Living Data Service

Modern document management made simple. Deploy in seconds with Docker, upload any file type, and share with secure public links. Features intelligent version control, real-time analytics, and enterprise-grade security.

Perfect for teams, developers, and organizations who need professional document management without the complexity.

Updates: [09-16-2025] Added Keycloak support

🌐 Public Links as CDN

Living Data Service transforms your documents into a personal CDN. Every uploaded file gets a permanent public link that:

• 🔗 Always serves the latest version - Update your file, the link stays the same
• 🚀 Use public links to share - With anyone, anywhere, anytime
• 📱 Direct file access - Links work in browsers, apps, embedding, etc.
• 🔄 Instant updates - Change the distributed version and all links update automatically
• 🛡️ Secure and stable - Links remain active until you disable them

Think of it as your own private file CDN with version control. Perfect for documentation, assets, PDFs, images, AI project artifacts, or any file you need to share with consistent URLs.

Deployment Options

Choose your deployment method based on your needs:

Option 1: Local Development

Perfect for testing and development on your local machine.

git clone https://github.com/ltoscano/living-data-service.git
cd living-data-service
docker-compose up --build -d

Environment Setup (.env file):

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000
SECURE_COOKIES=false
SUPERUSER_NAME=admin
SUPERUSER_PASSWD=admin123
RETENTION_DAYS=30

Access: http://localhost:3000

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Option 2: Local + ngrok (Public Access)

Expose your local instance to the internet for testing or sharing.

1. Start the service locally:

docker-compose up --build -d

2. Install and run ngrok:

# Install ngrok first: https://ngrok.com/download
ngrok http 3000

3. Update your .env with ngrok URL:

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
BASE_URL=https://your-random-id.ngrok.io
SECURE_COOKIES=true
SUPERUSER_NAME=admin
SUPERUSER_PASSWD=your-secure-password
RETENTION_DAYS=30
JWT_SECRET=your-generated-secret-key

4. Restart with new config:

docker-compose down && docker-compose up -d

Access: https://your-random-id.ngrok.io

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Option 3: VPS Deployment

Deploy on any VPS (DigitalOcean, AWS, etc.) with proper domain and SSL.

1. On your VPS, clone and configure:

git clone <your-repo-url>
cd living-data-service

2. Create production .env:

NODE_ENV=production
PORT=3000
BASE_URL=https://yourdomain.com
SECURE_COOKIES=true
SUPERUSER_NAME=admin
SUPERUSER_PASSWD=your-very-secure-password
RETENTION_DAYS=90
CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES=60
JWT_SECRET=your-32-character-secret-key
MAX_FILE_SIZE=100MB
MAX_FILES_PER_USER=500

3. Deploy with Docker:

docker-compose up --build -d

4. Setup reverse proxy (nginx example):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    return 301 https://$server_name$request_uri;
}

server {
    listen 443 ssl;
    server_name yourdomain.com;
    
    ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;
    
    # Allow large file uploads (adjust based on your MAX_FILE_SIZE setting)
    client_max_body_size 100M;
    
    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        
        # Timeout settings for large file uploads
        proxy_read_timeout 300s;
        proxy_send_timeout 300s;
    }
}

Access: https://yourdomain.com

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Option 4: Host Compilation (No Docker)

Run directly on your host system without containers.

1. Install dependencies:

npm install

2. Create .env file:

NODE_ENV=development
PORT=3000
BASE_URL=http://localhost:3000
DB_PATH=./data/documents.db
SECURE_COOKIES=false
SUPERUSER_NAME=admin
SUPERUSER_PASSWD=admin123
RETENTION_DAYS=30

3. Build frontend:

npm run build:frontend

4. Start the service:

npm start

Access: http://localhost:3000

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Environment Variables Reference

Core Settings

Variable	Description	Default	Required
NODE_ENV	Environment mode	development	No
PORT	Server port	3000	No
BASE_URL	Full base URL of your service	http://localhost:3000	Yes
DB_PATH	Database file location	./data/documents.db	No

Security & Authentication

Variable	Description	Default	Required
JWT_SECRET	Secret for session encryption	Auto-generated	Production
SECURE_COOKIES	HTTPS-only cookies	false	HTTPS setups
SUPERUSER_NAME	Default admin username	admin	No
SUPERUSER_PASSWD	Default admin password	admin123	Production

File Management

Variable	Description	Default	Required
RETENTION_DAYS	Days to keep old versions	30	No
CLEANUP_INTERVAL_MINUTES	Cleanup frequency	5	No
MAX_FILE_SIZE	Maximum upload size	50MB	No
MAX_FILES_PER_USER	Files per user limit	100	No

Quick Setup

After deployment, visit your service URL and:

1. Login with admin credentials
2. Click "Add Data" to upload your first file
3. Share the generated public link with anyone
4. Manage versions, users, and availability from "Manage"

What You Get

• Universal File Support: PDFs, images, documents, any file type
• Version Management: Upload new versions, control which one is distributed
• Public Sharing: Permanent links that always serve the current version
• User Management: Multi-user support with admin controls
• Secure Access: Login required for management, public links for sharing
• Modern UI: Clean, responsive interface with elegant modals

How It Works

1. Upload: Any file type through the web interface
2. Generate: Automatic public link creation
3. Share: Give the link to anyone - no login required
4. Update: Upload new versions anytime
5. Control: Toggle availability, manage users, view analytics

Version Management

• Upload new versions of your documents
• Choose which version to distribute publicly
• Public links always serve the currently selected version
• Full version history with individual download options

User Management (Admin Only)

• Create, edit, delete users
• Password management for all users
• Each user sees only their own documents
• Role-based access control

Development & API

Building Frontend Only

npm run build:frontend  # Build React app

Security Features

• Session-based authentication with secure cookies
• Password hashing with bcrypt
• User isolation (each user sees only their documents)
• CSRF protection and input validation
• Configurable retention policies for automatic cleanup

Important Security Notes

Production Checklist

• Change default admin password immediately
• Use strong JWT_SECRET (generate with: openssl rand -hex 32)
• Set SECURE_COOKIES=true for HTTPS deployments
• Configure proper backup strategy for /data folder
• Use reverse proxy (nginx/apache) for SSL termination

Tips

• First Time: Run the migration script if upgrading: npm run migrate
• Backup: The data/ folder contains your database and uploaded files
• Performance: Use a reverse proxy for production deployments
• Security: Change default admin password after first login

Professional Support

Need custom integrations or enterprise features?

Contact @bematic for:

• Keycloak integration
• Custom authentication systems
• Enterprise configurations
• Professional deployment assistance

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Made with care for simple, effective document management.