fleetex 0.1.0

A pip-installable launcher for self-hosting Overleaf Community Edition (Docker).

Fleetex

Your own private, self-hosted LaTeX editor — a pip-installable launcher built on Overleaf Community Edition.

Fleetex runs Overleaf on a server you control. Install and upgrade it with pip install fleetex, and keep your customizations in a GitHub fork you can pull from. Your users only need a web browser.

This package is a thin, zero-dependency Python wrapper around Docker Compose. It does not reimplement Overleaf — Overleaf CE is a set of Node.js services shipped as the sharelatex/sharelatex Docker image. This launcher pulls that upstream stack, renders a compose file, and gives you a friendly CLI to operate it.

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Why this exists

You want an Overleaf alternative for work that:

• runs on your own server, fully under your control,
• installs and updates with a single command (pip install -U fleetex),
• and lets you keep improvements in a GitHub fork you can git pull.

That's exactly what this is.

Requirements

• Linux server with Docker Engine + the Docker Compose v2 plugin (docker compose version must work).
• Python 3.9+.

Install

pip install fleetex        # from PyPI (once published)

or from your GitHub fork (the "GitHub pull" workflow, see below):

pip install "git+https://github.com/<you>/fleetex.git"

Quick start

fleetex up                     # pull images + start the stack (detached)
fleetex create-admin [e-mail]
fleetex open                   # open http://localhost:8080

Then log in as the admin you created. That's it — you have a working, self-hosted Overleaf.

Commands

Command	What it does
fleetex up	Pull images and start Overleaf (add --foreground to stream logs, --no-pull to skip pulling)
fleetex down	Stop the stack (data is preserved). --volumes also wipes data
fleetex status	Show container status
fleetex logs -f [service]	Tail logs (optionally for one service)
fleetex restart	Restart all services
fleetex open	Open the web UI in a browser
fleetex create-admin <email>	Create the first admin user
fleetex exec <service> <cmd...>	Run a command in a container (e.g. exec sharelatex bash)
fleetex config [--port N ...]	View or change settings and re-render the compose file
fleetex version	Show launcher + Docker versions

Configuration

State lives in a single directory: ~/.fleetex by default (override with FLEETEX_HOME or --home). It contains config.json, a rendered docker-compose.yml, and a data/ directory holding the bind-mounted volumes for the app, MongoDB, and Redis.

fleetex config                          # show current settings
fleetex config --port 9000              # change the HTTP port
fleetex config --image sharelatex/sharelatex:5.0   # pin an image version
fleetex config --data-dir /srv/overleaf/data       # move data to a big disk

The update workflow (PyPI + GitHub)

Upgrade the Overleaf app itself (new upstream sharelatex/sharelatex release):

fleetex up          # `up` pulls the latest image by default
# or pin a specific version:
fleetex config --image sharelatex/sharelatex:<tag> && fleetex restart

Upgrade this launcher (new features/fixes in the CLI):

pip install -U fleetex               # from PyPI
# or from your fork:
pip install -U "git+https://github.com/<you>/fleetex.git"

Make your own improvements — fork this repo on GitHub, edit, and either install from your fork (pip install git+...) or open a PR upstream. Cut a release by bumping version in pyproject.toml and publishing:

python -m build
twine upload dist/*

Development

pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest                    # tests mock out Docker; no containers needed

Security note (read before exposing to a network)

Overleaf Community Edition is designed for fully-trusted environments. Sandboxed Compiles (user isolation during LaTeX compilation) are a Server Pro feature and are not available in CE — any user who can compile has broad access to the sharelatex container. For a small trusted team on an internal server this is fine; do not expose CE directly to untrusted users. Put it behind your VPN / SSO reverse proxy and TLS. See the upstream README.

Relationship to upstream & license

This launcher packages and orchestrates the unmodified upstream Overleaf CE images. Overleaf is a trademark of Overleaf; this is an independent packaging project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Overleaf. Overleaf CE is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and this launcher is distributed under the same license to stay compatible.