Frequently asked questions
Short answers to the usual questions. Yours is missing? Just ask on Discord.
What does Nodvard Deck cost?
Nothing for personal use. You don’t need an account with Nodvard, and there’s no subscription and no advertising. If you want to use Deck in a company, you need permission. Just ask at [email protected].
Can I read the source code?
Yes, it’s public on GitHub. Deck is licensed under the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0. For personal and other noncommercial purposes you may use it, read the code and adapt it for yourself. For commercial use you need permission.
Does Nodvard Deck phone home?
No. Deck has no telemetry and no usage statistics and sends nothing to Nodvard. On its own, it only asks GitHub whether there’s a new version. You can turn that off under Settings, System, Updates. For image updates, Deck checks with the registry of your images. Messages to Telegram, Discord or other services only go out if you set up a channel for them.
What do I need?
A machine with Docker and Docker Compose, with 64-bit ARM (arm64) or x86-64. Idle, Nodvard Deck uses about 100 MB of RAM, and the image is just under 400 MB. Deck reaches your servers over SSH. No service and no agent of its own runs on them. For tasks that need root, the setup puts small helper scripts into /usr/local/lib/nodvard-deck, which Deck calls via sudo. What each helper script may do.
Does it run on a Raspberry Pi?
Yes, on a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 with 4 GB of RAM and a 64-bit system. SD cards like to die. A USB SSD lasts longer, and your backups shouldn’t live only on the Pi. The guide Back up to a NAS or NFS share shows how.
Do I need Proxmox?
No. A Raspberry Pi, a NAS or a few Docker hosts are plenty. If you add Proxmox later, you just connect it then.
What is the difference between Deck and Dock?
Nodvard Dock is just the container manager for Docker, as its own small image. Nodvard Deck has the same Docker part and adds Proxmox, backups, Shield, apps, integrations and notifications on top. It’s the same code, Dock just leaves out everything except Docker.
Is Nodvard Deck available in English?
The interface is only in German so far. The website and the guides are in English too.
What if I click the wrong thing?
Before Deck changes anything, it asks. What may go through without asking is up to you, and you can read up on every action in the log afterwards. For several users there are roles, and you can sign in with a two-factor code.
How do I back up Nodvard Deck?
Under Settings, System, Backup. Backups are encrypted with a password that Deck itself does not store. Before every update that changes the database, Deck also makes a copy of it. The guide explains backups to a NAS.
How do I update?
In the folder with compose.yml: docker compose pull && docker compose up -d. Your data is kept. Other ways, for example with Portainer, are under Get started.
Ready to try it?
Three commands are enough. If you like, start with sample data.