Unable to upload files to CryptPad Drive

chase0135

I am hosting my instance of cryptpad using Docker. I have deployed it using an unraid template.

The majority of things run smoothly. However I am unable to upload files to my server.

I did notice the following error in a checkup run:

A placeholder file was expected to be available at https://sub.domain.tld/blob/placeholder.txt, but it was not found. This commonly indicates a mismatch between the API server's blobPath value and the path that the webserver or reverse proxy is attempting to serve. This misconfiguration will cause errors with uploaded files and CryptPad's office editors (sheet, presentation, document).

While I do not have issues with office editors and the like, I just cannot upload a file. It will appear to upload, but hangs at 100%. If I try to upload another file, I receive a warning that an upload is in progress. I can then cancel and attempt another upload.

Should there have been something that created the placeholder file in the blob directory, and manually creating it only masked the issue?

How else should I diagnose this, and is there any additional information needed.

AlexQ

Hi @chase0135 , maybe the information is enough for the CryptPad team - but this could need some time. I can try to help you, but maybe I can't solve it.

If I would need to make a wild guess, I would say your HTTP config is wrong according to the error message, but I have no idea what you use. So if you want to solve it alone, then you should look at points d), e) and f) at first.

If you like please use this checklist and answer my questions:

General Questions

1) OS (name, version)?
- docker image from unraid.net if I understand you right? (link?)
- maybe consider https://hub.docker.com/r/cryptpad/cryptpad/tags
2) CryptPad version?
- 2024.9.0 ?
- I don't know the unraid thing, sorry
3) new/fresh server or migrated from older CryptPad version?
- fresh new docker image I suppose?
- so no old / migrated data or configs?
4) HTTP server (nginx, Apache, other)?

Problem Description

5) Can you create AND save documents?
- so "only" upload problems?
6) the problem exists from the beginning?
- new server and worked with it some days I suppose?
7) yes, I would not have created the placefolder file manually
- I suggest to delete it for the further analysis
- please describe what else you changed to solve the issue, if you changed other things

Check List

[ ] a) CryptPad User runs as cryptpad linux user (instead of root)
[ ] b) cryptpad linux user is owner of all the files in CryptPad directories
[ ] c) cryptpad linux user has read/write rights of all the files in CryptPad directories
[ ] d) check CryptPad logs /home/{cryptpaduser}/cryptpad/data/logs
[ ] e) check HTTP server logs
[ ] f) check "blobPath" in your CryptPad config.js and your compare it to your directories in your HTTP config

Further Steps

[ ] post your CryptPad config.js (please censor secret informations beforehand!)
[ ] post your HTTP server config (please censor secret informations beforehand!)

Thanks and good luck.

AlexQ

@chase0135
Addendum, I forgot:

Check List

[ ] g) run and your CryptPad check of course --> https://{sub.domain.tld}/checkup/

AlexQ

@chase0135 Amendment:

Yes, there must exist (usalaly automatic):

/home/{cryptpaduser}/cryptpad/blob/placeholder.txt
/home/{cryptpaduser}/cryptpad/block/placeholder.txt

Content:
PLACEHOLDER

File Permissions:
-rw-rw-r-- cryptpaduser cryptpaduser placeholder.txt

But I wouldn't be sure that this alone solves your problem.

AlexQ

@chase0135 Please notice, some hints may be wrong, since they differ between manual install and unsing a docker image (e.g. maybe linux user and/or permissions, HTTP config), but I think you will be able to abstract the differences and every error handling via forum is a conversation anyway, so things may change during "talking" :-)

AlexQ

@chase0135
Easy test, to see if your HTTP server config is the cause:

On a correctly configured CryaptPad instance you can load the URL
https://{sub.domain.tld}/blob/placeholder.txt

For example, at cryptpad.fr you can load https://api.cryptpad.fr/blob/placeholder.txt

chase0135

Thank you for the detailed write-up AlexQ! I am reading through this and will report back.

I also didn't realize I don't follow my own original posts. I'll be following now and get email updates.

chase0135

Circling back around after I have some time to work through your suggestions.

Following your suggestions was quite helpful and I'm writing this sentence now after having already written all of the below. I'm still including it in case anyone else has a similar issue.

tl;dr: The problems were file permissions on the blob directory.

Here's what I can answer so far:

General Questions

OS (name, version)?
A: The Unraid template uses the docker image you linked to.
The specific version from the template in the Unraid app store is cryptpad/cryptpad:version-5.7.0. Which appears 9 months old. I am attempting to update to version 2024.9.0 as I type this response up.
CryptPad version?
A: I answered above as version 5.7.0.
After looking at the available versions, I will try the latest next and report back on that.
new/fresh server or migrated from older CryptPad version?
A: This is a fresh server. Here is the Unraid template I am specifically using:
https://github.com/A75G/docker-templates/blob/master/templates/cryptpad.xml
HTTP server (nginx, Apache, other)?
A: as far as proxies go, I have been testing with HAProxy and NGINX. I have also tested direct connections to the device using what is provisioned with the docker image.

Problem Description

Can you create AND save documents?
A: Yes I can create and save documents. I am just unable to upload any files. Small size tests have been made mostly (a few KB).
The problem exists from the beginning?
A: Yes this has been a problem since I first configured the server.
Yes, I would not have created the placeholder file manually.
A: I thought I was making a mistake as I was creating the file... For science and all that, I thought.
I will delete it after the upgrade and see if I can re-run a checkup to see if the problem comes back. Assuming the upgrade does not resolve the issue. As far as what else I changed to try and solve the issue, I don't recall. If the upgrade does not work I will be starting over from scratch to attempt to duplicate the issue. I will then attach my config file and some logs.

Checklist

[ x] a) CryptPad User runs as cryptpad linux user (instead of root)
NOTE: whoami from docker shows 'cryptpad'
[ O] b) cryptpad linux user is owner of all the files in CryptPad directories
NOTE: This could be the actual culprit, the ownership shows as so:
drwxr-xr-x 1 99 users 30 Sep 26 16:53 blob
I am unable to change ownership on this from the docker command line as I do not have root access.
I was able to change this to the docker's ID from the host however, and this resolved my issue.

AlexQ

Excellent, thanks for the feedback, glad it worked :-)

AlexQ

@chase0135

Some last notes / hints:

I.) Regarding point 7, the placeholder file, I would not delete it. I posted in this thread that I was wrong. Yes, the file should have been there automatically, but it's not a problem to create it manually. Therefore I wrote the content of the file, if the content is also important for CryptPad, besides the existence.

II.) As I have seen you read it all, but I want to repeat, that the CryptPad team has "official" docker files as linked. Please excuse, if I'm wrong, my docker knowledge is still limited :-/

III.) Docker permissions were already a topic in the forum, maybe it helps you, e.g.:
https://forum.cryptpad.org/d/161-cant-get-cryptad-docker-to-work/2

IV.) I doubt that if one file permission is wrong (blob directory) the others are correct. I would advise to check them. Usally they should be the same within the whole CryptPad dicrectory, including all sub directories.

V.) I currently have no docker instance for comparison, just the manual installion, so again, sorry, please consider that I may be wrong or misleading therefore.

AlexQ

@chase0135
Addendum:

Regarding permissions maybe/please see:

It looks like you're on the right way with:

I was able to change this to the docker's ID from the host however, and this resolved my issue.

chase0135

I just noticed your additional replies.

They are good clarifying points for anyone else running into this.

I did not remove the placeholder file, and am glad I did not.

On the docker image, I am using the official docker image. The Unraid template I linked does use the official docker image, however it was hard coded to a specific version. And I don't see a latest tag on the official docker cryptpad repo, so I will likely have to manually update that tag in my configuration frequently if I want updates.

On the docker permissions, I did validate that all permissions were set correctly. A very good suggestion to go back and do that to avoid other mishaps.

As to where the permissions got set incorrectly, I believe that came from me modifying the configuration files from the host, rather than from the docker container. That is something I will likely do differently next time. And your comment on the point 3 in the admin guide is spot on what I did.