We have a pretty unusual and specific requirement - we need to setup NextCloud to work on a local network only, without an active internet connection, and for that local network to not always necessarily be the same. The physical server it runs on would be a small computer (probably a mac mini) connected to a wireless router, with a handful of clients (3-5 at a time usually, with a total user base of maybe 10-15 users) connecting over both wired and wireless connections to that router. So it would be a physically portable and mobile setup, which is the key point - this would then be set up in different situations as needed, to provide a temporary local cloud storage and collaboration system that does not depend on an internet connection in order to function. When in use on production days, the system will not be able to have an internet connection at all (we’d be in remote locations without even any mobile signal), although on off-days we’d be able to set it up in the office so it can receive updates etc. If possible it would be nice to allow users to still connect “remotely” when it does have an internet connection, however this is less important than simply having a reliable local system - it’s also likely that every time it gets an internet connection, it will be from a different provider in a different location with a different IP!
Due to the portable and ad hoc nature of this setup, it is also likely that the router or network it is connected to will change at times, so we would need to be able to easily re-configure NC as needed
I’ve had a scan over the documentation and I can see that it is possible to run NC on a local network, however I still see references to domains pointing at the network, certificates, etc which makes it seem like our planned usage won’t be possible - can anyone advise?
This is possible but you will need to do a manual install and configuration. You cannot use the AIO or the VM. Also, you will need to use self signed SSL certificates. Its actually a pretty easy setup.
You can use a WAMP (Windows, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) stack, which would be a pure windows setup.
Or you could use WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), which is technically Linux, on top of windows. (I use this for development and testing).
Or you could use something like VirtualBox, which is a virtual machine host, which runs Linux as a guest OS. So I have to amend my first response, about virtual machines, you can use it, just has to be a custom setup.
The first two options are the more advanced to setup.
@Statick if your target system is Mac. They probably have install packages for MySQL or Posgres, or you could use SQLlite (if its a small install), Apache or Nginx for the webserver, and PHP. But yes a VM is the easiest.
FYI, I believe the VM on NC download page forces you to have a public domain, so you will need to modify the setup.
Hi, could you please explain this more detailed? I am new to nextcloud, linux and this whole thing. I tried to setup similar setup but with raspberry pi.
Here is my setup
raspberry pi 5 with lates raspberry OS lite (debian bookworm)
raspAP to make my raspberry pi as access point
docker
portainer for docker gui
i already install nextcloud in docker, there is an app template for it, its not the pi version nor the AIO one. I installed the original one. It worked and it is still in fresh install state. I can access it inside my local network.
Issue: when i disconnect my raspberry pi from my local network ( so, now my raspberry pi is not connected to internet at all) , and then, i connect my other device to my Pi via Access Point >> i cant access my nextcloud anymore.
After searching through documentation and forums, i found this one that have similar end goal to me. Please help me and i hope i didnt bother you with this request. Im still pretty new to this, and im willing to learn, but sometimes there are some “dead ends” and i need hint or guide to progress.