【Add-on Guide】Volume management & Filebrowser add-on

[Teki]

In this post, I’ll show you how to manage the files of an add-on via the filebrowser/filebrowser add-on

Take Node-RED as an example.

Step 1
Install the filebrowser/filebrowser add-on

Do not run it for now.

Step 2
Create some volumes for add-ons.
Here I created a volume named node-red-volume

You can create more volumes for your other add-ons as well.

Step 3
Run the filebrowser add-on

Explaination

For the Port section

host port can be any (except for 80), add-on port should be 80

• Additional explanation by Joennuh: Host port can not be 80 (as it is already in use for the UI of the iHost itself) or a port used for another add-on. Apart from that it can be any portnumber from 1 to 65535. It is a common thing to assign above 1024 as most basic things like webservers, mailservers, SSH, DNS, etc.

For the Volume section,

row1 is must, row2&3 are optional but recommended, for storing filebrowser data.

/srv

/database/filebrowser.db
/config/settings.json

row4&5&more are the maps of Host Volume & Filebrowser path
eg. files on node-red-volume will show in filebrowser node-red-files folder
node-red-volume → /srv/node-red-files

(other information: Installation - File Browser )
run it and open the filebrowser interface

the default login info: admin/admin

you’ll see the folders here:

Step 4
Now run the Node-RED add-on
(if it is running, click More info - click the Delete icon upper right to stop it.)
Select Volume node-red-volume you created in step 2 and run.

After running, the Node-RED add-on files can be seen in filebrowser’s node-red-files folder (you created when running the filebrowser add-on)

END

[joennuh]

A few remarks:

• For users that have already running add-ons: it is not strictly necessary to rebuild a new volume. It only helps you to have a more recognizable name while configuring the run parameters of the filebrowser.
• Host port can not be any. It can not be 80 (as it is already in use for the UI of the iHost itself) or a port used for another add-on. Apart from that it can be any portnumber from 1 to 65535. It is a common thing to assign above 1024 as most basic things like webservers, mailservers, SSH, DNS, etc. have ports below 1024.

@Teki
If I press the delete button of the Node-RED add-on will all configuration data with my flows and nodes also get lost?
I’d like to add startup parameters in order to try to correct the incorrect time for timer nodes, but as it seems that only deletion and re-run provides the run configuration dialog I’m afraid all my flows will get lost.

[Teki]

From my test delete from ‘More info - upper right delete’ wont delete the data.
delete by clicking Uninstall on the list will delete the data.
delete the volume where it runs on will delete the data.
But I remember Node-RED has a feature allowing you to export flows for backup, it would be better for you to try to find the export menu.
Or just install any add-ons to test first.

[fabinhuziica]

and what would be the path to homeasistant?

[christiansbalz]

@Teki

You can create more volumes for your other add-ons as well.

ewelink/ewelink-smart-home does not allow editing any value to insert a volume. Any reason for this behavior?

[Alexie]

Why you need to edit the ewelink-smart-home value ?

[ociepa.ekotox]

Hello. I set everything according to the instructions, but I only see files in the node-red directory. the homebridge and home-assistant directories are empty.

is it possible to display all volumes in filebrowser?

[Teki]

create a volume for HomeBridge
run the Filebrowser and add a volume map like HomeBridge volume - HomeBridge files
run the HomeBridge
Then you can see the files under HomeBridge files folder

you need to run filebrowser first and then run other add-ons

[ociepa.ekotox]

I did that but I don’t see anything. Will try again later. Is it possible to display all the files on the card in the file browser

[Alexie]

Make sure you select the corresponding HomeBridge volume when you start homebridge addon – If you start addon without configuration, homebridge will not be installed on the HomeBridge files volume, and there will be no files in it.

Make sure that you create a new Volume and select it when you enable homebridge addon instead of using the default volume configuration. After addon is started, you can see the files addon has written to it when Filebrower is mounted to this volume

[ociepa.ekotox]

What you need to enter in the marked place for home assistant

[christiansbalz]

In fact there is really no immediate need, except the possibility of organizing the volumes and eventually performing backups.

Why do you create and manage volumes for other add-ons?

[ysty89]

I suppose you can put, depending on what you need: /config

PS. Not much experience with HA, but if you manage to figure out how to enable add-ons let me know

[Alexie]

Some Addons need to modify the configuration file, and ihost cannot provide SSH to enter the Addon to operate the file. Therefore, users can only download the configuration file after mounting the volume of the Addon to filebrower, and then modify and upload the overwrite the config file.

[cliff]

I have Home Assistant running with filebrowser being able to edit cofiguration.yaml. This is great for me and I really appreciate this and the guide that @Teki provided.
I followed his steps in 【Add-on Guide】Volume management & Filebrowser add-on
But before starting, I created a volume homeassistant.
For filebrowser I mapped this volume with /srv/homeassistant

When adding the Container for Home Assistant, I mapped the volume to /config

Please note that I had to install filebrowser in Bridge mode in order to map a port to port 80.
Home Assistant however was in Host mode, because for some reason it did not find devices in Bridge mode. But maybe I did something wrong there.

Anyway… In filebrowser I now can see and edit files like configuration.yaml

This has another positive effect: We can now restore Backups (by unpacking the archives and uploading the files).

[Dimas]

I was also able to install hacs, now SonoffLan can be integrated via home assistant, filebrowser opened possibilities…

[ysty89]

Hi Dimas. Any guides / tutorials that you could share for this? Cheers

[Dimas]

I followed the tips above and managed to access the home assistant files through the filebrowser, I created a “custom_components” folder in the root folder of the home assistant.

I downloaded hacs.zip and unzipped it in the custom_components folder, after that I restarted the home assistant.

Then I enabled hacs in settings > devices and services > add integration

Now just add the integrations and themes via hacs.

[ysty89]

To which folder you linked the homeassistant volume? /config? Asking as I am not sure that is the root folder for homeassistant.

Also running homeassistant in host or bridge mode? Not sure on the difference here either.

Thank you

[cliff]

Yes. A few posts up you will find more infos. Homeassistant in Host mode and yes, the HA container has a volume that is mapped to /config