Category: Web and apps
Managed Nextcloud: your files on your server, fast and with tested backups
Your team's files, calendars and contacts on a server of your own, syncing without bottlenecks, upgraded one version at a time and with a backup we know can be restored.
- Where it runs
- In your account, in your name
- Backups
- With tested restores
- Updates
- Planned and documented
- Licence
- Open source, AGPLv3
In short
Nextcloud is an open source platform for storing, syncing and sharing files, with calendars, contacts and document editing. We install it in your account with PostgreSQL or MariaDB, Redis for caching and file locking, the system cron for background jobs and right-sized storage. We upgrade it one major version at a time and take full backups that we restore in tests.
What do we take care of?
Nextcloud installs in an afternoon, and the problems come later: syncing slows down, the disk fills up with old versions or an upgrade stops halfway with the server stuck in maintenance mode. This is what we keep under control:
Nextcloud
Server, PHP-FPM and configuration tuned to your number of users and files.
Performance
APCu, Redis for caching and locking, and previews generated outside working hours.
Storage
Right-sized disk or object storage, with the trash bin and versions kept in check.
Users
New users, leavers, groups and quotas, or sign-in with your identity provider.
Security
HTTPS, two-factor authentication, correct headers and third-party apps only when needed.
Updates
Patches kept current and major version upgrades one at a time, with a backup first.
How do we set it up?
The official guide is clear about the components of a production installation, and we set them all up from the start:
Database
PostgreSQL or MariaDB instead of SQLite, which is only good for testing.
Caching and locking
APCu for local caching and Redis for distributed caching and file locking, which prevents conflicts when several people work on the same thing.
Background jobs
The system cron runs the Nextcloud jobs every few minutes, without depending on someone opening the website.
Storage
The data on a separate disk or on object storage, never inside the web server’s public folder.
If Redis is also used by other applications, we run it as described in managed Redis and Valkey.
What problems do we come across most often?
- Cron triggered by visits: background jobs only run when someone logs in, and the trash bin and versions are never cleaned up.
- No file locking in Redis: conflicts and locked files when there are several users.
- A badly outdated installation: several major versions behind, unpatched and with a long road to catch up.
- Disk full of versions: every change keeps a version and nobody set a limit.
- Backing up only the files: without the database and the configuration, a restore does not bring back shares or users.
- Abandoned third-party apps: they block the upgrade because they are not compatible with the new version.
How do we handle backups and restores?
A Nextcloud backup has to include three things taken at the same moment: the configuration folder, the database and the data folder. To keep them consistent, we enable maintenance mode while the database is backed up or use disk snapshots when the provider offers them. Everything is sent encrypted to object storage in another location. We regularly restore onto a test server, log in as a user and open shared files; the time it takes goes into the report.
How do we upgrade Nextcloud?
Patch releases are applied as soon as they come out. For major versions, we first check that every installed app has a version compatible with the target release, take a full backup and upgrade from the command line, not from the browser, which can stop halfway if the process takes a while. Afterwards we go through the administration panel, which flags pending database indices, security settings and recommended configuration. If the installation is several versions behind, we take it one step at a time with a backup between each one.
Who is it for?
For a company that wants its team’s files on a server it controls, with a provider and in a location of its choosing. For a technical team that needs to share documents with clients through password-protected links that expire. And for anyone who set up Nextcloud years ago and does not dare to upgrade it. If you want single sign-on with the rest of your tools, we connect it to Keycloak. If you want someone to answer for Nextcloud and its server every month, that is covered by SRE as a service.
- NginxHTTPS
- NextcloudPHP-FPM and cron
- RedisCaching and locking
- PostgreSQLOr MariaDB
- StorageDisk or S3, with off-site backups
Where do we set it up?
In your account, with the provider you already use or the one that fits best. If the data has to stay in the EU, Hetzner and OVHcloud are the European options.
Providers we set it up on
- Hetzner
- AWS
- Google Cloud
- DigitalOcean
- OVH
- Own server
| Provider | How we set it up | Things to bear in mind |
|---|---|---|
| Hetzner | Cloud or dedicated server running Nextcloud, volumes or a Storage Box for the data and backups in Hetzner Object Storage. | A good choice when there are many terabytes, because of the cost of disk. |
| AWS | EC2 running Nextcloud, RDS where it fits and S3 as the main storage for the files. | We keep an eye on outbound transfer if the team downloads a lot. |
| Google Cloud | Compute Engine running Nextcloud with Cloud SQL, and data on persistent disk or in Cloud Storage. | |
| DigitalOcean | Droplet with volumes for the data and backups in Spaces. | |
| OVH | Public Cloud instance or dedicated server, with backups in OVHcloud Object Storage. | |
| Own server | Nextcloud on your own server or on a NAS with virtual machines, published through a proxy or a tunnel. | Office data is backed up outside the building. |
What is included
- Nextcloud in your account with Nginx or Apache, PHP-FPM and PostgreSQL or MariaDB.
- Redis for distributed caching and file locking, and APCu for local caching.
- Background jobs run by the system cron, not by page visits.
- Data stored on disk or on S3-compatible object storage, with free space monitored.
- Sign-in with two-factor authentication, or with your identity provider over LDAP, SAML or OpenID Connect.
- In-browser document editing with Nextcloud Office or ONLYOFFICE, if you need it.
- Backups of configuration, database and data off the server, with a test restore.
- Major upgrades one at a time, in the order Nextcloud requires, with apps checked at every step.
Frequently asked questions
Can we skip several versions at once?
No. Nextcloud only allows upgrading from one major version to the next, so an outdated installation catches up one step at a time. Before each step we take a backup, check that the installed apps are compatible with the target version and review the warnings in the administration panel.
Nextcloud All-in-One or a classic installation?
All-in-One is the official way to run it with containers and comes with built-in backups and updates; it works well for simple setups. We go for a classic installation when we want to separate the database, use object storage, integrate the company sign-in or tune each component. We will recommend one or the other depending on your case.
Are our files encrypted?
Always in transit, with HTTPS. On the server, the disk can be encrypted, and Nextcloud has a server-side encryption module, useful above all when the data sits on external storage. It comes at a cost: it takes up more space and makes recovery harder if the keys are lost, so we only enable it when it adds value and with the keys included in the backup.
Do we need the Enterprise subscription?
Not to use it: Nextcloud is free software and the version you download is complete. The Enterprise subscription, taken out with Nextcloud GmbH, adds vendor support and some features aimed at large organisations. If you take it out, it is in your company's name and we work with it.
Does it replace Google Drive or OneDrive?
For storing, syncing and sharing files with desktop and mobile clients, yes. With Nextcloud Office or ONLYOFFICE you can also edit documents in the browser, although the experience is not identical to Google's or Microsoft's. We plan the migration folder by folder and person by person, without cutting anyone off from their files.
Tell us about your case
In a free 20-minute call we look at where you are and where to start. No commitment.
Official documentation consulted
The technical details on this page are based on:
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