TrueNAS Apps: TutorialsApplication maintenance is independent from TrueNAS version release cycles.
App versions, features, options, and installation behavior at time of access might vary from documented tutorials and UI reference.
Community Apps
16 minute read.
Documentation for applications within the Community train is created and maintained by members of the TrueNAS community. The TrueNAS Documentation Hub hosts but does not validate or maintain articles within this section.
Community contributions are highly encouraged! Please see Contributing to TrueNAS Application Documentation to learn how you can assist.
We welcome community contributions to keep this documentation current! Click Edit Page in the top right corner to propose changes to this article. See Updating Content for more information.
The TrueNAS community creates and maintains numerous applications intended to expand system functionality far beyond what is typically expected from a NAS.
By default, the TrueNAS application catalog includes the stable train. To see community-maintained applications on the Discover screen, you must add the train.
To view the community apps, from the Installed application screen, click Settings and then Train Settings. Select the community checkbox on the Train Settings screen and click Save. Go to the Discover screen and click Refresh Catalog, to the right of the search field.
For more information on adding to or changing the train for the apps catalog, see Managing App Trains.
Below, you’ll find additional details about TrueNAS apps administration, including best practices and in-depth insights.
Applications are provided “as-is” and can introduce system stability or security issues when installed.
Some applications deploy as the root user for initial configuration before changing to operate as a non-root user. Make sure the application is required for your specific use requirements and does not violate your security policies before installation.
The tutorials in this section are for commonly used community-maintained applications. Some apps in this section replace deprecated services or functionality previously built into TrueNAS.
The installation wizard configuration sections vary by application, with some including more configuration areas than others. Click Install to review settings ahead of time to check for required settings. Click Discover on the breadcrumb at the top of the installation wizard to exit the screen without saving and until you are ready return and configure the app settings.
All apps in the stable train, some community train apps, and all apps in the enterprise train generally include these basic setting sections:
Application Name shows the default name for the application.
If deploying more than one instance of the application, you must change the default name.
Do not change the Version number for official apps or those included in a TrueNAS catalog. When a new version becomes available, the Installed application screen shows an update alert, and the Application Info widget shows an Update button. Updating the app changes the version to the currently available release.
Application Configuration shows required and optional settings for the app. Typical settings include user credentials, environment variables, additional argument settings, the name of the node, or even sizing parameters.
User and Group Configuration shows the user and group ID for the default user assigned to the app. If not using a default user and group provided, add a new user to manage the application before using the installation wizard, then enter the UID in both the user and group fields. This section is not always included in app installation wizards.
Network Configuration shows network settings the app needs to communicate with TrueNAS and the Internet. Settings include the default port assignment, host name, IP addresses, and other network settings.
If changing the port number to something other than the default setting, refer to Default Ports for a list of used and available port numbers.
Some network configuration settings include the option to add a certificate. Create the certificate authority and certificate before using the installation wizard if using a certificate is required for the application.
Storage Configuration shows options to configure storage for the application. Storage configuration can include the primary data mount volume, a configuration volume, postgres volumes, and an option to add additional storage volumes. The primary mount volumes have two options:
- ixVolume creates a storage volume inside the hidden ix-apps dataset. This is the default setting.
- Host Path allows you to select an existing dataset created for the application. It shows additional fields for selecting the path to the dataset and adding the mount point.
ixVolumes are not recommended for permanent storage volumes, they are intended for rapid storage for a test deployment of the container. We recommend adding datasets and configuring the container storage volumes with the host path option.
Host paths add existing dataset(s) as the storage volumes. You must configure the datasets before beginning the app installation using the wizard.
The ix-apps dataset is for internal use only.
TrueNAS systems with applications deployed that upgrade from earlier releases to 24.10 continue to see the ix-Applications dataset on the pool chosen for applications to use. New installs or systems upgrading where applications are not deployed and a pool is not chosen for apps use the hidden ix-apps dataset. Choosing the pool for apps to use, creates this dataset to store all container-related data. To expose storage volumes found in the ix-applications dataset, take a recursive snapshot.
Some applications require specific storage volumes for configuration and other data. Apps with these requirements might indicate this in the wizard UI but refer to tutorials for specifics. After configuring required storage volumes you can add storage volumes. To configure additional storage volumes for the application, click Add to select the type of storage to configure. The three storage options are:
- ixVolume
- Host path
- SMB share
An SMB share option allows you to mount an SMB share as a Docker volume for the application to use. If the application requires specific datasets or you want to allow SMB share access, configure the dataset(s) and SMB share before using the installation wizard.
ixVolumes do not require setting up an Access Control List (ACL) and Access Control Entry (ACE) in the app configuration settings, but host paths do. After entering the path inside the container in Mount Path, select Enable ACL. Browse to or enter the path to the dataset in Host Path. Click Add next to ACL Entries to display a set of ACE fields. Use ID Type to select whether the ACE is for a user or a group. Enter the UID or GID in ID and adjust the permissions level in Access.
Refer to the app Run As Context on the app details screen for default ID requirements. A user or group ID does not need to exist locally on TrueNAS or match the name configured in the container to grant an ACE. Failing to configure host path ACLs prevents the app from deploying!
Select Force Flag to allow TrueNAS to update the application to the next version. This allows TrueNAS to write ACL entries to the storage volume if it has existing data in it. Force Flag is required to edit or update an existing application.
Resources Configuration shows CPU and memory settings for the container pod. In most cases, you can accept the default settings, or you can change these settings to limit the system resources available to the application.
Some apps include GPU settings if the app allows or requires GPU passthrough.
After installing an app, you can modify most settings by selecting the app on the Installed applications screen and then clicking the Edit button on the Application Info widget for that app.
For more detailed information on application install wizard settings, see each of the tutorials provided in this section.