Synology NAS Setup

There are two ways to run pellicle-watcher on a Synology NAS: as a native Synology package (recommended) or as a Docker container. The native package uses the kernel's inotify directly, which is more reliable than Docker bind mounts for detecting file changes.

Option A: Native Synology Package (Recommended)

Install the Package

1. Download the SPK file for your NAS architecture from the Downloads section — most modern Synology models use x86_64.
2. Open Package Center in DSM.
3. Click Manual Install and upload the .spk file.
4. Follow the installation prompts. A secure authentication token is generated automatically.

Set Up the Admin Account

1. After installation, click Open in Package Center. You'll be redirected to the admin panel.
2. Your browser will show a certificate warning (the watcher uses a self-signed certificate). Click Advanced and proceed.
3. Create your admin account by choosing a username and password.
4. Sign in to access the dashboard.

Configure the Watcher

Use the admin panel to add your photo directories and view the authentication token. See Watcher Configuration for details on all available settings.

Grant Folder Access

The package runs as user sc-pellicle-watcher. Grant it read access to your photo folders:

1. Go to Control Panel > Shared Folder.
2. Select your photo folder and click Edit > Permissions.
3. Find sc-pellicle-watcher (may be listed under System internal user).
4. Grant Read-only access.

Restart

Restart the package from Package Center for permission changes to take effect.

Now continue with Connecting Pellicle.

Option B: Docker Container

If you prefer Docker, use Synology's Container Manager app (DSM 7.2 or later). Before starting, create a config.yml file following the Watcher Configuration reference.

Upload the Configuration

1. Open File Station.
2. Navigate to the docker shared folder (or create one if it doesn't exist).
3. Create a new folder called pellicle-watcher.
4. Inside it, create a folder called config.
5. Upload your config.yml file into the config folder.

Create the Project

1. Open Container Manager from the DSM main menu.
2. Go to the Project tab and click Create.
3. Enter a project name (e.g. pellicle-watcher).
4. Set the path to the folder you created (e.g. /volume1/docker/pellicle-watcher).
5. Select Create docker-compose.yml and paste the following into the editor:

services:
  pellicle-watcher:
    image: robotmay/pellicle-watcher:latest
    network_mode: host
    restart: unless-stopped
    volumes:
      - /volume1/Photography:/data/Photography:ro
      - ./config:/etc/pellicle-watcher

6. Click Next, review the settings, then click Done to create and start the container.

Verify it's Running

In Container Manager, go to the Project tab. Your project should show a green status indicator. Click on it to view the container logs and confirm the watcher is listening on the configured port.

Now continue with Connecting Pellicle.