Getting Started

Ownet makes it easy to deploy your own IndieWeb-powered blog with our fully managed hosting service.

Self-Hosting: Want complete control over your infrastructure? Check out our self-hosting documentation to learn how to deploy indie-wemblate on your own servers.

Using Ownet Managed Hosting

  1. Create an account on Ownet
  2. Choose a subscription plan that fits your needs
  3. Create your first instance from the dashboard
  4. Configure your instance with your domain and preferences
  5. Start publishing your content!

What You Get

  • Fully managed infrastructure - We handle servers, databases, and updates
  • IndieWeb protocols - Micropub, Microsub, IndieAuth, and Webmentions built-in
  • Custom domains - Use your own domain (Pro plans and above)
  • Privacy first - Your data is yours, no tracking or ads
  • Lightning fast - Built with Rust for performance

Using the Control Pane

The Ownet control pane is your central dashboard for managing all your indie-wemblate instances.

Dashboard Overview

After logging in, you'll see your dashboard with:

  • Active Instances - All your running indie-wemblate blogs
  • Quick Stats - Storage usage, bandwidth, and instance count
  • Recent Activity - Latest posts and webmentions across your instances

Creating an Instance

  1. Navigate to Dashboard → Create Instance
  2. Choose an instance name (e.g., "my-blog")
  3. Select your subdomain (e.g., "my-blog.ownet.org")
  4. Choose deployment mode:
    • Multi-user mode (default): Multiple authors, URLs include username like /users/alice/posts
    • Single-user mode: Personal blog, clean URLs like /posts and /blog/my-post
  5. Click Create Instance
  6. Wait 30-60 seconds for provisioning to complete
  7. Access your new blog at the provided URL

Managing Your Instances

For each instance, you can:

  • View Details - See instance status, URL, and credentials
  • Start/Stop/Restart - Control instance lifecycle
  • Access Admin Panel - Direct link to your blog's admin interface
  • View Credentials - Get initial admin username and password
  • Delete Instance - Permanently remove an instance (careful!)

Default Credentials

When you create a new instance, default admin credentials are generated. Important: Change the default password immediately after first login.

Single-User vs Multi-User Mode

When creating an instance, you can choose between two deployment modes:

Multi-User Mode (Default)

  • Supports multiple user accounts with individual profiles
  • URLs include username: /users/alice/blog/hello-world
  • Full user management and registration system
  • Ideal for shared blogs or multi-author sites

Single-User Mode

  • Simplified for personal blogs with one author
  • Clean URLs without username: /blog/hello-world, /posts, /profile
  • Requires exactly one admin user account
  • IndieWeb endpoints at root level: /micropub, /microsub
  • Perfect for personal IndieWeb sites

Note: The deployment mode is set at instance creation and cannot be changed later without recreating the instance.

Custom Domains

Use your own domain name for your indie-wemblate instance instead of the default *.ownet.org subdomain. Custom domains are available on Pro plans and above.

Prerequisites

  • An active Pro plan or higher subscription
  • A domain name you own with access to DNS settings
  • A running indie-wemblate instance

Step 1: Add Your Custom Domain

  1. Go to your instance details page in the Ownet dashboard
  2. Click "Add Custom Domain"
  3. Enter your domain name (e.g., blog.example.com)
  4. Click "Add Domain"

The system will generate a unique verification token for your domain.

Step 2: Verify Domain Ownership

To prove you own the domain, add a DNS TXT record with the verification token:

                    DNS Record Type: TXT

                    Name/Host: _ownet-verify.yourdomain.com

                    Value: [Your verification token from the dashboard]

                    TTL: 300 (or your DNS provider's default)

Example: If your domain is blog.example.com, create:

                    Name: _ownet-verify.blog.example.com

                    Type: TXT

                    Value: ownet-verify-abc123def456...

Step 3: Trigger Verification

  1. After adding the DNS TXT record, wait 5-10 minutes for DNS propagation
  2. Return to your instance details page
  3. Click "Verify Domain"
  4. The system will check the DNS record and verify ownership

Note: You have 72 hours to complete verification. After that, you'll need to start over.

Step 4: Point Your Domain to Ownet

Once verified, add a DNS A record or CNAME to point your domain to Ownet:

                    For A Record:

                    Name: blog.example.com

                    Type: A

                    Value: [Ownet server IP address - check your dashboard]

                    

                    For CNAME (recommended for subdomains):

                    Name: blog

                    Type: CNAME

                    Value: ownet.org

Step 5: SSL Certificate (Automatic)

Ownet automatically obtains and renews SSL certificates for your custom domain using Let's Encrypt. This happens automatically within 1-2 minutes after DNS propagation.

  • ✅ Free SSL certificates via Let's Encrypt
  • ✅ Automatic renewal every 60 days
  • ✅ HTTPS-only - HTTP requests are redirected
  • ✅ Modern TLS 1.2+ with strong ciphers

Troubleshooting

Verification Fails

  • DNS not propagated: Wait 10-15 minutes and try again
  • Wrong TXT record name: Must include _ownet-verify. prefix
  • Token mismatch: Copy the exact token from your dashboard
  • Multiple TXT records: Some DNS providers append quotes - remove them

Check your DNS records with:

dig TXT _ownet-verify.yourdomain.com
# or
nslookup -type=TXT _ownet-verify.yourdomain.com

Domain Not Accessible

  • DNS not pointing to Ownet: Verify A/CNAME record is correct
  • Still seeing subdomain: Clear browser cache or try incognito mode
  • SSL errors: Wait 2-3 minutes for certificate issuance

Removing a Custom Domain

  1. Go to your instance details page
  2. Click "Remove Custom Domain"
  3. Confirm removal
  4. Your instance will revert to the *.ownet.org subdomain

Note: You can safely remove DNS records after removing the custom domain from Ownet.

Best Practices

  • Use a subdomain (e.g., blog.example.com) rather than apex domain (example.com)
  • Keep DNS TTL low (300-600 seconds) during setup for faster propagation
  • Don't delete the verification TXT record after verification - keep it as proof of ownership
  • Monitor SSL certificate expiration in your dashboard (though renewal is automatic)

Instance Management via Control Pane

When using Ownet's managed hosting, we handle instance management for you.

How Provisioning Works

When you create an instance:

  1. Container Creation - We create isolated Podman containers for your blog and database
  2. Network Setup - Dedicated network with isolated IP space
  3. Database Initialization - PostgreSQL database with migrations applied
  4. Port Allocation - Unique port assignment (8100-9099 range)
  5. Reverse Proxy - Caddy automatically configured for your domain
  6. Admin User - Default admin account created with random password

Instance States

  • Provisioning - Instance is being created
  • Running - Instance is active and accessible
  • Stopped - Instance is stopped but data is preserved
  • Failed - Provisioning or startup failed (contact support)

Backups and Data

You have full control over your data:

  • Manual Backups - Create backups anytime from your instance admin panel
  • Database Export - Export your PostgreSQL database directly
  • Media Files - Download all uploaded media and assets
  • No Lock-in - All your data is accessible and portable

Note: Set up your own backup automation if needed for production instances.

IndieWeb Features

indie-wemblate has full support for IndieWeb protocols.

IndieAuth

Use your blog as your identity on the web:

  • Authorization Server - Built-in IndieAuth provider
  • Client Support - Sign in to other IndieWeb sites
  • Token Management - Manage authorized applications in admin panel

Micropub

Post to your blog from any Micropub client:

  • Media Endpoint - Upload images and files
  • Post Types - Articles, notes, photos, replies, likes, bookmarks
  • Syndication - Cross-post to other platforms

Webmentions

Receive and send cross-site interactions:

  • Incoming Webmentions - Accept mentions from other sites
  • Moderation - Approve or reject mentions in admin panel
  • Display - Show mentions on your posts
  • Outgoing - Automatically send webmentions when you link to others

Microsub

Follow other sites and read feeds:

  • Feed Reader - Built-in RSS/Atom/h-feed reader
  • Channels - Organize feeds into channels
  • Timeline - Unified timeline of followed sites
  • Multiple Formats - RSS, Atom, JSON Feed, microformats2