CommaFeed Self-Hosted RSS Reader

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

## Why This AMI Instead of a Manual Install?

Standing up a self-hosted feed reader from scratch means provisioning PostgreSQL, relocating its data directory onto a dedicated disk, compiling or fetching the right runtime, hardening credentials, wiring a reverse proxy, and troubleshooting the first-run account setup. This AMI eliminates all of that. You launch a production-ready RSS and Atom reader running entirely within your own AWS account, with a unique administrator password generated automatically on first boot - no shared or default passwords ever ship in the image.

Compared to hosted feed services like the retired Google Reader or subscription readers, you keep full control of your subscriptions, read state, and reading history instead of handing them to a third party. Compared to other Marketplace images, this stack is hardened by default and backed by 24/7 expert support from cloudimg.

## Application Stack

• CommaFeed - a fast, self-hosted Google Reader style RSS and Atom feed reader with a modern React web interface, shipped as the project's own recommended GraalVM native executable (no Java runtime dependency)
• PostgreSQL - the datastore for your feeds, entries, tags, and read state, bound to the loopback interface for security
• nginx - the sole public listener, reverse-proxying port 80 to the application on loopback and serving a static health endpoint, with WebSocket support for the live feed tree
• The PostgreSQL data directory lives on a dedicated, independently resizable EBS volume

## Secure by Default

The image ships with an empty database and no usable baked credentials. On first boot, a one-shot service rotates the PostgreSQL password to a unique per-instance value, generates a fresh session-encryption key, creates the administrator account through CommaFeed's own first-run setup API with a strong per-instance password, and writes the credentials to a root-only file - no manual hardening steps required. New-user self-registration is disabled by default so the reader is not left open to the public; the deployment guide shows how to enable it if you want to invite others.

Because all data resides entirely within your AWS account, you maintain complete data residency control - your reading history and subscriptions never leave your chosen AWS region.

## Ready To Use

1. Launch the AMI from AWS Marketplace.

2. SSH into your instance and retrieve the administrator password from the root-only file.

3. Navigate to your instance's public IP in a browser and sign in.

4. Subscribe to your first feeds, organize them into categories, and start reading.

CommaFeed supports categories and tags, keyboard shortcuts, starred entries, full-text search, OPML import and export, and a REST API for automation.

## Example Use Cases

• Individual reader: Run your own private, ad-free replacement for Google Reader and keep your subscriptions and reading history on infrastructure you control.
• Team or newsroom: Track industry, competitor, and press feeds in a shared, self-hosted reader without sending your interests to a third-party service.
• Research and monitoring: Aggregate journal, blog, and release-note feeds into organized categories and use the API and full-text search to keep on top of a topic.

## Key Features

• Fast, modern React web interface for reading and organizing feeds
• Categories, tags, starred entries, and full-text search across your subscriptions
• OPML import and export to move your subscriptions in and out easily
• Keyboard shortcuts and a responsive layout for desktop and mobile
• REST API for automation and integration
• Dedicated EBS volume for PostgreSQL data - resize storage independently of compute

## Architecture Overview

The stack follows a simple, secure pattern: nginx listens on port 80 as the only public-facing service, proxying requests to the CommaFeed GraalVM native binary on the loopback interface. CommaFeed connects to PostgreSQL, also bound to loopback, with its data directory on a dedicated EBS volume you can snapshot or resize independently. This separation means you can scale storage without changing your instance type.

## cloudimg Support

24/7 technical support by email and live chat covers deployment, configuration, upgrades, TLS termination, and database administration. Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.

Ready to get started? Launch the AMI and have your private feed reader running in minutes. For a guided deployment walkthrough, reach out to cloudimg support directly.

CommaFeed is a trademark of its respective owner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.