, the latest version, along with his favorite apps.

CasaOS: Simplifying Docker for Seamless User Experience

Ali.Sa has adopted CasaOS as an indispensable tool across his home lab, servers, and virtual machines. The power of CasaOS lies in its sleek, user-friendly GUI that effortlessly simplifies Docker for all user levels. From a built-in file manager and system statistics to a Docker management system, CasaOS monitors container resources effectively, making it easier to handle any lurking zombie containers.

Ali.Sa ‘s CasaOS DashBoard

When configuring a system with Docker containerization, Ali.Sa prioritizes the installation and setup of CasaOS. Three apps he typically deploys, irrespective of the environment, include "Node Exporter" for extracting OS metrics, "Prometheus" for data gathering, and "Grafana" for data visualization. These three containers, with the aid of CasaOS, can be up and running in under five minutes, thereby setting up a customizable monitoring system complete with alerts.

In Ali.Sa's home lab, he applies a combination of "Pi-hole exporter", "ESXi exporter", and "Mikrotik exporter". These tools collectively facilitate extraction and monitoring of metrics, allowing them to surpass their native capabilities. The combined use of these apps is highly recommended for users interested in in-depth metric tracking and monitoring.

"BookStack" serves as a noteworthy tool for Ali.Sa. It acts as his personal wiki and knowledge management system. With the use of CasaOS V0.4.4 Alpha, the installation of BookStack and similar containers becomes an easy task. The application supports Docker Compose, even for multi-container stacks, simplifying the process for users and enhancing their overall experience.

For astronomy enthusiasts, "Stellarium" comes highly recommended. As part of Ali.Sa's suite of applications, Stellarium allows him to identify celestial bodies, such as stars and planets, by simply pointing his device at the sky. This information is subsequently recorded in a container named 'daily notes', creating a fascinating log of the celestial bodies observed on specific days.

"Microbin" is an app that Ali.Sa finds invaluable for note-taking. It offers a simple GUI that enables users to take notes, access them from anywhere, and delete them with ease. The deployment and installation of Microbin are streamlined by CasaOS, making it an ideal tool for those in need of an efficient and flexible note-taking solution.

For users who prefer self-hosted alternatives to browser bookmarks, Ali.Sa suggests "Neonlink". It serves as a comprehensive solution for managing and organizing bookmarks, ensuring easy access to saved content.

Film lovers would appreciate Ali.Sa's recommendation of "Flox". As a movie and series watchlist with a built-in rating system, it lets users share their thoughts with friends after watching a film. The functionality of Flox makes it an appealing app for those who enjoy sharing and discussing their cinematic experiences.

Lastly, "Nginx Proxy Manager" (NPM) proves to be a versatile tool in Ali.Sa's arsenal. With a clean GUI, NPM manages domains, SSL certificates, and even issues free certificates. NPM is used in almost all of Ali.Sa's CasaOS setups to access apps and containers locally and remotely via his domain address, eliminating the need to remember individual IPs and ports. With CasaOS, users can add NPM along with other containers on a single Docker network, enhancing the overall security and accessibility of their setups.

Ali.Sa said " thanks to CasaOS and its developers, users like him are able to simplify the process of building, deploying, and managing tools that typically require Linux expertise. This makes CasaOS a highly recommended platform for both new and experienced users alike.

Overcoming Challenges with CasaOS

Ali.Sa's journey with CasaOS was not without challenges. One such issue involved creating a Docker network for attaching his containers. He addressed this by using Portainer to create a custom Docker network, and then used CasaOS to attach his containers to this network or install a new container with the custom Docker network as its default. It is important to note that using Portainer later on to make changes to the app settings through CasaOS (if it was originally used for app/container installation) would result in reverting the network settings back to the Docker bridge.

Another issue was the mismatch between the names CasaOS used for its dashboard and the actual container names. This was particularly problematic when two containers on the same network needed to communicate privately. Ali.Sa resolved this issue by using Portainer to verify the actual container names or executing commands via the command-line interface (CLI).

Conclusion

Despite some hurdles, tools like Portainer and the CLI, enabled Ali.Sa to navigate challenges and make the most of CasaOS. His experience underlines the significance of CasaOS in simplifying the process of building, deploying, and managing apps that would typically require Linux expertise. Ali.Sa's journey offers valuable insights and inspiration for both seasoned developers and beginners exploring CasaOS.

Let's try and enjoy in CasaOSv0.4.4 Alpha Now!

Hey Users！CasaOS v0.4.4 Alpha Released now!

CasaOS - A simple, easy-to-use, elegant open-source Personal Cloud system, Community-based open source software focused on delivering simple home cloud experience around Docker ecosystem. The people involved are CasaOS users. That means CasaOS will always need contributions from community members just like you!

In order to continue to uphold the open source spirit of CasaOS, we have redeveloped the entire app store and application management in the CasaOS v0.4.4 version, adopted a new app store based on Git repositories, and brought native Docker feature support based on the application format based on docker compose, which made it easier for developers to launch the process and customize the features of the app store, and encouraged more developers to participate in the construction of CasaOS.

New App Store Features for CasaOS v0.4.4

Upgrade the old API-based app store to the new app store based directly on the Git repository

• App submission process = Git PR process
• Git syncs to local, eliminating the need for network connection when loading the app store, and improving the stability of app store loading.
• Enabling the deployment of third-party app stores significantly improves the fulfillment of user-specific needs.

• Application format based on docker compose

  • Standardized the application import and export format in the store, significantly simplifying the developers to customize and launch applications.
  • From the old app store with single English to the new app store with multilingual support, benefiting CasaOS users around the world.
  • Brought the support of native Docker features, such as: access to GPU, multi-container applications, etc.

  • Existing community standards replace CasaOS’s own appfile format

    • Reduce the barrier of learning to launch applications in the app store
    • Can directly import original docker compose without modification （No need Icon and description)

CasaOS v0.4.4 New Features

Added

• App store fully upgraded

  • Store configuration synchronized to local
  • Opened third-party store interface
  • Added multilingual support
  • Added author type filter to app store
• Migrated from Docker-cli to Docker-compose completely
• Changed the synchronization method between front-end and back-end to socketIO, and used socketIO communication throughout the application lifecycle
• Added tips feature to the application

Fixed

• Changed several styles
• Fixed sorting and other issues
• Fixed the path confusion problem when downloading multiple files
• The check and update function no longer pulls the online version, making it faster
• The font of the log, console and other pages is adjusted to be consistent with the native console
• Merged the "exited App" panel to the application list

Removed

• Removed clone function
• Removed settings, update, and clone functions of docker-cli application
• Removed import and export functions of the docker-cli application

Use CasaOS v0.4.4 Alpha version now!

We warmly welcome CasaOS users to participate in the use of v0.4.4 alpha version and experience the possible new applications that will be launched every day. Alpha version experience method:

• Install CasaOS v0.4.4-alpha

  curl -fsSL https://get.casaos.io/v0.4.4-alpha | sudo bash

• Update to CasaOS v0.4.4-alpha from older version

  curl -fsSL https://get.casaos.io/update/v0.4.4-alpha | sudo bash

• Uninstall CasaOS v0.4.4-alpha

  casaos-uninstall

We are very happy that as of now, we have received two APP applications contributed by two developers - Memos and MineOS. Memos is a flash note APP that can help users think at any time and build their own knowledge system. MineOS is a Minecraft server management tool that allows users to easily host Java or Bedrock servers.

Here, CasaOS Team expresses deep gratitude to the two developers - CorrectRoad and Chàra! We look forward to seeing more developers publish their useful applications to CasaOS, and we also look forward to more CasaOS users proposing your application needs to the community.

How to Contribute to CasaOS Community?

• Add Apps to CasaOS App store
• Writing Documentation
• Performing Alpha Testing
• Helping with Translations

CasaOS - A simple, easy-to-use, elegant open-source Personal Cloud system, Community-based open source software focused on delivering simple home cloud experience around Docker ecosystem. The people involved are CasaOS users. That means CasaOS will always need contributions from community members just like you!

In order to continue to uphold the open source spirit of CasaOS, we have redeveloped the entire app store and application management in the CasaOS v0.4.4 version, adopted a new app store based on Git repositories, and brought native Docker feature support based on the application format based on docker compose, which made it easier for developers to launch the process and customize the features of the app store, and encouraged more developers to participate in the construction of CasaOS.

Recently, the new app store of CasaOS v0.4.4 welcomed a new developer, Chàra, to contribute a new APP to the community, called MineOS. We had the opportunity to interview the developer to find out what she thought about open source and how to launch the MineOS app for the CasaOS community.

Introduce Chàra and the thought on Opensource

Chàra is a community developer who loves open source and Minecraft. She recently launched MineOS, a Minecraft server management tool, on the CasaOS Appstore. In this article, she shares her experience and thoughts on open source, introducing MineOS, and the expectations for CasaOS.

Chàra has been interested in open source since she was a teenager. She believes that open source encourages better code quality and collaboration among developers.

"Open source allows more people to see your code, raise issues with it, or even fix those issues themselves," she says. "It also fosters a sense of community and learning."

However, she also acknowledges the challenges of funding and sustainability in open source projects.

"It is not impossible to get funding out of open source projects, but it is certainly harder than with proprietary code," she says. "Companies will often use open source, but not donate or contribute to the project."

She thinks that open source is headed in a good direction, since Linux seems to have gained popularity since the start of the pandemic, and with more popularity comes more developers for open source space.

About MineOS

MineOS is one of the open source projects that Chàra uses and contributes to. It is a Minecraft server management tool that allows users to host either Java or Bedrock servers with ease.

"I started using MineOS last year to help a friend with his Minecraft server project," she says. "It was simple and convenient to use. You just need to select the server host you want, give it a name, and click start."

She recommend MineOS.Because If you just want to start a Minecraft server quickly without having to go through the trouble of getting the server jars yourself, this is the solution for you.

Launch MineOS to CasaOS APP Store

Try MineOS now from CasaOS Store!

"I think CasaOS is a really cool project, and it can serve as the perfect NAS software for a beginner, or even a small home lab," she says.

She says launching on the CasaOS Appstore was smooth and easy. She followed the contributing guidelines, looked at the docker-compose file references, and based her work off an already existing app's docker-compose.yml file.

"I received good feedback and made the requested changes until it was good to go," she says. "My recommendation to other developers would be to just go for it! You don't really need to have docker experience, or even coding experience, in my opinion."

She said there are two more apps that are 99% finished, those being Crafty, another Minecraft server management tool, and OnlyOffice Document Server, a document server for the OnlyOffice office suite, which allows you to host your own OnlyOffice cloud server, and use it online. Let us stay tuned for it!

Hope for the CasaOS community

Chàra hopes to see more content and community around CasaOS and the ZimaBoard in the future.

"I've recently seen a growing amount of content around CasaOS and the ZimaBoard, which is how I found out about this project," she says. "I'm hoping this also leads to a bigger community, as I think CasaOS is a really cool project."

How to Contribute to CasaOS Community?

We look forward to more developers like Chàra joining us to participate in the construction and contribution of the CasaOS community. Of course, we are grateful to the developers who have been supporting and contributing to the CasaOS community!

• Add Apps to Casa App store
• Writing Documentation
• Performing Alpha Testing
• Helping with Translations

CasaOS - A simple, easy-to-use, elegant open-source Personal Cloud system, Community-based open source software focused on delivering simple home cloud experience around Docker ecosystem. The people involved are CasaOS users. That means CasaOS will always need contributions from community members just like you!

In order to continue to uphold the open source spirit of CasaOS, we have redeveloped the entire app store and application management in the CasaOS v0.4.4 version, adopted a new app store based on Git repositories, and brought native Docker feature support based on the application format based on docker compose, which made it easier for developers to launch the process and customize the features of the app store, and encouraged more developers to participate in the construction of CasaOS.

Recently, the new app store of CasaOS v0.4.4 welcomed a new developer, who contributed a new APP to the community, called Memos. It is our first new App for CasaOS 0.4.4 New Store. We had the opportunity to catch up with the developer to find out what he thinks about open source and how his CasaOS community recommends the Memos app.

Perceptions of open source and developments under AI trends

CorrectRoadH is a full-stack developer who has been exposed to computer security and Linux since middle school and was inspired to focus on privacy issues and open source software. He believes that the greatest value of open source software to users is "privacy" and "not evil".

There are two different types of open source software, he said: community-led open source software and commercial company-led open source software. The former is purer and more in line with the spirit of open source in the , while the latter uses open source more as a software feature or competitive strategy. He said that in the era of AI, open source software will face some new challenges and opportunities. For example, Github's use of open source code libraries as training material may lead to some GPL-covered code being violated. For example, AI can help programmers increase productivity, design and draw more beautiful UI/UX and materials, and even generate code and articles. For example, AI can help programmers understand and maintain complex and large code bases, lowering the barrier to entry into open source projects.

About Memos and how to use

Try Memos now from CasaOS appstore

Memos is a flash note-taking software that helps users record and develop their own thoughts and build their own body of knowledge. Memos is a software based on card note writing. Users can record their thoughts, thoughts, and learnings anytime, anywhere, and link them together to form a network-like knowledge structure. Memos can also be synchronized and linked with other note-taking tools to achieve a complete information flow workflow.

CorrectRoad introduced that he often uses Memos to quickly record his thoughts, such as seeing and seeing some articles he wants to read and retweeting them. Later, when you have time, have more in-depth discussions and notes on other note-taking software, such as Logseq. From this, a workflow for the flow of information is constructed. For example, in the field of security you can record information about certain vulnerabilities: the scope of availability and how to exploit them, consider connecting to other related vulnerabilities in the notes. Try to think this way about whether you can organize into a complete chain of attacks. Record the solutions of some algorithms, linking them to other problems or actual business needs. If you encounter a bug in some programs, connect to a similar bug that you have encountered before. Comparing the difference is not the same question.

CasaOS users can easily install memos on CasaOS, and then install open source applications from the memos community on their phones: IOS, Android and Other Tools。 Try combining your previous related note-taking tools to build a workflow that works for you. to combine your own thinking and knowledge system to help you learn.

How to Launch Memos to CasaOS APP Store

CorrectRoad says he learned about the concept from the website and started using flomo. I learned about Memos at the beginning of this year and started participating in the Memos project as one of the contributors.

CorrectRoad said that he learned from the Memos Issue area that he wanted to support installation on CasaOS, and after learning about CasaOS, he also thought it was an interesting and tasteful project, so he decided to put Memos on CasaOS. The whole listing process was easy and took only 10 minutes. Because memos already have docker images. So it's a convenient experience.

CorrectRoad mentioned that it also encountered problems, such as does Docker write fixed tags or directly late in the CasaOS Appstore? In order to prevent some unstable versions from being given to users, but this is to change in the CasaOS Appstore after each upstream update, and he also mentioned that he would write a script to solve this problem.

Hope for the CasaOS community

CorrectRoad looks forward to some more detailed wikis, guides, and more developers joining to promote the prosperity of the CasaOS community. He will also use CasaOS to manage his next DIY NAS and will put in some of the applications he uses.

How to Contribute to CasaOS Community?

We look forward to more developers like CorrectRoad joining us to participate in the construction and contribution of the CasaOS community. Of course, we are grateful to the developers who have been supporting and contributing to the CasaOS community!

• Add Apps to Casa App store
• Writing Documentation
• Performing Alpha Testing
• Helping with Translations

Added

• [Disk] Now usb also supports getting merged via MergerFS

Changed

• [File] Solve the installation dependency problem, make the installation more smoothly
• [File] Change the default permissions of the sharing folder

Fixed

• [System] Fixed not see wlan iface (#909)
• [System] Terminal font issue fix (#929)
• [File] Fixed the problem of not being able to launch after mounting