Getting started

This guide takes you from nothing to a printed QR code in about ten minutes.

1. Run Guestroll

You need a machine with Docker: a VPS, a home server, a NAS or a Raspberry Pi 4/5.

docker run -d --name guestroll \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v guestroll-data:/data \
  -e ADMIN_PASSWORD='choose-a-long-password' \
  -e PUBLIC_URL='https://photos.example.com' \
  ghcr.io/achedon12/guestroll:latest

• -v guestroll-data:/data keeps the database and photos when the container is recreated. Don't skip it.
• PUBLIC_URL is the address encoded in your QR codes. Use the public HTTPS address guests will reach.
• Without ADMIN_PASSWORD, a random password is generated and printed once: docker logs guestroll.

Other ways to run it (Compose, plain Node.js) are in Deployment.

2. Put it behind HTTPS

Phones refuse to open the camera from an http:// page. Before the event, the instance must be reachable over HTTPS. The quickest route is Caddy, which gets a certificate on its own:

photos.example.com {
	reverse_proxy localhost:3000
}

Then set TRUST_PROXY=true so rate limits see the real client IP. Deployment also covers Traefik and nginx.

3. Create an event

1. Open https://photos.example.com/admin and sign in.
2. New event: give it a name. Everything else has a sensible default and can be changed later.
3. You land on the QR & sharing tab.

Worth deciding up front:

Setting	Recommended for a private party
Access code	Set one if the QR code may end up on social media
Album language	Automatic follows each guest's phone. Pick one if all guests share a language
Moderation	Publish immediately for friends, Approve first if you'll project the live wall
Close uploads at	The morning after

4. Print the QR code

In QR & sharing, the designer lets you color the code, round its dots and corners, put your logo in the middle and add a caption. The preview is the exact file you'll download. Stay with dark dots on a light background: many Android scanners can't read the reverse, and the designer warns you if you try.

Printable poster gives you an A4 card with the event name and QR code: print it from the browser. For a print shop, download the SVG. It stays sharp at any size.

Test it: scan the code with your own phone, take a photo, and check it shows up in the Photos tab.

5. On the day

• [ ] Phone test from the venue's network or 4G, not your home Wi-Fi
• [ ] The live wall open on the projector laptop (QR & sharing → Open live wall)
• [ ] One QR card per table, plus one near the entrance
• [ ] Space on the server: count about 3 MB per photo

6. After the event

• Photos → Download ZIP gets everything at full resolution.
• Close uploads (Settings → Accept uploads) if you didn't schedule it.
• Guests never see each other's photos in Guestroll. To share the album, send the ZIP, or the photos you picked, through whatever channel you like.