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How to Install Miniflux (Minimal RSS Reader) on Ubuntu 24.04

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Miniflux (Minimal RSS Reader) on Ubuntu 24.04 (PostgreSQL + Nginx + SSL)

Miniflux is a fast, lightweight, and opinionated self-hosted RSS reader designed for users who want a distraction-free reading experience. Unlike feature-heavy feed aggregators, Miniflux focuses on speed, reliability, and simplicity, providing a clean web interface, powerful filtering rules, and first-class keyboard navigation. It supports RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds and exposes a REST API compatible with multiple mobile and desktop clients.

Running Miniflux on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (Noble Numbat) provides a modern, secure, and long-term supported platform. Ubuntu 24.04 includes systemd 255, OpenSSL 3, and up-to-date PostgreSQL and Nginx packages, making it an excellent choice for a production-ready Miniflux deployment with HTTPS and strong performance.

Architecture Overview

LayerComponentRole
OSUbuntu 24.04 LTSStable, long-term supported Linux base
ApplicationMiniflux (Go binary)Core RSS reader and feed processing engine
DatabasePostgreSQL 15/16Stores users, feeds, entries, and metadata
Reverse ProxyNginxHTTPS termination, compression, routing
TLSLet’s Encrypt / PKISecure HTTPS access to the web interface

Miniflux runs as a single static Go binary, making it extremely efficient and easy to operate.

Why Use Miniflux?

  • Minimalist by design – no ads, no tracking, no unnecessary UI elements
  • Extremely fast – written in Go, optimized for low resource usage
  • Self-hosted & private – your reading habits stay on your server
  • Powerful filtering rules – auto-tag, auto-remove, or rewrite feed content
  • Keyboard-driven workflow – ideal for power users
  • REST API – compatible with mobile apps and third-party clients
  • Reliable feed fetching – handles flaky or malformed feeds gracefully

Miniflux vs Other RSS Readers

Feature / CapabilityMinifluxFreshRSSTiny Tiny RSSFeedly
HostingSelf-hostedSelf-hostedSelf-hostedCloud only
BackendGo + PostgreSQLPHP + MySQLPHP + PostgreSQLProprietary
Resource usageVery lowMediumMedium–HighN/A
Ads / tracking❌ None❌ None❌ None✅ Yes
API support✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ YesLimited
PhilosophyMinimal & fastFeature-richFeature-richSaaS

Miniflux is ideal for users who value speed, clarity, and reliability over visual clutter and social features.

Security & Best Practices

  • Run Miniflux behind Nginx with HTTPS enabled.
  • Store database credentials using environment variables, not hardcoded values.
  • Bind Miniflux to 127.0.0.1 and expose only Nginx publicly.
  • Use strong admin credentials and rotate API tokens periodically.
  • Keep PostgreSQL vacuuming and backups scheduled.
  • Enable UFW and allow only ports 80 and 443.
  • Automate SSL renewals with Certbot.
  • Regularly update Miniflux to benefit from security and feed parser improvements.

Typical Use Cases

  • Personal RSS reader replacing Google Reader or Feedly
  • Developers and DevOps engineers tracking blogs, changelogs, and security advisories
  • Journalists and researchers monitoring multiple news sources
  • Privacy-focused users avoiding cloud-based feed readers
  • Automation workflows consuming feeds via Miniflux API

Deploying Miniflux on Ubuntu 24.04 with PostgreSQL, Nginx, and SSL gives you a fast, secure, and distraction-free RSS reading platform that scales effortlessly, consumes minimal resources, and keeps full control of your data in your hands.

Create a Cloud Server Instance on Shape.Host

Before installing Miniflux, you need a clean Ubuntu 24.04 VPS.

Go to https://shape.host and log in.

Click Create.

Select Instance.

Choose a data center close to your location or users.

Select Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as the operating system.

Choose a plan (recommended minimum):

2 vCPUs

4 GB RAM

20 GB NVMe SSD

Click Create Instance.

Wait for provisioning to complete (about 30 seconds).

Copy the public IP address of the instance.

Your server is now ready.

Step 1: Connect to the Server via SSH

Linux / macOS

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Windows (PowerShell or Windows Terminal)

ssh root@YOUR_SERVER_IP

Confirm the fingerprint when prompted. You are now logged in as root.

Step 2: Update the System

apt update
apt upgrade

These commands update package lists and upgrade installed software to the latest versions.
Running them twice ensures the system is fully synchronized.

Step 3: Install Required Packages

apt install curl wget ca-certificates gnupg2 lsb-release unzip nginx postgresql postgresql-contrib

This installs:

  • curl / wget – download tools
  • ca-certificates / gnupg2 – secure package verification
  • nginx – web server / reverse proxy
  • postgresql – database engine required by Miniflux

Step 4: Verify PostgreSQL Installation

psql --version

Confirms PostgreSQL is installed correctly.

Step 5: Create the Miniflux Database and User

Switch to the PostgreSQL system user:

su - postgres

Inside PostgreSQL, run:

CREATE DATABASE miniflux;
CREATE USER miniflux WITH PASSWORD 'STRONG_DB_PASSWORD';
ALTER DATABASE miniflux OWNER TO miniflux;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE miniflux TO miniflux;
\q

Exit the PostgreSQL shell and user:

exit

This creates a dedicated database and user for Miniflux.

Step 6: Download the Miniflux Binary

cd /usr/local/bin
wget https://github.com/miniflux/v2/releases/latest/download/miniflux-linux-amd64

Step 7: Make Miniflux Executable

chmod +x miniflux-linux-amd64
mv miniflux-linux-amd64 miniflux

Moves Miniflux into your system PATH.

Step 8: Verify Miniflux Installation

miniflux -version

Confirms Miniflux runs correctly.

Step 9: Create Miniflux Configuration Directory

mkdir /etc/miniflux

Step 10: Create Miniflux Configuration File

nano /etc/miniflux/miniflux.conf

Paste your configuration exactly as in history:

DATABASE_URL=postgres://miniflux:STRONG_DB_PASSWORD@localhost/miniflux?sslmode=disable
LISTEN_ADDR=127.0.0.1:8080

# MUST MATCH NGINX DOMAIN
BASE_URL=https://rss.example.com

RUN_MIGRATIONS=1
CREATE_ADMIN=1
ADMIN_USERNAME=admin
ADMIN_PASSWORD=STRONG_ADMIN_PASSWORD

Save and exit.

Step 11: Set Secure Permissions

chown -R miniflux:miniflux /etc/miniflux
chmod 600 /etc/miniflux/miniflux.conf

Restricts access to sensitive credentials.

Step 12: Create Miniflux System User

useradd -r -s /usr/sbin/nologin miniflux
id miniflux

Creates a dedicated system user for security.

Step 13: Reapply Ownership

chown -R miniflux:miniflux /etc/miniflux

Step 14: Create systemd Service

nano /etc/systemd/system/miniflux.service

Paste:

[Unit]
Description=Miniflux RSS Reader
After=network.target postgresql.service

[Service]
User=miniflux
Group=miniflux
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/miniflux -config-file /etc/miniflux/miniflux.conf
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Step 15: Start Miniflux

systemctl start miniflux
systemctl status miniflux

Step 16: Manual Test as Miniflux User

su -s /bin/sh miniflux -c "miniflux -config-file /etc/miniflux/miniflux.conf"

Used to validate configuration.

Step 17: Reload systemd and Recheck

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl status miniflux

Step 18: Test Miniflux from Browser (Before Nginx)

Open your browser and visit:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080

If Miniflux is running correctly, the login page should load.

Step 19: Configure Nginx Reverse Proxy

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/miniflux

Paste:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name rss.example.com;

    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;
    }
}

Step 20: Enable Nginx Site

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/miniflux /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/miniflux
rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default

Step 21: Test and Reload Nginx

nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

Step 22: Install Certbot and Enable SSL

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
certbot --nginx -d ubuntu-tutorials.shape.host

Certbot automatically configures HTTPS.

Access Miniflux Securely

https://yourdomain.com

Your Miniflux RSS reader is now fully installed and secured.

Miniflux, Ghostfolio, NocoDB, HedgeDoc, Paperless-ngx, and similar self-hosted apps require fast and stable infrastructure.

Shape.Host offers:

  • NVMe Cloud VPS
  • Instant provisioning
  • Clean OS templates
  • Excellent uptime
  • Scalable resources

Visit https://shape.host to deploy your next application with confidence.

Tags:
Christian Wells

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