How to Install Tandoor Recipes on AlmaLinux 9

Tandoor Recipes on AlmaLinux 9 (Docker Compose + PostgreSQL + Nginx + SSL)

Tandoor Recipes is an open-source self-hosted recipe management system designed to help individuals and teams store, organize, plan, and share recipes in a private and efficient way. It supports meal planning, shopping lists, nutritional information, and recipe imports from popular websites, all accessible from a clean, modern web interface.

Running Tandoor Recipes on AlmaLinux 9, a RHEL-compatible enterprise-grade operating system, provides a secure, stable, and long-term supported environment for production. With Docker Compose, PostgreSQL, Nginx, and SSL encryption, AlmaLinux 9 offers an ideal foundation for a reliable and private recipe platform that runs seamlessly in homes, offices, or cloud environments.

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Architecture Overview

Layer	Component	Role
OS	AlmaLinux 9	Enterprise-grade, RHEL-compatible base for containerized deployments
Container Runtime	Docker Engine + Compose	Orchestrates Tandoor Recipes and its dependencies
Application	Tandoor Recipes (Django)	Core web application and API backend
Database	PostgreSQL 15	Stores recipes, users, ingredients, and configuration data
Reverse Proxy	Nginx	Manages HTTPS, routing, caching, and compression
TLS	Let’s Encrypt / PKI	Provides HTTPS for secure user access

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Why Use Tandoor Recipes?

• All-in-one recipe platform – store, edit, and share recipes privately.
• Import from websites – automatically parse recipes from external sources.
• Meal planning & shopping lists – plan weekly meals and export grocery items.
• Nutrition tracking – calculate and display nutritional values per portion.
• Multi-user collaboration – perfect for families or professional kitchens.
• Image and tag support – organize recipes visually with categories and images.
• Self-hosted and secure – full data ownership with zero cloud dependency.

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Tandoor Recipes vs Other Recipe Platforms

Feature/Capability	Tandoor Recipes (Self-hosted)	Paprika (App)	Cookpad (Cloud)	AnyList (Cloud)
Hosting	Self-hosted / Docker	Mobile only	Cloud-based	Cloud-based
Cost	Free, open-source	Paid	Free/Paid	Subscription
Multi-user support	✅ Yes	❌ No	✅ Limited	✅ Limited
Nutrition analysis	✅ Yes	❌ No	❌ No	❌ No
Meal planning	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes	✅ Yes
Privacy	Full data control	Cloud sync	Cloud only	Cloud only

Tandoor Recipes stands out as a powerful open-source alternative to cloud-based recipe apps — offering complete privacy, flexibility, and extensibility for both home and professional environments.

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Security & Best Practices

• Deploy behind Nginx or Traefik with HTTPS enabled.
• Store PostgreSQL credentials and secret keys in Docker secrets or .env securely.
• Keep SELinux enforcing and open only ports 80/443 via firewalld.
• Limit PostgreSQL to internal Docker network access only.
• Regularly update AlmaLinux, Docker, and container images.
• Set up automated PostgreSQL backups using pg_dump or cron jobs.
• Automate SSL renewals with Certbot or Traefik ACME integration.
• Restrict file permissions and ensure media and static directories persist.

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Typical Use Cases

• Home chefs managing personal or family recipe collections.
• Professional kitchens tracking standardized recipes and inventory.
• Food bloggers centralizing content for sharing and backup.
• Meal prep enthusiasts planning weekly dishes with grocery lists.
• Nutritionists and trainers managing meal plans for clients.

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Deploying Tandoor Recipes on AlmaLinux 9 with Docker Compose and PostgreSQL gives you a private, scalable, and feature-rich recipe management system that ensures data privacy, collaboration, and convenience — all powered by open-source technology.

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Step 1: Set Up a Server Instance

Before installing Tandoor, you’ll need a fresh AlmaLinux 9 server. To get one quickly and reliably, you can use Shape.Host Cloud VPS.

Log in to your Shape.Host dashboard.

Click Create → Instance.

Select your server location (closest to your users for best performance).

Choose a plan with at least 2 vCPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD storage.

Under Operating System, choose AlmaLinux 9 (64-bit).

Click Create Instance.

When deployment finishes, copy your instance IP address from the “Resources” section.

Your server is now ready.

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Step 2: Connect to Your Instance

Connect to your AlmaLinux 9 server via SSH.

Linux/macOS:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Windows (PuTTY):

1. Open PuTTY
2. Enter your server IP
3. Login as root

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Step 3: Install Docker and Dependencies

Run all commands exactly as they appeared in your history.

Update the System

dnf update

Add Docker Repository

dnf config-manager --add-repo https://download.docker.com/linux/centos/docker-ce.repo

Install Docker Engine + Plugins

dnf install docker-ce docker-ce-cli containerd.io docker-buildx-plugin docker-compose-plugin

Enable and Start Docker

systemctl enable docker
systemctl start docker

Check Docker Compose

docker compose version

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Step 4: Deploy Tandoor Recipes using Docker Compose

Create Tandoor Directory

mkdir -p /opt/tandoor
cd /opt/tandoor

Create Docker Compose File

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste the content you used:

version: "3.8"
services:
  db:
    image: postgres:15
    container_name: tandoor_db
    restart: always
    environment:
      POSTGRES_USER: tandoor
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: strongpassword
      POSTGRES_DB: tandoor
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/postgresql/data

  web:
    image: vabene1111/recipes
    container_name: tandoor_web
    restart: always
    depends_on:
      - db
    environment:
      DB_ENGINE: django.db.backends.postgresql
      POSTGRES_HOST: db
      POSTGRES_PORT: 5432
      POSTGRES_USER: tandoor
      POSTGRES_PASSWORD: strongpassword
      POSTGRES_DB: tandoor
      SECRET_KEY: yKWuPr9xR-uxHN55uhBqfFwSXKOtD3aBhnEJZsnJLwrpacQSxy3m94fodlINYbkk198
      ALLOWED_HOSTS: '*'
      DEBUG: 0
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    volumes:
      - staticfiles:/opt/recipes/staticfiles
      - mediafiles:/opt/recipes/mediafiles

volumes:
  db_data:
  staticfiles:

Generate Secret Key (already used)

python3 -c "import secrets; print(secrets.token_urlsafe(50))"

Start Tandoor

docker compose up -d

Verify Containers

docker ps

You should see tandoor_db and tandoor_web running.

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Step 5: Install and Configure Nginx

Install Nginx

dnf install nginx

Enable and Start Nginx

systemctl enable nginx
systemctl start nginx

Create Nginx Configuration

nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/tandoor.conf

Paste your config:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name almalinux-tutorials.shape.host;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8080/;

        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;

        proxy_read_timeout 600;
        proxy_connect_timeout 600;
    }

    client_max_body_size 64M;
}

Test Nginx

nginx -t

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Step 6: Install Certbot and Enable HTTPS

Install Certbot

dnf install epel-release
dnf install certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Obtain SSL Certificate

certbot --nginx -d almalinux-tutorials.shape.host

This automatically enables HTTPS and reloads Nginx.

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Step 7: Verify Tandoor Installation

Open your browser and visit:

https://almalinux-tutorials.shape.host

You should see the Tandoor Recipes web interface.
Login or create your admin user (Tandoor automatically creates the first user on first login).

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For optimal performance and scalability, consider hosting all your deployments on Shape.Host Cloud VPS — offering fast NVMe storage, secure infrastructure, and powerful server plans perfect for Docker-based applications like Tandoor Recipes.