![Grist]()
Grist
Stack
Spreadsheet that works like a database, with typed columns, Python formulas, linked tables, charts and forms. Source: https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core
Image details
Source details
Configuration
TypeComposelinuxgristlabs/grist:1${GRIST_PORT:-8484}:8484/persist : grist-dataGRIST_SESSION_SECRET=${GRIST_SESSION_SECRET:?Set a session secret}GRIST_PORT=8484unless-stoppedTemplate by NotAFlightRisk·Source
Report issueNotes
http://<your-host>:8484 (or whichever port you picked). It asks for a boot key first, which Grist prints in the container's logs every time it starts (look for BOOT KEY), then an admin email, then walks you through Quick setup. Take care on its sign-in step: No authentication means anyone who can reach the port can open and edit everything, so only pick it on a private network. Sign in with getgrist.com and forwarded headers (for Authelia and the like) are the free options, and OIDC needs an activation key. The last step has product telemetry switched on, so untick it there if you'd rather it didn't. Documents, users and settings all live in the grist-data volume. Docs: support.getgrist.com/self-managedStandalone Install
Select an install method, to see config/commands for deploying Grist
Install on Portainer
Import all app templates into your Portainer instance, for easy 1-click deploys
- Ensure both Docker and Portainer are installed, and up-to-date
- Log into your Portainer web UI
- Under Settings → App Templates, paste the below URL
- Head to Home → App Templates, and the list of apps will show up
- Select Grist, fill in any config options, and hit Deploy
Template Import URL
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Lissy93/portainer-templates/main/templates.json
Show Me
Original stackfile
The compose file this template deploys, straight from its repo:
services:
grist:
image: gristlabs/grist:1
restart: unless-stopped
ports:
- "${GRIST_PORT:-8484}:8484"
environment:
GRIST_SESSION_SECRET: ${GRIST_SESSION_SECRET:?Set a session secret}
volumes:
- grist-data:/persist
volumes:
grist-data:
Or deploy it directly from the source:
git clone https://github.com/NotAFlightRisk/portainer-templates-extras
cd portainer-templates-extras
docker compose -f apps/grist/compose.yml up -dMore install options in our documentation, or see gristlabs/grist-core for app-specific guidance.
Grist
Grist is a modern relational spreadsheet. It combine the flexibility of a spreadsheet with the robustness of a database to organize your data and make you more productive.If you are looking to use Grist in the cloud, head on over to getgrist.com.
Opening and editing a Grist document locally
The easiest way to use Grist locally on your computer is with Docker. From a terminal, do:docker pull gristlabs/grist
docker run -p 8484:8484 -it gristlabs/gristThen visit
http://localhost:8484 in your browser. You'll be able to create and edit documents,
and to import documents downloaded from the https://docs.getgrist.com host. You'll also be able
to use the Grist API.To preserve your work across docker runs, provide a directory to save it in:
docker pull gristlabs/grist
docker run -p 8484:8484 -v $PWD/persist:/persist -it gristlabs/gristFor more, visit https://github.com/gristlabs/grist-core/
Check the logs first
Nine times out of ten the logs tell you exactly what went wrong.
- In Portainer, go to Containers, click the container, then Logs. Or run
docker logs <container> - Exit codes help too:
137means killed, usually out of memory.126or127means the command inside the image is broken.
Image won't pull
Test the pull directly on the host: docker pull gristlabs/grist:1
- "manifest unknown" means the tag no longer exists.
- "toomanyrequests" is the Docker Hub rate limit. Log in with
docker loginto raise it. - "no space left on device" means a full disk. Reclaim space with
docker system prune
"exec format error"
This means the image was built for a different CPU architecture than your server.
- This image supports:
amd64, arm64 - Check yours with
uname -m: x86_64 is amd64, aarch64 is arm64. Raspberry Pi and other ARM boards are the usual culprits.
Container keeps restarting
The unless-stopped restart policy relaunches the app after every crash, so the real error can scroll past.
- Check the logs right after a restart, the last few lines before it died are the useful ones.
- Get the exit code with
docker inspect <container> --format '{{.State.ExitCode}}' - Still stuck? Redeploy once with the restart policy set to
noso the failure stays visible.
Stack won't deploy
Compose stacks fail fast on small mistakes, and Portainer shows the reason just above the editor.
- YAML only accepts spaces for indentation, a single tab breaks the whole file.
Raise an issue
Found something which isn't working as it should? Here's how to report it.
- Bug within the app: Open an issue on gristlabs/grist-core
- Template not working: Open an issue on NotAFlightRisk/portainer-templates-extras
- This website not working: Open an issue on lissy93/portainer-templates
A Compose stack
Grist is a Compose stack, a set of containers defined in one file and brought up together by Portainer, then started and stopped as a single app.
The app image
An image is the app packed up ready to go, everything Grist needs bundled into one download. This template pulls gristlabs/grist:1, which Docker fetches once (about 285 MB) and then starts your own copy from.
Where the image comes from
Docker pulls its images from registries, public libraries of ready-built apps. Grist's comes from Docker Hub, published by gristlabs.
Version tags
The bit after the colon in the image name is the version tag. This one pins 1, so every redeploy gives you that exact build until you bump it yourself.
Which machines it runs on
Every image is built for particular CPU types. This one ships for amd64, arm64, so it runs on both regular x86 servers and ARM boards like a Raspberry Pi.
Volumes
A volume is where Grist keeps its files so they survive an update or a restart. Without one, anything it saves would sit inside the container and vanish the moment it's recreated. This template mounts:
/persistkept in thegrist-datavolume Docker manages
Environment variables
Environment variables are the settings you hand over when you deploy, things like a password or a timezone. Grist takes 2 of them, and one needs a value before it'll start properly:
GRIST_SESSION_SECRET, needs a value. Signs everyone's login cookies. Generate one with: openssl rand -hex 32GRIST_PORT, defaults to8484. Host port for the web UI
Restart policy
The restart policy here is unless-stopped, so Docker restarts Grist after a crash or reboot, but leaves it off when you stop it on purpose. You can change this on the deploy screen. The choices are no (never restart), on-failure (only after a crash), unless-stopped (restart unless you stop it), and always (bring it back no matter what).
Networking
Nothing custom is set, so Grist sits on Docker's default bridge network: its own private space that reaches the outside world only through the ports it publishes.
Container name
Once it's deployed, Portainer names the container grist. That's what you'll spot in the containers list and use in commands like docker logs grist.
Platform
The platform is linux, the kind of system the container is built to run on. Docker and Portainer handle this on a normal Linux server.
Open source license
Grist is open source, released under the Apache-2.0 license. In plain terms the code is out in the open, so you're free to run it and change it to fit what you need.
Portainer app templates
Zooming out, this whole page comes from a Portainer app template: a short recipe telling Portainer how to set Grist up. Add the template list to Portainer once, then deploying Grist is a click rather than a wall of config.