EchoLog

A Flask-based web application for personal homelab journaling. Track your daily activities, maintain a streak, and search through your journal entries with a modern, PWA-enabled interface.

Features

• Daily Journal Entries: Create and manage journal entries for any date
• Streak Tracking: Automatically calculates consecutive days with entries
• Search Functionality: Search by keyword or filter by specific date
• PWA Support: Progressive Web App with offline capabilities and installable on mobile devices
• Modern UI: Beautiful gradient design with Tailwind CSS and responsive layout
• Optional Authentication: Enable login protection with environment variables
• MySQL Backend: Robust data persistence with MySQL/MariaDB
• Docker Ready: Easy deployment with Docker and Docker Compose
• Kubernetes Support: Includes Kubernetes deployment manifest

Quick Start with Docker

Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name echolog \
  -p 5000:5000 \
  -e MYSQL_HOST=10.10.2.27 \
  -e MYSQL_USER=echolog \
  -e MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_password \
  -e MYSQL_DATABASE=echolog \
  -e SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key \
  -e TZ=Europe/London \
  -e LOGIN_ENABLED=true \
  -e LOGIN_USERNAME=admin \
  -e LOGIN_PASSWORD=your_password \
  docker.jdbnet.co.uk/public/echolog:latest

Docker Compose

version: '3.8'

services:
  echolog:
    image: docker.jdbnet.co.uk/public/echolog:latest
    container_name: echolog
    restart: unless-stopped
    ports:
      - "5000:5000"
    environment:
      - MYSQL_HOST=10.10.2.27
      - MYSQL_USER=echolog
      - MYSQL_PASSWORD=your_password
      - MYSQL_DATABASE=echolog
      - SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key
      - TZ=Europe/London
      - LOGIN_ENABLED=true
      - LOGIN_USERNAME=admin
      - LOGIN_PASSWORD=your_password

Configuration

Environment Variables

• MYSQL_HOST: MySQL/MariaDB host (default: localhost)
• MYSQL_USER: Database user (default: root)
• MYSQL_PASSWORD: Database password (default: empty)
• MYSQL_DATABASE: Database name (default: echolog)
• SECRET_KEY: Flask secret key for sessions (REQUIRED in production!)
• TZ: Timezone for date handling (default: UTC)
• LOGIN_ENABLED: Enable login protection (default: false)
• LOGIN_USERNAME: Username for authentication (default: admin)
• LOGIN_PASSWORD: Password for authentication (default: admin)

Database Setup

The application automatically initializes the database schema on first run. Ensure the database and user exist with appropriate permissions:

CREATE DATABASE echolog;
CREATE USER 'echolog'@'%' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON echolog.* TO 'echolog'@'%';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Usage

Creating Entries

1. Access the web interface at http://your-server:5000
2. Enter a journal entry in the text area
3. Select the date (defaults to today)
4. Click "Add Entry" to save

Searching

• Use the search box to find entries by keyword
• Use the date picker to filter by specific date
• Combine both for advanced filtering

Managing Entries

• Edit: Click the edit icon on any entry to modify it
• Delete: Click the delete icon to remove an entry permanently
• Use pagination controls to navigate through older entries

Streak Tracking

The streak counter automatically tracks consecutive days with journal entries. The streak includes today or yesterday to start, and continues as long as you have entries on consecutive days.

Kubernetes Deployment

The project includes a Kubernetes deployment manifest. See deployment.yml for details.

Example Kubernetes deployment:

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  name: echolog
  namespace: echolog
spec:
  replicas: 1
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - name: echolog
        image: docker.jdbnet.co.uk/public/echolog:latest
        ports:
        - containerPort: 5000
        env:
        - name: SECRET_KEY
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: echolog-secrets
              key: secret-key
        - name: MYSQL_HOST
          value: "mysql-service"
        - name: MYSQL_USER
          value: "echolog"
        - name: MYSQL_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: echolog-secrets
              key: mysql-password
        - name: MYSQL_DATABASE
          value: "echolog"
        - name: TZ
          value: "Europe/London"
        - name: LOGIN_ENABLED
          value: "true"
        - name: LOGIN_USERNAME
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: echolog-secrets
              key: username
        - name: LOGIN_PASSWORD
          valueFrom:
            secretKeyRef:
              name: echolog-secrets
              key: password

Progressive Web App (PWA)

EchoLog can be installed as a Progressive Web App on supported devices:

• Mobile: Add to home screen from browser menu
• Desktop: Install from browser address bar
• Offline: Works offline with cached content

Security Notes

• ENABLE LOGIN in production by setting LOGIN_ENABLED=true
• CHANGE THE DEFAULT CREDENTIALS if using authentication
• CHANGE THE SECRET_KEY in production - use a strong random string (e.g., openssl rand -hex 32)
• Use strong passwords for database access
• Ensure database connections are secured (consider SSL/TLS for MySQL connections)

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Issues

• Ensure MySQL/MariaDB is running and accessible from the container
• Check database credentials in environment variables
• Verify database and user exist with proper permissions
• Check network connectivity between container and database

Application Not Starting

• Check container logs: docker logs echolog
• Verify all required environment variables are set
• Ensure port 5000 is not already in use
• Check that MySQL/MariaDB is reachable

Login Not Working

• Verify LOGIN_ENABLED is set to true
• Check LOGIN_USERNAME and LOGIN_PASSWORD are set correctly
• Ensure SECRET_KEY is set for session management

License

This project is provided as-is for personal homelab journaling.