gdl-sync.py always needed a fistful of paths on the command line, and the 2026-08-20 run published to a local directory and then rsynced to the NAS by hand -- fine interactively, impossible from cron. gdl-cron.sh takes one argument (stories|full|sweep) and does the whole thing. Staging is wiped every run deliberately: what we already hold is decided by the skip-archive, never by what happens to be sitting in staging, so starting empty is correct and keeps the publish to just the new files. Documents the three cadences and what each is for -- notably that only `sweep` notices carousels edited after we archived them, and that only `stories` loses content if it is skipped, since stories cannot be backfilled. Cron notes the two things that would silently break it: cron runs /bin/sh so $RANDOM does not exist (use shuf), and `%` in a crontab line means newline. systemd is offered as the better option because RandomizedDelaySec and Persistent=true are built in -- a host asleep at 09:00 silently skips a cron job, and a skipped stories run is content gone for good. The publish step is still blocked on mattellite having no key on the NAS; that is recorded under Outstanding as the one thing between this and unattended. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5 <noreply@anthropic.com> Claude-Session: https://claude.ai/code/session_01UXfdJu7QhSJLr47K7koTDF
InstaArchive Viewer
A high-performance React PWA for browsing archived Instagram data with a native-feeling interface. Supports both official Instagram exports and Instaloader archives.
Features
- Advanced Carousel: Seamless, zero-latency transitions between slides with intelligent preloading. Navigating between different posts is now near-instant thanks to inter-post background preloading.
- High-Res Performance: Handles 50MP+ images effortlessly using a background Web Worker and a memory-safe serial processing queue.
- Persistent Local Caching: Uses IndexedDB to store parsed archives and generated thumbnails. Local folders now load instantly from cache on return visits without needing to re-upload files.
- Permalinks: State is synchronized with the URL, allowing you to share direct links to archives, tabs, or specific posts. Navigating back to the explorer cleans up URL parameters automatically.
- Glassy Scanning UI: A refined, translucent white terminal experience with flicker-free, double-buffered dynamic blurred backgrounds.
- PWA with Auto-Update: Fully offline-capable and installable. Clients automatically receive updates when a new version is deployed to the server.
- Local Privacy: All processing is done client-side. Even when using the self-hosted version, your media is processed locally in your browser and never uploaded.
- Smart Fallbacks: Automatically detects usernames from folder names and uses the oldest archive image as a profile picture if one is missing.
- Customizable Grid: 1:1 or 3:4 aspect ratios with adjustable "bumps" for aesthetic alignment.
- Story Viewer: Native-like story experience with segmented progress bars, auto-playback, and audio controls.
- Navigation Protection: Intercepts accidental browser "Back" or "Refresh" actions to protect your current session.
Deployment
Docker (Recommended)
The easiest way to run InstaArchive is using Docker.
docker run -d \
-p 3000:3000 \
-v /path/to/your/archives:/archives:ro \
ghcr.io/ergosteur/instaarchive-viewer:latest
Note for Linux/SELinux users: If you see "Permission Denied" in the logs, append
,zto your volume mount:-v /path/to/archives:/archives:ro,z
Docker Compose
Create a compose.yml file:
services:
instaarchive:
image: ghcr.io/ergosteur/instaarchive-viewer:latest
ports:
- "3000:3000"
volumes:
- ./archives:/archives:ro,z # ,z handles SELinux permissions
Troubleshooting Permissions
If the app shows "No Archives Found" and logs EACCES: permission denied:
- Check Directory Permissions: Ensure the archive folder is world-readable:
chmod -R 755 /path/to/archives - SELinux (Fedora/RHEL/CentOS): Use the
:zflag in your volume mount as shown above. - User Mapping: The container runs as the non-root
nodeuser (UID 1000). If your archives are readable only by another account, run as that user instead — the container needs to list the archive directory, so--x(traverse-only) permissions are not enough:In Compose:docker run --user $(stat -c '%u:%g' /path/to/archives) ...services: instaarchive: user: "1234:1234" # a UID that can read your archives
Archive Index
On first start the server walks the archive root once and caches the result,
keyed by directory mtime. This matters on network storage: for a 110k-file
archive root, listing went from ~52s per request to ~0.1s. Mount a volume at
/cache (or set CACHE_DIR) so the index survives restarts, otherwise it is
rebuilt on every start.
Supported Archive Structure
Place your archive folders inside the mounted /archives directory. The directory name will be used as the account username.
Example Structure:
archives/
├── wanderlust_explorer/ # Instaloader format
│ ├── 2024-01-01_12-00-00_UTC.jpg
│ ├── 2024-01-01_12-00-00_UTC.json.xz
│ └── wanderlust_explorer_profile_pic.jpg
└── pixel_architect/ # Instagram Export format
├── 2023-12-25_pixel_architect - post_123.jpg
├── 2023-12-25_pixel_architect - post_123.json
└── pixel_architect.jpg
Local Development
Prerequisites: Node.js (LTS recommended)
- Install dependencies:
npm install - Start dev server:
npm run dev(Frontend on port 3000) - Start local backend:
npm run server(Optional, serves./_sample-archiveson port 3001) - Build production:
npm run build(Generates./distfor frontend and./dist-serverfor the API)