Heimdall

Organize application links in a personal start page.

Choose your deployment and the way you want to use Selfhost. The instructions below follow that choice.

Deployment Use Selfhost with

Set up Heimdall

Editable Compose files in your own directory.

Create users or add password protection before exposing the dashboard.
Add application links through Heimdall.

selfhost app --directory ./heimdall init heimdall

Initialization writes portable files and does not start the app. Review compose.yaml, the private .env and any files in files/, then start it:

selfhost app --directory ./heimdall start

No Selfhost dashboard or background service is needed. You can also start these files directly:

cd heimdall
docker compose -f compose.yaml up -d

Connect an existing installation

Use Existing apps → Link an app in the dashboard, or the CLI’s existing-app commands. Choose Heimdall, its URL and, optionally, its exact Docker container on a connected server.

Save existing.json with your app URL. Add server_id and container for container inspection and actions.

{
  "profile": "heimdall",
  "name": "Heimdall",
  "url": "https://app.example.com"
}

selfhost existing link --file existing.json
selfhost existing list
selfhost existing inspect EXISTING_ID

Linking enables the existing-app profile’s supported inspection and actions. It does not import Compose or attach the new-deployment settings and onboarding profiles described below.

Existing app commands, permissions and unlinking

Actions for a linked container

Validate web server configuration

Check the bundled Nginx configuration without reloading the service.

selfhost existing action EXISTING_ID check-web-config

Before configuring integrations

The declared action checks nginx configuration. Container identity and time-zone settings are editable.
This profile does not provision an OIDC account or import dashboard links automatically.

Heimdall integrations

Compose service: heimdall. These operations use the profile saved when this deployment is created.

Configure users and application links in Heimdall. This profile does not bypass its authentication or import another dashboard database.

Native settings

Changes use the app’s Compose environment. Unrelated settings are preserved.

Supported fields (3)

Time zone timezone: string
Container user ID user-id: Changing ownership can take time and affect shared files. string
Container group ID group-id: Use a group permitted to access the mounted configuration. string

Save a JSON map of the field IDs you want to change as changes.json. Replace FIELD_ID with an ID from the supported fields above, and use its declared value type. Review the plan and replace REVIEWED_REVISION with the revision it returns.

{
  "FIELD_ID": "YOUR_VALUE"
}

selfhost app --directory ./heimdall config heimdall
selfhost app --directory ./heimdall plan heimdall changes.json
selfhost app --directory ./heimdall apply heimdall changes.json --revision REVIEWED_REVISION

Saved changes need service recreation to become active. Existing interpolated environment values stay under your control in .env or Compose.

App actions

Validate web server configuration

Check the bundled Nginx configuration without reloading the service.

selfhost app --directory ./heimdall action heimdall check-web-config

App configuration reference

Versions and updates

This deployment uses the following images. Existing projects retain their saved recipe and images. A new catalogue version does not silently update them.

heimdall: lscr.io/linuxserver/heimdall:2.8.3

Review compatibility and back up app data before an update. Choose an image version and review the change.

Keep control of your setup

Selfhost remains optional. Your app runs using ordinary Compose files, its own settings and persistent data. Keep the Compose project name and volumes to preserve storage. Configuration exports and setting backups do not include application data.

Standalone CLI guide · Backups and removal · Heimdall documentation