Nextcloud on Synology: installation and configuration requirements

Installing Nextcloud on a Synology NAS is an alternative to the native features offered by the system, such as Cloud Sync and Synology Drive. Before downloading the open source software, it is necessary to configure some basic packages like Web Station as well as a database. You can then install Nextcloud in just a few steps.

Nextcloud and Synology NAS: context and basics

Synology Inc. is a Taiwanese company that manufactures and markets NAS servers (Network Attached Storage). These networked file servers are particularly appreciated for their operating system DiskStation Manager (DSM)which is both user-friendly and intuitive. The latter allows you to configure the server via a browser.

Nextcloud is open source software designed forself-hosting and the Cloud computingavailable for computers as well as mobile devices. Installing Nextcloud on a Synology NAS allows you to create your own Cloud. This makes it possible to access data stored on the NAS and synchronize it with other devices outside your own network.

Similar features are available directly through the Synology ecosystem thanks to Cloud Sync and Synology Drive. If Nextcloud on Synology remains very popularthis is mainly because it offers extensions covering many areas (office automation, multimedia, communication), an excellent level of data protection and great flexibility for tailor-made customizations.

Nextcloud on Synology: prerequisites

To install and operate Nextcloud on a Synology NAS server, certain prerequisites must be met. The server must have at least 512 MB of memory and a recent version of DiskStation Manager. You will additionally need the following packages, which can be downloaded via the Synology Package Center:

• WebStation (for managing servers and web applications)
• Apache HTTP Server 2.4 (web server)
• PHP (scripting language, version 8.3 minimum according to Nextcloud recommendations)
• MariaDB 10 or MySQL (database server, enable TCP/IP connection)
• phpMyAdmin (optional database management)

Install Nextcloud on Synology and configure it securely

There are several ways to configure Nextcloud for Synology NAS. Below we show the installation of Nextcloud Hub via DiskStation Manager. It is also possible to install Nextcloud with Docker, but this method is more intended for experienced users.

Step 1: Download Nextcloud

Download the latest version of Nextcloud from Nextcloud official websitecopy the ZIP file to the root directory of your web folder (./volume1/web/) and unzip it.

Step 2: Enable read and write rights

Right-click the Nextcloud folder and navigate to Properties. Open the “ Permissions » and create a new entry by clicking on “Create”. From the drop-down menu, select SYSTEM below  » User or group » (“User or group”). Enable all read and write rights and click “Done”.

Now check the box “Apply to this folder, sub-folder and files”.

Step 3: Configure PHP

Open Web Station and select the option “ Script Language Settings » (Script Language Settings) on the left, then create a new profile by clicking “Create”. A new window opens, in which you click on the “Settings” tab. Enter the profile name and description of your choice in the dedicated fields. Next, choose your PHP version and check the box “ Enable PHP cache » to enable PHP cache.

In the “ Extensions », activate the following PHP extensions:

• bcmath
• bz2
• curl
• exif
• ftp
• gd
• gettext
• iconv
• intl
• gmp
• mysqli
• openssl
• pdo_mysql
• posix
• soap
• sodium
• sockets
• zip
• zlib

In the “ Core « , adjust the following variables using the search function:

• memory_limit= 512M
• upload_max_filesize= 128M (for downloading large files, a value of 4000M, or 4 GB, is recommended for example)
• post_max_size= 128M
• opcache.enable= 1
• apc.enable_cli= 1
• opcache.enable_cli= 1
• opcache.interned_strings_buffer= 64
• opcache.max_accelerated_files= 32531
• opcache.memory_consumption= 512
• opcache.save_comments= 1
• opcache.revalidate_freq= 240

Step 4: Configuring the Web Server

In Web Station, open the “ Web Service Portal » and configure your default server portal. Tap the « Edit » tab, select Apache 2.4 as « HTTP Backend Server » and under « PHP » the PHP profile you created. Save your changes.

Step 5: Create the Nextcloud database

Go to the phpMyAdmin application and log in with your root access data for MariaDB. Below  » Create a database », enter “Nextcloud” in the input field and click “Create”.

Once the database is created, select the corresponding entry in the left panel. Then navigate to the “ Privileges » to click “Add user account” at the bottom. In the next window, under « Login information », you will be asked to enter login information: a username, a host name (select « Local » on the left), and a password. Finally, click “Go”.

Step 6: Install Nextcloud

Now go to your browser and open the URL http://ip-adresse/nextcloud (with your personal IP address) to access the Nextcloud installation page. There, create an account with administrator rights and enter the login information defined in step 5. Once you have filled the fields correctly, click “ Install » to start the installation.

Step 7: Schedule Tasks

In Control Panel, navigate to Task Scheduler (Task Scheduler), select “Create” and click “ User-defined Script » (User-defined script). A new window opens, in which you can set the following parameters:

1. General : Give the task a name, for example “Nextcloud permissions”. As a user, set the “root” option. Make sure to check the “Activated” box.
2. Schedule : Schedule the task to run on a specific date, without repeating.
3. Task Settings : Enable the “Send run details by email” option in the task settings to receive run details by email, and insert the following run command in the command line:

chown -R http:http /volume1/web/nextcloud
chmod -R 0755 /volume1/web/nextcloud

Finally, run the script to sync Nextcloud with your devices.

Step 8: Configure Nextcloud

In order to use Nextcloud optimally on a Synology NAS, some adjustments are necessary after installation. This includes in particular:

• THE trusted domains : add your external domains in Nextcloud config.php
• L'external access : Configure port sharing on the router that redirects to the NAS server.
• THE SSL encryption : configure Let's Encrypt in order to obtain a valid SSL certificate and secure connections.
• THE apps and extensions : Install additional apps like Nextcloud Flow or Nextcloud Deck.
• There configuration of backups : define a regular data backup strategy.