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hosting:hardware:termux_server

Table of Contents

Termux Server Stack

What an Android device can serve with Termux, Caddy, and sshd. Applies to small ARM devices in the 3-4 GB RAM range: a Retroid Pocket and a Lenovo tablet both run this stack.

The Baseline Stack

  • Caddy static file server on :8080 (file_server over ~/www)
  • sshd on :8022 (Termux's non-root SSH port)
  • cron + watchdog + Termux:Boot for boot persistence
  • A Debian proot-distro container alongside for anything Termux lacks

Everything below installs with one pkg install from the Termux main repo and runs directly under Termux, so the existing watchdog can supervise it. Versions rotate; check pkg show <name> for what is current.

What It Can Serve

Category Packages Notes
Web platforms pocketbase, gitea/forgejo, miniflux, shiori, hugo/zola, kiwix-tools PocketBase is a whole backend in one binary. Miniflux needs PostgreSQL.
Media navidrome, jellyfin-server, minidlna, icecast, mpd+mympd, snapcast-server, transmission Navidrome runs ~50-100 MB. Jellyfin direct-play fine; transcoding is impractical on ARM.
Sync and files syncthing, rclone, restic+restic-server, aria2 Encrypted backup backends work headless.
Databases mariadb, postgresql, redis/valkey, sqlite, openldap MariaDB needs tuning to ~300-500 MB. No MongoDB server package.
Monitoring uptime-kuma, netdata Keep netdata's retention small.

What It Cannot

  • Anything needing Docker or systemd services: proot is not a VM
  • Heavy transcoding (Jellyfin/Plex)
  • Browser-dependent automation (no headless Chrome worth running on 3 GB)

Practical Notes

  • Termux's wake_lock matters: termux-wake-lock keeps the CPU alive with the screen off
  • Battery is a built-in UPS. Keep charge cycling between ~40-80% for longevity
  • Static files plus sshd plus cron is the practical workload; run heavier apps on an x86 box like the vivobook
  • Control the device headless from a laptop with adb: Android ADB Control

See Also

hosting/hardware/termux_server.txt · Last modified: by 127.0.0.1