Bar Assistant 5.15.3 on Ubuntu 24.04

This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.

## Why This AMI Instead of Self-Deploying?

Bar Assistant is a popular open source, self-hosted cocktail-recipe and home-bar inventory manager - a Laravel REST API paired with the Salt Rim web client and Meilisearch full-text search. Deploying it yourself means installing Docker, wiring up a multi-container compose stack, fronting three services behind a reverse proxy, generating application and search keys, seeding an admin account, and maintaining the stack over time. This AMI eliminates that effort entirely - your self-hosted bar manager is running within minutes of launch, not hours. You get a pre-hardened, tested configuration backed by 24/7 expert support with a one-hour average response for critical issues, something community forums cannot provide.

The current release available is Bar Assistant 5.15.3.

## Application Stack

Three official upstream containers, pinned by digest, run under one systemd service via Docker Compose on a private network: the Bar Assistant Laravel API, the Salt Rim Vue web client, and Meilisearch for search. Each container is published to the loopback address only; a host nginx reverse proxy fronts everything on port 80 so the whole application - web client, API and search - is reached same-origin through one URL with no CORS. The application database is SQLite and search runs on Meilisearch in production mode, so no external services are required.

## Secure By Default

Many pre-built images ship with shared or default credentials - a common vulnerability that exposes instances immediately after launch. This image eliminates that risk entirely:

• A unique application key and a unique Meilisearch master key are generated for every instance on its first boot, before the application starts
• Meilisearch runs in production mode and refuses every request without the per-instance key, so search is locked down
• A per-instance admin account is seeded with a random password and stored in a root-only file, inaccessible to unprivileged users
• No shared or default password ships in the image
• Build-time state is wiped before capture, so the database, search index and all secrets are re-created fresh on your instance

## Ready To Use

Browse to the instance on port 80, sign in with the generated admin credentials, and create your first bar. Add cocktails and ingredients, track what is on your shelf, and let Meilisearch power instant recipe search. Additional users can self-register, and open registration can be disabled with a single configuration change.

## What You Avoid By Using This AMI

• Installing Docker and wiring up a multi-container compose stack
• Configuring nginx as a same-origin reverse proxy across three services
• Generating and securely storing application and search keys
• Seeding and hardening the first admin account
• Ongoing maintenance and security patching without expert guidance

## cloudimg Support

24/7 technical support by email and chat with a one-hour average response for critical issues. Our engineers help with deployment, TLS termination, backups, user management, search tuning and scaling.

## Use Cases

• Self-hosted cocktail-recipe and home-bar management with full data ownership
• A private, in-your-own-VPC alternative to hosted recipe apps for privacy or data-residency requirements
• A shared bar inventory and recipe catalogue for a household, bar or venue

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