How to Install Blinko on Debian 13 Using Docker

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Blinko is an open-source, self-hosted personal AI note tool prioritizing privacy, built using TypeScript. It offers AI-powered note retrieval using RAG (Retrieval-Augmented Generation), full Markdown support, and a modern web interface.

This guide explains how to install Blinko on Debian 13 using Docker and Docker Compose.

Prerequisites

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• Debian 13 (Trixie) VPS or Dedicated Server
• Root access or sudo privileges
• Minimum 2 GB RAM recommended
• Open port 1111/tcp

Step 1: Update the System

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Update and upgrade all system packages.

apt update && apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

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Install required packages for Docker.

apt install -y ca-certificates curl gnupg

Create the Docker keyrings directory.

install -m 0755 -d /etc/apt/keyrings

Add Docker's official GPG key.

curl -fsSL https://download.docker.com/linux/debian/gpg -o /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc
chmod a+r /etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc

Step 3: Add Docker Repository

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Add the Docker repository using Debian 12 (Bookworm) packages, which are fully compatible with Debian 13.

echo "deb [arch=$(dpkg --print-architecture) signed-by=/etc/apt/keyrings/docker.asc] https://download.docker.com/linux/debian bookworm stable" | tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/docker.list > /dev/null

Update the package index.

apt update

Step 4: Install Docker and Docker Compose Plugin

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Install Docker Engine and Docker Compose plugin.

apt install -y docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Verify installation.

docker --version
docker compose version

Output:

Docker version 29.5.3, build d1c06ef
Docker Compose version v5.1.4

Step 5: Create Blinko Directory

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Create a directory for Blinko.

mkdir ~/blinko
cd ~/blinko

Generate a Secure NEXTAUTH_SECRET

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Generate a strong random secret using.

openssl rand -base64 32

Use the generated value for NEXTAUTH_SECRET in the docker-compose.yml file.

Step 6: Create Docker Compose File

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Create the docker-compose.yml file.

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the following content.

networks:
  blinko-network:
    driver: bridge

services:
  blinko-website:
    image: blinkospace/blinko:latest
    container_name: blinko-website
    environment:
      NODE_ENV: production
      NEXTAUTH_SECRET: my_ultra_secure_nextauth_secret
      DATABASE_URL: postgresql://postgres:mysecretpassword@blinko-postgres:5432/postgres
    depends_on:
      postgres:
        condition: service_healthy
    volumes:
      - ~/blinko/.blinko:/app/.blinko
    restart: always
    logging:
      options:
        max-size: "10m"
        max-file: "3"
    ports:
      - 1111:1111
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "curl", "-f", "http://localhost:1111/"]
      interval: 30s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
      start_period: 30s
    networks:
      - blinko-network

  postgres:
    image: postgres:14
    container_name: blinko-postgres
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_DB: postgres
      POSTGRES_USER: postgres
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: mysecretpassword
    volumes:
      - ~/blinko/.db:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD", "pg_isready", "-U", "postgres", "-d", "postgres"]
      interval: 5s
      timeout: 10s
      retries: 5
    networks:
      - blinko-network

Replace mysecretpassword and my_ultra_secure_nextauth_secret with your own strong values.

Save and exit the editor.

Step 7: Create Required Directories

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Create data directories for Blinko and PostgreSQL.

mkdir -p ~/blinko/.blinko
mkdir -p ~/blinko/.db

Step 8: Start Blinko Containers

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Start Blinko services in detached mode.

docker compose up -d

Check running containers.

docker ps

You should see blinko-website and blinko-postgres containers running.

Step 9: Access Blinko Web Interface

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Open your browser and visit:

http://Your-server-IPaddress:1111

You should now see the Blinko setup page. Create the admin account to complete installation.

Step 10: Enable Auto-Start on Reboot (Optional)

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Edit the root crontab.

crontab -e

Add the following line.

@reboot cd /root/blinko && docker compose up -d

Save and exit.

Updating Blinko

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To update Blinko to the latest version.

cd ~/blinko
docker compose pull
docker compose up -d

Notes

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• Use a reverse proxy (Nginx, Caddy, or Traefik) with HTTPS for production environments
• Docker's official repo does not yet have a native Trixie release; Bookworm packages are used instead and are fully compatible
• Change NEXTAUTH_SECRET and POSTGRES_PASSWORD to strong unique values before going live
• Regularly back up the .blinko and .db directories

Conclusion

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You have successfully installed Blinko on Debian 13 using Docker.

Access Blinko at:

http://Your-server-IPaddress:1111

Enjoy your self-hosted AI-powered note-taking solution