Install Dew on a Synology NAS

Install Dew on a Synology NAS as a Container Manager project. When you’re done, Dew is running on port 8843 of your NAS and you can open it in a browser to finish setup.

Dew uses port 8843 because DSM keeps port 443 for itself. Your router forwards public port 443 to it, so people outside your network still use a normal https:// address.

Before you start

• A Synology NAS that can run Container Manager, with an x64 or arm64 processor.
• An administrator account on DSM.
• Port 8843 free on the NAS.
• If people outside your network will use Dew: access to your router, to forward public port 443 to port 8843 on the NAS.

1. Install Container Manager

In DSM, open Package Center, search for Container Manager, and install it. This also creates the docker shared folder.

2. Create Dew’s folder

1. Open File Station and go to the docker shared folder.
2. Create a folder named dew.
3. Open dew and create a folder named data inside it.

The dew folder holds everything Dew stores: its database, its settings and the files people upload.

3. Create the project

1. Open Container Manager and select Project.
2. Click Create.
3. For Project name, enter dew.
4. For Path, choose docker/dew.
5. For Source, choose Create docker-compose.yml, then paste the contents of compose.synology.yaml.
6. Click Next until you reach the summary, then click Done.

Container Manager downloads Dew and starts it, which can take a few minutes. When it’s done, the dew project shows as running.

4. Get the setup code

1. In Container Manager, select Container.
2. Double-click the dew container, then open Log.
3. Look for the line that starts with Setup code:, for example Setup code: ABCD-2345. If you don’t see it yet, wait a moment and refresh the log.

Dew prints the code each time it starts, until the admin account exists.

5. Open Dew in your browser

Go to https://<nas-address>:8843, using your NAS’s IP address on your network.

Your browser warns that the connection isn’t private. This is expected until you set up HTTPS for your domain; continue to the site. Dew opens on Enter your setup code.

Continue with Enter the setup code.

6. Forward port 443 on your router

To let people outside your network use Dew, and to get a free Let’s Encrypt certificate, forward public TCP port 443 on your router to port 8843 on the NAS. Your router’s admin page usually lists this under Port forwarding.

Do this before you set up a domain and HTTPS.

If you’d rather use DSM’s reverse proxy in front of Dew, see Run Dew behind a reverse proxy.

Update Dew

To update Dew to the newest version:

1. In Container Manager, select Registry, search for trinodeaps/dew, then Download the latest tag.
2. Select Project, then the dew project, then Action → Stop.
3. Select Action → Build.

Building the project alone doesn’t download a newer version: it uses the copy already on your NAS.

Back up Dew

Every night at 03:00 UTC, Dew saves a copy of its database in data/database-dumps and keeps the newest seven. That copy is on the same disk, so it isn’t a backup by itself. To back up Dew, stop the dew project in Container Manager, copy the whole docker/dew folder to another disk or location, then start the project again.

If something goes wrong

What you see	What to do
Creating the project fails because data does not exist	Create the data folder inside docker/dew in File Station, then create the project again.
Another container is using this data folder. in the log	Another Dew container uses the same dew folder. Stop the other one, then start this project again.
The browser can’t reach https://<nas-address>:8843	Check that the dew project is running. If the DSM firewall is on, allow port 8843 in Control Panel → Security → Firewall.
The log shows no setup code	Dew may still be starting. Wait a moment and refresh the log.
The browser opens a sign-in page instead of Enter your setup code	The admin account already exists. Sign in with it.