Synology NAS Setup

Host PostgreSQL on your Synology NAS for a powerful, self-hosted database that you can access from anywhere.

What You'll Get

  • ✓ PostgreSQL database on your NAS
  • ✓ Access from any computer via Tailscale
  • ✓ Full control over your data
  • ✓ Automatic backups with Synology tools

Prerequisites

  • Synology NAS (DS218+, DS220+, DS920+, etc.)
  • Docker package installed from Package Center
  • SSH access enabled (Control Panel → Terminal & SNMP)
  • Basic familiarity with command line

Step 1: Create Folder Structure

  1. Open File Station on your Synology
  2. Navigate to the docker shared folder
  3. Create a new folder: blackbook
  4. Inside it, create: db-data

# Final structure:

/volume1/docker/blackbook/

└── db-data/

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

SSH into your Synology and create the compose file:

# SSH to your NAS

ssh your-user@your-nas-ip

# Navigate to folder

cd /volume1/docker/blackbook

# Create compose file

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this content:

version: '3.8'

services:
  postgres:
    image: postgres:15
    container_name: blackbook-db
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: blackbook
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: your_secure_password_here
      POSTGRES_DB: blackbook
    ports:
      - "5432:5432"
    volumes:
      - ./db-data:/var/lib/postgresql/data
    healthcheck:
      test: ["CMD-SHELL", "pg_isready -U blackbook"]
      interval: 10s
      timeout: 5s
      retries: 5

⚠️ Important: Change your_secure_password_here to a strong password!

Step 3: Start the Database

# Start the container

sudo docker-compose up -d

# Check it's running

sudo docker ps

# View logs

sudo docker logs blackbook-db

You should see the container running and "database system is ready to accept connections" in the logs.

Step 4: Configure BlackBook

In the BlackBook setup wizard, select "Self-Hosted Server" and enter:

Host: your-nas-ip (or Tailscale hostname)

Port: 5432

Database: blackbook

Username: blackbook

Password: your_secure_password_here

SSL: Off (unless you configured SSL)

Step 5: Enable Remote Access

To access your database from outside your home network, use Tailscale:

  1. Install Tailscale on your Synology (Package Center or manually)
  2. Install Tailscale on your computer
  3. Sign in with the same account on both
  4. Use the Tailscale hostname instead of IP address

See Tailscale Setup Guide for detailed instructions.

Backup

Your PostgreSQL data is stored in /volume1/docker/blackbook/db-data. Include this in your Synology backup tasks (Hyper Backup).

For database-level backups:

# Create a backup

sudo docker exec blackbook-db pg_dump -U blackbook blackbook > backup.sql

# Restore from backup

sudo docker exec -i blackbook-db psql -U blackbook blackbook < backup.sql

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

sudo docker logs blackbook-db

Check logs for permission or port conflicts.

Can't connect from BlackBook

  • Verify the container is running: sudo docker ps
  • Check firewall allows port 5432
  • Try connecting with IP instead of hostname
  • Verify password is correct

Port 5432 already in use

Change the port in docker-compose.yml:

ports:

- "5433:5432" # Use 5433 externally

🔐 Tailscale VPN

Secure remote access setup

🗄️ Database Options

Compare all database options