Systemd Service

Run copyparty as a systemd service on Linux

Overview

Running copyparty as a systemd service ensures it starts automatically on boot and can be managed using standard systemd commands. This guide covers installation and configuration of copyparty as both a system-wide and user service.

System Service Installation

1. Download copyparty

   Download the latest copyparty SFX to /usr/local/bin:

   wget https://github.com/9001/copyparty/releases/latest/download/copyparty-sfx.py -O /usr/local/bin/copyparty-sfx.py
   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/copyparty-sfx.py
   

   Or if installed via package manager:

   # Arch Linux
   pacman -S copyparty
   
   # Homebrew
   brew install copyparty
   
2. Create copyparty user

   Create a dedicated user for running the service:

   useradd -r -s /sbin/nologin -m -d /var/lib/copyparty copyparty
   
3. Configure firewall

   Open the required ports:

   # For HTTP only
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=3923/tcp
   
   # For all features (HTTP, FTP, SFTP, TFTP, etc.)
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={80,443,3921,3922,3923,3945,3990}/tcp
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=12000-12099/tcp  # FTP passive mode
   firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port={69,1900,3969,5353}/udp  # TFTP, SSDP, mDNS
   
   firewall-cmd --reload
   
4. Install service file

   Download and install the systemd service file:

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/9001/copyparty/hovudstraum/contrib/systemd/copyparty.service
   cp copyparty.service /etc/systemd/system/
   

   Or create /etc/systemd/system/copyparty.service with the following content:

   [Unit]
   Description=copyparty file server
   
   [Service]
   Type=notify
   SyslogIdentifier=copyparty
   Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=x
   ExecReload=/bin/kill -s USR1 $MAINPID
   PermissionsStartOnly=true
   
   # User to run as + where the TLS certificate is (if any)
   User=copyparty
   Group=copyparty
   WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/copyparty
   Environment=XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/var/lib/copyparty/.config
   
   # OPTIONAL: allow copyparty to listen on low ports (80/443)
   AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE
   
   # Security hardening
   MemoryMax=50%
   MemorySwapMax=50%
   ProtectClock=true
   ProtectControlGroups=true
   ProtectHostname=true
   ProtectKernelLogs=true
   ProtectKernelModules=true
   ProtectKernelTunables=true
   ProtectProc=invisible
   RemoveIPC=true
   RestrictNamespaces=true
   RestrictRealtime=true
   RestrictSUIDSGID=true
   
   # Create logs directory
   LogsDirectory=copyparty
   
   # Start copyparty
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /usr/local/bin/copyparty-sfx.py -c /etc/copyparty.conf
   
   # If installed from package manager, use:
   # ExecStart=/usr/bin/copyparty -c /etc/copyparty.conf
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   
5. Create configuration file

   Create /etc/copyparty.conf with your settings:

   [global]
     e2dsa  # enable file indexing
     e2ts   # enable multimedia indexing
     ansi   # colors in log messages
     
     # Log to file instead of journalctl
     q, lo: $LOGS_DIRECTORY/%Y-%m%d.log
     
     # Uncomment to listen on ports 80/443 (requires CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE)
     # p: 80,443,3923
   
   [accounts]
     admin: your_password_here
   
   [/]
     /var/lib/copyparty-jail
     accs:
       r: *
       rwmda: admin
     flags:
       grid
   

   The default configuration provides read access to everyone and full access to the admin user. Customize permissions according to your security requirements.

6. SELinux configuration (Fedora/RHEL)

   If using SELinux:

   restorecon -vr /etc/systemd/system/copyparty.service
   
7. Enable and start service

   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl enable --now copyparty
   
8. Verify service status

   Check that the service is running:

   systemctl status copyparty
   
   # View logs
   journalctl -u copyparty -f
   
   # Or if logging to file:
   tail -f /var/log/copyparty/$(date +%Y-%m%d).log
   

User Service Installation

For running copyparty as a regular user without root privileges:

1. Install user service file

   Create ~/.config/systemd/user/copyparty.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=copyparty file server
   
   [Service]
   Type=notify
   SyslogIdentifier=copyparty
   WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/copyparty-jail
   Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=x
   Environment=PRTY_CONFIG=%h/.config/copyparty/copyparty.conf
   ExecReload=/bin/kill -s USR1 $MAINPID
   
   # Ensure config exists
   ExecStartPre=/bin/bash -c 'if [[ ! -f %h/.config/copyparty/copyparty.conf ]]; then mkdir -p %h/.config/copyparty; cp /etc/copyparty/copyparty.conf %h/.config/copyparty/copyparty.conf; fi'
   
   # Run copyparty
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/copyparty
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=default.target
   
2. Create user configuration

   Create ~/.config/copyparty/copyparty.conf with your settings.

3. Enable user service

   systemctl --user daemon-reload
   systemctl --user enable --now copyparty
   
   # Enable linger to start service on boot without login
   loginctl enable-linger $USER
   

Multi-Instance Setup

Run multiple copyparty instances with different configurations using template services:

1. Create template service

   Create /etc/systemd/system/copyparty@.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=copyparty file server
   
   [Service]
   Type=notify
   SyslogIdentifier=copyparty
   WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/copyparty-jail
   Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=x
   Environment=PRTY_CONFIG=/etc/copyparty/copyparty.conf
   ExecReload=/bin/kill -s USR1 $MAINPID
   
   # %i = instance name (e.g., copyparty@alice -> %i = alice)
   User=%i
   Environment=XDG_CONFIG_HOME=/home/%i/.config
   
   ExecStart=/usr/bin/python3 /usr/bin/copyparty
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   
2. Start instance for specific user

   systemctl enable --now copyparty@alice
   systemctl enable --now copyparty@bob
   

Chroot (prisonparty) Setup

For enhanced security, run copyparty in a chroot environment:

1. Download prisonparty script

   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/9001/copyparty/hovudstraum/bin/prisonparty.sh -O /usr/local/bin/prisonparty.sh
   chmod +x /usr/local/bin/prisonparty.sh
   
2. Create jail directory

   mkdir -p /var/lib/copyparty-jail
   
3. Install prisonparty service

   Create /etc/systemd/system/prisonparty.service:

   [Unit]
   Description=copyparty file server
   
   [Service]
   SyslogIdentifier=prisonparty
   Environment=PYTHONUNBUFFERED=x
   WorkingDirectory=/var/lib/copyparty-jail
   ExecReload=/bin/kill -s USR1 $MAINPID
   
   # Prevent systemd-tmpfiles-clean from deleting copyparty
   ExecStartPre=+/bin/bash -c 'mkdir -p /run/tmpfiles.d/ && echo "x /tmp/pe-copyparty*" > /run/tmpfiles.d/copyparty.conf'
   
   # Run in chroot: args are [jail_dir] [user] [group] [mount_points...] -- [copyparty args...]
   ExecStart=/bin/bash /usr/local/bin/prisonparty.sh /var/lib/copyparty-jail cpp cpp \
     /mnt \
     -- \
     /usr/bin/python3 /usr/local/bin/copyparty-sfx.py -q -v /mnt::rw
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

   The chroot setup provides additional isolation but requires careful configuration of mounted directories.

4. Enable and start

   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl enable --now prisonparty
   

Service Management

Common Commands

# Start service
systemctl start copyparty

# Stop service
systemctl stop copyparty

# Restart service
systemctl restart copyparty

# Reload configuration (no downtime)
systemctl reload copyparty
# or
kill -s USR1 $(pidof copyparty)

# View status
systemctl status copyparty

# View logs
journalctl -u copyparty -f

# Enable on boot
systemctl enable copyparty

# Disable on boot
systemctl disable copyparty

Configuration Reload

Copyparty supports reloading accounts and volumes without restarting:

# Reload configuration
systemctl reload copyparty

Changes to the [global] section require a full restart to take effect.

Troubleshooting

Service Won’t Start

1. Check service status:

   systemctl status copyparty
   

2. View detailed logs:

   journalctl -u copyparty -n 100
   

3. Verify configuration:

   /usr/bin/python3 /usr/local/bin/copyparty-sfx.py -c /etc/copyparty.conf --help
   

Thumbnails Not Working

If thumbnails aren’t working, try removing the security hardening options temporarily:

# Comment out these lines in the service file:
# ProtectClock=true
# ProtectControlGroups=true
# ...

Then reload and restart:

systemctl daemon-reload
systemctl restart copyparty

Permission Issues

Ensure the copyparty user has access to shared directories:

# Check ownership
ls -la /path/to/shared/folder

# Fix ownership if needed
chown -R copyparty:copyparty /path/to/shared/folder

Advanced Configuration

Logging to File

The service creates /var/log/copyparty/ automatically. Configure logging in /etc/copyparty.conf:

[global]
  q  # Quiet mode (no stdout)
  lo: $LOGS_DIRECTORY/%Y-%m%d.log  # Log to dated files
  # Add .xz extension for compression:
  # lo: $LOGS_DIRECTORY/%Y-%m%d.log.xz

Listening on Ports 80/443

To listen on privileged ports without running as root:

1. Ensure AmbientCapabilities=CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE is in the service file
2. Update configuration:
   [global]
     p: 80,443,3923
   
3. Reload and restart:
   systemctl daemon-reload
   systemctl restart copyparty
   

A reverse proxy (nginx/Apache) is recommended instead of direct port 80/443 access.

Next Steps

Docker Deployment

Run copyparty in a container

Reverse Proxy

Set up nginx or Apache

Security

Harden your installation