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.
• Sign in at /admin as admin. Without ADMIN_PASSWORD, a random password is generated and printed once: docker logs guestroll.
• Need helpers? Add accounts for them in Admin → Settings → Accounts: an organizer only sees the events you assign.

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.