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How to Install Miniflux (Minimal RSS Reader) on Debian 12

HomeDebianHow to Install Miniflux (Minimal RSS Reader) on Debian 12

Miniflux (Minimal RSS Reader) on Debian 12 (PostgreSQL + Nginx + SSL)

Miniflux is a fast, lightweight, and opinionated self-hosted RSS reader built for users who value simplicity, performance, and reliability over visual clutter and social features. It delivers a clean, distraction-free reading experience with excellent keyboard navigation, powerful feed filtering rules, and full support for RSS, Atom, and JSON feeds. Miniflux also exposes a robust REST API, making it compatible with many mobile and desktop feed-reader clients.

Running Miniflux on Debian 12 (Bookworm) provides a stable, secure, and long-term supported foundation. Debian 12 ships with systemd 252, OpenSSL 3, and mature PostgreSQL and Nginx packages, making it an excellent choice for a production-grade Miniflux deployment secured with HTTPS.

Architecture Overview

LayerComponentRole
OSDebian 12 (Bookworm)Stable, long-term supported Linux base
ApplicationMiniflux (Go binary)Core RSS reader and feed processing engine
DatabasePostgreSQL 15Stores 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, which makes it extremely efficient, easy to maintain, and well-suited for servers with limited resources.

Why Use Miniflux?

  • Minimalist by design – no ads, no tracking, no unnecessary UI elements
  • Very fast and efficient – written in Go, low CPU and memory usage
  • Self-hosted and private – your reading data never leaves your server
  • Advanced filtering rules – auto-tag, auto-remove, or rewrite feed content
  • Keyboard-first workflow – ideal for power users and developers
  • REST API support – integrates with mobile apps and automation tools
  • Reliable feed parsing – handles broken or non-standard 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 access✅ Yes✅ Yes✅ YesLimited
PhilosophyMinimal & fastFeature-richFeature-richSaaS

Miniflux is best suited for users who prefer a focused, efficient reading experience and value speed and stability over advanced social or visual features.

Security & Best Practices

  • Run Miniflux behind Nginx with HTTPS enabled.
  • Store database credentials using environment variables, not in config files.
  • Bind Miniflux to 127.0.0.1 and expose only Nginx publicly.
  • Use strong admin credentials and rotate API tokens regularly.
  • Schedule PostgreSQL backups and vacuum jobs.
  • Use UFW or nftables to allow only ports 80 and 443.
  • Automate SSL certificate renewal with Certbot.
  • Keep Miniflux and system packages up to date for security fixes.

Typical Use Cases

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

Deploying Miniflux on Debian 12 with PostgreSQL, Nginx, and SSL gives you a fast, secure, and distraction-free RSS reading platform that is easy to maintain, extremely efficient, and fully under your control.

Create a Cloud Server Instance on Shape.Host

Before installing Miniflux, you need a clean Debian 12 VPS.

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

Click Create.

Select Instance.

Choose a data center close to your users.

Select Debian 12 (64-bit) as the operating system.

Choose a plan (recommended minimum):

2 vCPUs

4 GB RAM

20 GB NVMe SSD

Click Create Instance.

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

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

Step 2: Update the System

apt update
apt upgrade -y

This updates the package index and upgrades all installed packages to the latest versions.

Step 3: Install Required Packages

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

These packages provide:

  • Download tools (curl, wget)
  • Security and verification (ca-certificates, gnupg2)
  • Web server (Nginx)
  • Database server (PostgreSQL)

Step 4: Verify PostgreSQL Installation

psql --version

Confirms that PostgreSQL is installed correctly.

Step 5: Create Miniflux Database and User

Switch to the PostgreSQL system user:

su - postgres

Enter the PostgreSQL shell:

psql

Create the database and user:

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 back to root:

exit

This ensures Miniflux has its own isolated database.

Step 6: Download Miniflux Binary

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

Downloads the official Miniflux binary.

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 System User

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

Creates a dedicated, non-login system user for security.

Step 10: Create Configuration Directory

mkdir /etc/miniflux

Step 11: Create Miniflux Configuration File

nano /etc/miniflux/miniflux.conf

Paste the configuration from your 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 12: Secure Configuration File

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

Restricts access to sensitive credentials.

Step 13: 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 14: Enable and Start Miniflux

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl enable miniflux
systemctl start miniflux
systemctl status miniflux

Confirms Miniflux is running as a system service.

Step 15: Manual Test as Miniflux User (Optional)

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

Useful for debugging configuration issues.

Step 16: Test Miniflux from Browser (Before Nginx)

Open your browser and visit:

http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8080

You should see the Miniflux login page.

Step 17: 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 18: Enable Nginx Site

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

Step 19: Test and Reload Nginx

nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

Step 20: Install Certbot and Enable SSL

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

Certbot automatically issues and configures an SSL certificate.

Access Miniflux Securely

https://your-domain.com

Miniflux is now fully installed and secured on Debian 12.

Miniflux, Ghostfolio, NocoDB, HedgeDoc, Paperless-ngx, and similar applications benefit from fast, reliable infrastructure.

Shape.Host offers:

  • Linux SSD VPS
  • Instant provisioning
  • Clean OS images
  • High uptime
  • Easy scalability

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

Tags:
Christian Wells

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