Google Drive, Dropbox, and iCloud make saving files easy, but have you ever thought about who actually owns your data? If the internet goes down, those files become inaccessible. Today, we are going to explore Phylm, a free and open-source alternative that allows you to host your own cloud storage. It is designed to work perfectly even without an internet connection, putting you in complete control.
To begin this project, we need to prepare our storage environment using TrueNAS. The first step is to create a specific location, known as a dataset, where all your files will live. I generally keep my configuration datasets inside my main pool, so you should navigate to your pool and look for the option to add a dataset in the top right corner. You should name this new dataset “film” to keep things organized. For the dataset preset, leave it as generic and click save. If a warning message pops up, simply return to the full list. Now, we must secure this folder so only the right people can access it. Scroll to the permissions box at the bottom right and click the edit button. You need to change the group to “apps” and ensure the “apply group” checkbox is marked. It is crucial to give this group full permissions by checking all three boxes on the group line. To maintain high security, uncheck the boxes for “other” users so strangers cannot access your files, and then click save.
Next, we will deploy the software using a tool called Dockage. If you have never used Dockage before, it is essentially a manager for your software containers. In the top left corner of the Dockage interface, click the “plus compose” button to start a new stack. You should name this stack “film” to match your dataset. On the right side of the screen, you will see some placeholder text which you must delete. You will need to replace this with the specific configuration code, often called a YAML file. You can find this code on the project’s wiki page by searching for “film” and locating the deployment section. Copy the entire block of code and paste it into Dockage. Before you launch it, check the volume section in the code. If you saved your dataset in a different location than the example, you must update the volume path to match your specific system. Once the code looks correct, click deploy to start the server.
After the container is running, you can access the server by clicking the port number, usually 2448, which appears as a small pill-shaped button. This will open the login page, but you will notice a small problem immediately. Phylm does not currently allow you to create a new user directly from this web page; it asks for an email and password that do not exist yet. To fix this, we have to act like a system administrator and use the command line. You need to go back to your TrueNAS system and open the shell. First, switch to the root user by typing “sudo su” and entering your password. You will know it worked when the symbol at the end of the line changes to a hashtag.
Now that you have root access, you need to send a command directly into the software container to create your account. You will copy the specific command line from the wiki, which usually looks like “film admin user create” followed by a test email address. You can change the “admin.test” email to your actual email address if you prefer. Paste this command into your shell and press enter. The system will then prompt you to enter your full name and create a password. Once you type these in and hit enter, the account is created instantly. You can now return to the Phylm web page and log in using the credentials you just created.
Once you are inside the dashboard, you can start organizing your digital life. By clicking the “New” button in the top left, you can upload files or create new folders. For instance, you might want to create a folder named “Screenshots” and organize your images there. You can drag and drop files directly into these folders. The interface also allows you to bookmark important files by right-clicking them, which adds them to a quick-access sidebar. You can also generate public links to share files with friends, complete with password protection and expiration dates, just like the big cloud companies offering paid services.
However, you should be aware that Phylm is still in development, so you might encounter some digital quirks or bugs. For example, if you delete a file that you have previously bookmarked, it might still appear in your bookmarks list even after it has been moved to the trash or deleted forever. Additionally, uploading entire folders at once might not work as expected right now; you may need to create the folder first and then upload the files inside it. These are minor issues typical of new open-source software, and they are often fixed in future updates.
Building your own cloud storage with Phylm is a fantastic way to learn about servers, permissions, and how data management actually works behind the scenes. While the software has a few small bugs regarding bookmarks and folder uploads, the ability to control your own data without relying on big corporations is a valuable skill. I highly recommend you try installing this on your home server to see how it feels to be your own cloud provider. If you encounter bugs, remember to report them to help the developers improve the tool.