Installation

If you like the idea, you can test the LinkAce demo [12] without any obligations before proceeding to install. There are three options to choose from for setting up on your own system. The easiest way is to use a prepared Docker Compose file that installs all the required components [13]. If you want more control over the process, you can use the Docker image from Docker Hub [14] as an alternative. As a third option, you can install all the components manually on your server [15].

I implemented the Docker Compose method for my test; this is also a good choice for newcomers. I used an Ubuntu Server 22.04 as the basis. To set up Docker and its associated components on your machine, proceed as shown in Listing 1. If you are using a different Ubuntu version, replace the jammy specification from line 5 with the codename of the Ubuntu release you are using.

You can check on https://github.com/docker/compose/releases if version 2.13.0 (line 12) is still the latest. The entries from lines 14 and 15 let you determine the currently installed version.

The further procedure is described in the LinkAce documentation [16]. First of all, you need to choose between the basic and advanced version of LinkAce. The basic version, which delivers the application and the web server in a container, is fine if you only want to use LinkAce locally on your network. For the advanced variant, you need to install the software, web server, and database in separate containers. Among other things, this simplifies the use of a reverse proxy for securing via HTTPS if you want the application to be accessible from the outside.

In terms of the installation procedure, both variants are the same, except that you need to download a different Compose file. I will use the basic method here. The procedure for using a reverse proxy or a load balancer in the extended variant can also be found in the documentation [16].

First, download linkace-docker-simple.zip or linkace-docker-advanced.zip to a previously created folder in your home directory and unzip the ZIP file. The basic variant contains the files docker-compose.yml and the hidden file .env in addition to license information and a README. The extended variant adds the nginx.conf and nginx.ssl.conf files.

Setting Passwords

Before proceeding, you need to at least change the POSTGRES_PASSWORD and REDIS_PASSWORD entries in the .env file. If you use a database other than MySQL, then replace the name there to match. After saving, the docker-compose up -d command is used for the final setup work. The setup can take a few minutes – after all, the call rolls out the application, web server, and database in line with the specifications in the compose file. When done, you will see a URL that lets you launch the LinkAce web interface.

Some more steps to take before using LinkAce, partially optional, are summarized in the Post Setup [17] section of the documentation. I will look at the most important of these. First, switch to Settings in the top right corner. You will see the bookmarklet, which you need to drag into your bookmarks bar. Just below, you have the functions for creating an API token. Create a user including a password and an email address. If you want to add more security with two-factor authentication, you will find instructions for this in the User Settings documentation [18].

You can then set your preferences for the language, time format, privacy, and some preferences for the web interface. At the bottom of the page, you decide whether you prefer Light or Dark Mode, or whether you want to follow your desktop environment's default settings. Last but not least, choose the social media platforms on which you want to share your links, if any.

In addition to the Settings, there are the System Settings, which partly overlap. The first thing to do here is to create a cron token. It is used to periodically check your links, for backups, and for a backup in the Wayback Machine. The procedure for setting up a cron job for LinkAce is shown in the "Cron Job for LinkAce" box (Figure 11).

* * * * * wget -qO- http(s)://linkace-examplecom/cron/WPvv4mxM6nr22Aq4rVf1qEKutsXLTgyw

Figure 11: Among other things, you can generate a token in the settings; you need this for time-controlled cron jobs to work correctly.

LinkAce offers more options than standard bookmark management in the web browser when it comes to sorting, searching, and categorizing. You can change individual links from public to private and vice versa at will. A description of any length can be added to each link. Deleted links remain in the Recycle Bin until you empty it. In addition, there are RSS feeds for private and public links [19]. Some commands can be used for administration via a command-line interface (CLI) interface [20]. Upgrades from LinkAce are also easy, as evidenced by the documentation [21].

Conclusions

Floccus and LinkAce both aim to improve the bookmark handling experience, but with different strategies. Floccus provides secure synchronization where the data remains under your own control. LinkAce instead focuses on uncomplicated management of even the largest link collections. The developer is happy to accept suggestions on GitHub for additional features in the upcoming version 2. This is also where you will find the forum for the application [22]. No matter which application you choose, the good thing is that no data ends up in clouds belonging to Google, Mozilla, or other providers. Instead, everything remains under your own control.