Laverna: Remote Storage / User Guide

[FaPrivatliv]

Hello,

I'm new to Laverna and want to migrate everything from Evernote to the app. I started the process about a week ago but my laptop was hacked and I had to reset the OS (Windows 10). I lost the data that contained the notes because I wasn't aware I had to back it up a particular way. I want to use a remote server that isn't Dropbox (or any other US service).

How do I do that and what exactly should I back up? And, is there a user guide online for this app?

Thank you.

[3lpsy]

It's sort of involved. RemoteStorage is a web protcol. So if you want to deploy a RemoteStorage server you need to find an implementation of the Protocol. While there may be third party services which help you set up a RemoteStorage server, the most direct way is to set up the server yourself. I'll outline the steps to do so as I don't know how technical you are.

Get A Server

You will need to rent a server. You could use Digital Ocean (less technical) or AWS (more technical). There are many other options, but these are pretty common. These services may also have RemoteStorage templates so check to see if those exists. If you can't find a template, just use Ubuntu 16.04.

Set up the Server

Search github for a RemoteStorage server implementation. There are many implementations. The two I know of are written in nodejs and php. So you would then follow their instructions to install the server. You will need to:

• install the server (apache2/nginx)
• install dependencies (for example, install node and npm)
• pull in the server code (with git or direct download)
• install the implementation dependencies (for example 'npm install' or 'composer install')
• create a user (the code may have scripts that you can run to help you do this so check their guide, make sure to delete default users if they exist)
• configure the server (nginx or apache, check guide or google)

Buy a Domain Name (to set up https)

You will need a domain name if you want to set up HTTPS. You can get a Domain name through Digital Ocean (I think), otherwise you can use NameCheap. You then point your domain to your server. To set up https, you can use letsencrypt/certbot.

Set up sync in Laverna

Choose Remote Storage and log in using the user you created on your server. Your username will be USER_YOU_CREATE@YOUR_DOMAIN.TLD

And that's it.

I have two additional notes.

First, I've had trouble using remoteStorage and encryption over multiple machines simultaneously. If just using one machine, it will be fine. Otherwise you may not be able to use encryption as additional machines have difficulty decrypting the notes (I think it has to do with the salt); however, that's just my personal experience and may have been because I was using Laverna on both MacOS and Linux.

Second, if setting up your own server, you need to accept the risk of managing and securing it. If you don't know what you're doing but take the time to use best practices (this includes securing ssh, setting up a firewall either on the server or through DO/AWS, configuring the Apache/Nginx Server, managing file permissions), you'll probably be fine, but you never know. However, your notes will be encrypted on the server (I believe), so take that into account when you consider the possibility of a breach.

Anyways, that's it. Good Luck!

[FaPrivatliv]

Hi,

Thanks for your response. I have a few VPSes where I can install this. It seems to require a lot of memory resources, however. Would I be able to install this on a VPS that has a maximum of 2GB of memory and still be able to use the for anything else?

Dahna

From: "Jim" [e-mail]
To: "Laverna/laverna" [e-mail]
Cc: "FaPrivatliv" [e-mail], "Author" [e-mail]
Sent: Thursday, March 2, 2017 1:34:45 PM
Subject: Re: [Laverna/laverna] Remote Storage / User Guide (#708)

It's sort of involved. RemoteStorage is a web protcol . So if you want to deploy a RemoteStorage server you need to find an implementation of the Protocol. While there are third party services which help you set up a RemoteStorage server, the most direct way is to set up the server yourself. I'll outline the steps to do so as I don't know how technical you are. Get A Server

You will need to rent a server. You could use Digital Ocean (less technical) or AWS (more technical). There are many other options, but these are pretty common. These services may also have RemoteStorage templates so check to see if those exists. If you can't find a template, just use Ubuntu 16.04. Set up the Server

Search github for a RemoteStorage server implementation. There are many implementations. The two I know of are written in nodejs and php. So you would then follow their instructions to install the server. You will need to:

* install the server dependencies (for example, install node and npm) 
* pull in the server code (with git or direct download) 
* install the application dependencies (for example 'npm install') 
* probably create a user (the code may have scripts that you can run to help you do this so check their guide, make sure to delete default users if they exist) 
* configure the server (nginx or apache, check guide or google)

Buy a Domain Name (to set up https)

You will need a domain name if you want to set up HTTPS. You can get a Domain name through Digital Ocean (I think), otherwise you can use NameCheap. You then point your domain to your server. To set up https, you can use letsencrypt/certbot. Set up sync in Laverna

Choose Remote Storage and log in using the user you created on your server.

And that's it.

I have two additional notes.

First, I've had trouble using remoteStorage and encryption over multiple machines simultaneously. If just using one machine, it will be fine. Otherwise you may not be able to use encryption as additional machines have difficulty decrypting the notes (I think it has to do with the salt); however, that's just my personal experience and may have been because I was using Laverna on both MacOS and Linux.

Second, if setting up your own server, you need to accept the risk of managing and securing it. If you don't know what you're doing but take the time to use best practices (this includes securing ssh, setting up a firewall either on the server or through DO/AWS, configuring the Apache/Nginx Server, managing file permissions), you'll probably be fine, but you never know. However, your notes will be encrypted on the server (I believe), so take that into account when you consider the possibility of a breach.

Anyways, that's it. Good Luck!

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