Getting started
Introduction
What Inkspace is, how it is put together, and where to go next.
Inkspace is a cozy, self-hosted writing space for a group of friends. Members write stories, read each other’s work on paper-textured pages, leave comments and reviews, and keep up with what’s new — on a server that you run and data that you own.
It is deliberately small: no public sign-up, no ads, no engagement algorithm. One person hosts it, invites their circle, and everyone gets a quiet corner of the web.
How it fits together
Inkspace ships as a single Docker image, ghcr.io/ak4duy/inkspace, that runs next to
the official postgres:16-alpine image.
| Piece | What it does |
|---|---|
| App container | Next.js 16 server on port 6767. Syncs the database schema on every start. |
| PostgreSQL 16 | Stores members, stories, comments, ratings, notifications and settings. |
| Uploads volume | Holds avatars, story covers, story images and comment images. |
| Your reverse proxy | Optional, but recommended: HTTPS in front of the app for internet installs. |
What members get
- Writing — a Markdown editor with continuous or paged stories, image and cover uploads, autosave, tags, excerpts, story status and a signature author font.
- Reading — dark, sepia and light paper themes, seven reader fonts, and controls for font size, line height and content width.
- Community — threaded comments with images, likes, half-star ratings and reviews, bookmarks, notifications and a Browse page with curated shelves.
- Privacy — private, friends-only, unlisted and public stories, plus per-member profile and activity settings.
- Ownership — full JSON export, story import, session management and account deletion.
- Personality — four app themes, custom CSS themes, and an English or Vietnamese interface.