Stack

stack.lol is a curated catalog of open-source, self-hostable software packages — every entry ships a ready-to-use Docker Compose file. Use this skill whenever a user asks about open-source alternatives, wants to self-host something, needs a Docker Compose setup for a specific tool, or wants to understand, generate, or run .stack bundle files.

The .stack bundle format

A .stack file is a gzip-compressed tar archive (.tar.gz with a .stack extension). It is a self-contained bundle that packages everything needed to run a software stack.

File structure

<name>.stack              ← gzip-compressed tar archive
├── stack.yaml            ← metadata (required)
├── compose.yaml          ← Docker Compose definition (for DockerCompose flavor)
├── .env                  ← primary environment variables
├── <name>.env            ← extra env files (optional, e.g. .apiserver.env)
└── config/               ← auxiliary config files (optional)
    ├── settings.yml
    └── ...

For StaticWebsite flavor stacks (no Docker Compose), the archive contains:

<name>.stack
├── stack.yaml
├── index.html
├── js/
├── style/
└── ...

For recipe bundles (multi-stack combinations), the archive includes nested stacks:

<name>.stack
├── stack.yaml
├── compose.yaml          ← uses `include:` referencing ./stacks/*/compose.yaml
├── .env
└── stacks/
    ├── openwebui/
    │   ├── stack.yaml
    │   ├── compose.yaml
    │   └── .env
    ├── ollama/
    │   ├── stack.yaml
    │   ├── compose.yaml
    │   └── .env
    └── ...

stack.yaml schema

The metadata file follows the schema at https://stack.lol/schemas/stack.config.schema.yaml:

# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://stack.lol/schemas/stack.config.schema.yaml
slug: myapp                          # required — unique identifier (lowercase, hyphens)
name: My App                         # required — display name
icon: 🚀                             # optional — emoji icon
flavor: DockerCompose                # required — one of: DockerCompose, DockerService, StaticWebsite
version: "1.0.0"                     # required — version string
updated_at: 2026-06-09               # optional — YYYY-MM-DD
description: Short description       # required — brief description
author: Author Name                  # required — author or organization
license: MIT                         # required — SPDX identifier or URL
homepage: https://example.com        # optional — product homepage URL
repository: https://github.com/...   # optional — source code URL
stars: 1000                          # optional — GitHub stars count
tags:                                # optional — category tags
  - self-hosted
  - web
alternativeTo:                       # optional — proprietary tools this replaces
  - some-tool
status: working                      # optional — one of: untested, broken, starting, working
type: stack                          # optional — "stack" or "recipe"
dependencies:                        # optional — for recipes only
  - name: openwebui
    role: Web interface
readme: |                            # optional — markdown description
  Detailed description here...
i18n:                                # optional — translations
  fr:
    description: Description en français

Flavors

compose.yaml conventions

Stack compose files follow these conventions:

• Labels for service discovery:

  labels:
    dash.url: https://$PROJECT.$DOMAIN
    traefik.http.routers.<name>.rule: Host(`$PROJECT.$DOMAIN`)
    traefik.http.services.<name>.loadbalancer.server.port: 8080
  

• Environment variables use $PROJECT and $DOMAIN (defined in .env)
• .env always defines at minimum: PROJECT=<slug> and DOMAIN=stack.localhost
• Volumes use named Docker volumes (not bind mounts) for persistent data
• Networks are stack-scoped (non-external)

Download URLs

Pre-built .stack files are available at:

• Stacks: https://stack.lol/downloads/{slug}.stack
• Recipes: https://stack.lol/downloads/recipes/{slug}.stack

API Reference

Endpoints

Both endpoints return { items: Stack[] }. No authentication required.

Stack object shape

{
  "slug": "plane",
  "name": "Plane",
  "version": "1.2.2",
  "updated_at": "2026-02-28T00:00:00.000Z",
  "description": "Issue tracking and project management",
  "license": "AGPL-3.0",
  "tags": ["issue-tracking", "project-management"],
  "alternativeTo": ["jira", "asana", "linear", "monday"],
  "link": "/plane",
  "stars": 46000
}

Key fields:

• slug — unique identifier; also the path key for compose files
• alternativeTo — array of well-known proprietary/popular tools this stack replaces (lowercase slugs, e.g. "jira", "notion", "github")
• tags — 131 unique category tags (e.g. "issue-tracking", "ai", "wiki", "crm")
• stars — GitHub stars (use as a popularity/trust signal)
• link — relative URL; prefixed with /recipes/ for recipe entries

Companion file URLs

All files for a stack live under the same base URL:

# Base (stack)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/hub/{slug}/

# Base (recipe)
https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/recipes/{slug}/

Derive the type from the link field: if link starts with /recipes/ it is a recipe, otherwise it is a plain stack.

The files that may exist under that base:

Do not guess which companion files exist — discover them by parsing compose.yaml (see below).

Discovering companion files from compose.yaml

After fetching compose.yaml, scan it for three patterns:

1. env_file: entries — each value that does not start with / is a relative companion file.

   env_file: .env          # → fetch .env
   env_file: .apiserver.env  # → fetch .apiserver.env
   

2. volumes: local-source mounts — entries of the form ./local/path:/container/path where the source starts with ./ are local files/dirs bundled with the stack.

   volumes:
     - ./config/limiter.toml:/etc/searxng/limiter.toml:ro   # → fetch config/limiter.toml
     - ./config/uwsgi.ini:/etc/searxng/uwsgi.ini:ro          # → fetch config/uwsgi.ini
   

3. Top-level configs: blocks — two sub-cases:

   • content: | — config is inline in compose.yaml; no extra fetch needed, content is already present.
   • file: ./path — config references an external local file; fetch it.

For each discovered path, fetch:

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/hub/{slug}/{relative_path}

Always attempt to fetch .env even if not explicitly listed in env_file: — it is the default and present in ~95% of stacks. A 404 simply means that stack has no .env.

Use case 1 — Find the best open-source alternative to a specific tool

Trigger phrases: "alternative to Jira", "self-hosted Notion", "open-source Slack", "replace GitHub", "free alternative to …"

Procedure

1. GET https://stack.lol/api/stacks — fetch the full catalog.
2. Normalize the target tool name to a likely slug (lowercase, spaces → hyphens, strip punctuation). Example: "Jira" → "jira".
3. Filter items where alternativeTo array contains the target slug (case-insensitive).
4. If zero results, also search https://stack.lol/api/recipes with the same filter.
5. Sort surviving entries by stars descending.
6. Present the top candidates in a comparison table.

Output format

Follow the table with a brief recommendation paragraph: highlight the closest feature match, the most active project (stars + updated_at), and any notable license caveats.

Example

User: "What's the best open-source alternative to Jira?"

1. Fetch https://stack.lol/api/stacks.
2. Filter alternativeTo ∋ "jira".
3. Sort by stars → Plane (46k ⭐), Taiga (17k ⭐), Linear-alikes, …
4. Return comparison table + recommendation.

Use case 2 — Metadata and Docker Compose for a specific stack

Trigger phrases: "how do I self-host Plane", "docker compose for Gitea", "deploy Nextcloud", "what's in the Plane stack", "show me the compose file for …"

Procedure

1. GET https://stack.lol/api/stacks — fetch the full catalog.
2. Find the matching entry: exact slug match first, then case-insensitive name match.
3. If not found in stacks, try GET https://stack.lol/api/recipes.
4. Determine base URL:
   • Stack: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/hub/{slug}/
   • Recipe: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/recipes/{slug}/
5. Fetch compose.yaml from the base URL.
6. Parse compose.yaml to discover companion files (see Discovering companion files above).
7. Fetch .env unconditionally (ignore 404).
8. Fetch every other companion file discovered in step 6.
9. Present: metadata card → compose.yaml → companion files.

Output format

Metadata card (always show first):

📦 Plane  v1.2.2
   Issue tracking and project management
   License : AGPL-3.0
   Stars   : ⭐ 46,000
   Tags    : issue-tracking · project-management
   Also an alternative to: Jira · Asana · Linear · Monday
   Updated : 2026-02-28
   Detail  : https://stack.lol/plane

Docker Compose file (show in a fenced code block):

# contents of compose.yaml …

Companion files — show each one in its own labeled fenced block:

# .env
POSTGRES_USER=plane
…

# .apiserver.env  (if present)
SECRET_KEY=secret
…

# config/limiter.toml  (if present)
…

Label each block with the relative filename so the user knows exactly where to place it. After all files, provide a brief "Getting started" note pointing to https://stack.lol/{slug} for full setup instructions.

Example

User: "Show me the metadata and docker compose for Plane."

1. Fetch /api/stacks, find slug: "plane".
2. Base URL → https://raw.githubusercontent.com/codename-co/stack/main/hub/plane/
3. Fetch compose.yaml → parse → discover env_file: .env and env_file: .apiserver.env.
4. Fetch .env and .apiserver.env.
5. Render: metadata card + compose.yaml + .env + .apiserver.env.

Use case 3 — Browse by category / tag

Trigger phrases: "what self-hosted CRM tools are available", "show me open-source monitoring stacks", "any AI tools on stack.lol"

Procedure

1. GET https://stack.lol/api/stacks (+ /api/recipes if relevant).
2. Filter items where tags contains the requested category tag.
3. Sort by stars descending; cap display at 10 results.
4. Present as a table (same format as use case 1, omitting the "Install" column).

Common tag → user intent mapping (not exhaustive):

Use case 4 — Generate a new .stack file

Trigger phrases: "create a .stack file for …", "generate a stack bundle", "package this docker compose as a .stack", "make a .stack file", "build me a stack"

How .stack files are built

A .stack file is produced by tar-archiving then gzip-compressing a directory. The canonical build command (from the Makefile) is:

cd hub/<slug> && tar --exclude="*.stack" -czf ../../packages/website/public/downloads/<slug>.stack .

This yields a tar.gz where all paths are relative to the root (e.g., ./stack.yaml, ./compose.yaml, ./.env).

Client-side generation (browser)

To generate a .stack file entirely client-side (no server needed), use JavaScript with the pako library (for gzip) and manual tar block construction. The procedure:

Step 1 — Prepare the file contents

Generate the required files as strings:

// 1. stack.yaml — metadata
const stackYaml = `# yaml-language-server: $schema=https://stack.lol/schemas/stack.config.schema.yaml
slug: ${slug}
name: ${name}
icon: ${icon}
flavor: DockerCompose
version: "${version}"
updated_at: ${new Date().toISOString().split('T')[0]}
description: ${description}
author: ${author}
license: ${license}
homepage: ${homepage}
repository: ${repository}
tags:
${tags.map(t => `  - ${t}`).join('\n')}
alternativeTo:
${alternativeTo.map(a => `  - ${a}`).join('\n')}
`;

// 2. compose.yaml — Docker Compose definition
const composeYaml = `services:
  ${slug}:
    image: ${image}
    restart: unless-stopped
    env_file: .env
    ports:
      - "${port}:${containerPort}"
    labels:
      dash.url: https://$PROJECT.$DOMAIN
      traefik.http.routers.${slug}.rule: Host(\`$PROJECT.$DOMAIN\`)
      traefik.http.services.${slug}.loadbalancer.server.port: ${containerPort}
    volumes:
      - ${slug}-data:/data

volumes:
  ${slug}-data:
    driver: local
`;

// 3. .env — environment variables
const dotEnv = `PROJECT=${slug}
DOMAIN=stack.localhost
`;

Step 2 — Build the tar archive in memory

/**
 * Creates a tar file entry (header + data blocks).
 * Tar format: 512-byte header + data padded to 512-byte boundary.
 */
function createTarEntry(filename, content) {
  const encoder = new TextEncoder();
  const data = encoder.encode(content);
  const header = new Uint8Array(512);

  // Filename (offset 0, 100 bytes) — prefix with "./"
  const name = './' + filename;
  encoder.encodeInto(name, header);

  // File mode (offset 100, 8 bytes)
  encoder.encodeInto('0000644\0', header.subarray(100, 108));

  // Owner/group UID/GID (offset 108-124, 8+8 bytes)
  encoder.encodeInto('0001000\0', header.subarray(108, 116));
  encoder.encodeInto('0001000\0', header.subarray(116, 124));

  // File size in octal (offset 124, 12 bytes)
  const sizeOctal = data.length.toString(8).padStart(11, '0') + '\0';
  encoder.encodeInto(sizeOctal, header.subarray(124, 136));

  // Modification time (offset 136, 12 bytes)
  const mtime = Math.floor(Date.now() / 1000).toString(8).padStart(11, '0') + '\0';
  encoder.encodeInto(mtime, header.subarray(136, 148));

  // Checksum placeholder — fill with spaces (offset 148, 8 bytes)
  header.fill(0x20, 148, 156);

  // Type flag '0' = regular file (offset 156)
  header[156] = 0x30; // ASCII '0'

  // USTAR magic (offset 257, 6 bytes) + version (offset 263, 2 bytes)
  encoder.encodeInto('ustar\0', header.subarray(257, 263));
  encoder.encodeInto('00', header.subarray(263, 265));

  // Calculate checksum (sum of all bytes in header, treating checksum field as spaces)
  let checksum = 0;
  for (let i = 0; i < 512; i++) {
    checksum += header[i];
  }
  const checksumOctal = checksum.toString(8).padStart(6, '0') + '\0 ';
  encoder.encodeInto(checksumOctal, header.subarray(148, 156));

  // Pad data to 512-byte boundary
  const paddedLength = Math.ceil(data.length / 512) * 512;
  const paddedData = new Uint8Array(paddedLength);
  paddedData.set(data);

  // Combine header + padded data
  const entry = new Uint8Array(512 + paddedLength);
  entry.set(header, 0);
  entry.set(paddedData, 512);

  return entry;
}

/**
 * Builds a complete tar archive from an array of {filename, content} objects.
 * Appends two 512-byte zero blocks as end-of-archive marker.
 */
function buildTar(files) {
  const entries = files.map(f => createTarEntry(f.filename, f.content));
  const totalLength = entries.reduce((sum, e) => sum + e.length, 0) + 1024;
  const tar = new Uint8Array(totalLength);
  let offset = 0;
  for (const entry of entries) {
    tar.set(entry, offset);
    offset += entry.length;
  }
  // End-of-archive: two 512-byte zero blocks (already zero-initialized)
  return tar;
}

Step 3 — Gzip-compress and trigger download

// Using pako (available via CDN: https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/pako/dist/pako.min.js)
// or import pako from 'pako';

const files = [
  { filename: 'stack.yaml', content: stackYaml },
  { filename: 'compose.yaml', content: composeYaml },
  { filename: '.env', content: dotEnv },
];

const tarData = buildTar(files);
const gzipped = pako.gzip(tarData);

// Trigger browser download
const blob = new Blob([gzipped], { type: 'application/gzip' });
const url = URL.createObjectURL(blob);
const a = document.createElement('a');
a.href = url;
a.download = `${slug}.stack`;
a.click();
URL.revokeObjectURL(url);

Procedure (for the AI agent)

When a user asks to generate a .stack file:

1. Gather requirements — ask for or infer:

   • slug (lowercase, hyphens only)
   • name, description, author, license
   • Docker image and version
   • Port mappings
   • Environment variables
   • Tags and alternativeTo entries
   • Any config files needed

2. Generate all file contents as strings:

   • stack.yaml following the schema above
   • compose.yaml with proper labels, env_file, volumes
   • .env with PROJECT=<slug>, DOMAIN=stack.localhost, plus any app-specific vars
   • Any additional config files

3. Provide the complete client-side code using the tar + pako approach above, or provide the files individually and a shell command to build:

   mkdir -p mystack && cd mystack
   # ... create files ...
   tar -czf ../mystack.stack .
   

4. Validate the generated stack.yaml against the schema:

   • Required fields: slug, name, flavor, version, description, author, license
   • slug must be lowercase alphanumeric with hyphens
   • flavor must be one of: DockerCompose, DockerService, StaticWebsite
   • updated_at must be YYYY-MM-DD format

Output format

Present the generated files in labeled fenced code blocks, then provide:

1. Option A — Browser download: Complete HTML/JS snippet the user can paste into a browser console or an HTML file to generate and download the .stack file client-side.

2. Option B — Shell command: mkdir + file creation + tar -czf to build locally.

3. Option C — Direct files: If the user just wants the individual files to place in a directory.

Use case 5 — Run a .stack file

Trigger phrases: "run this .stack file", "start the stack", "launch plane.stack", "install this stack from URL", "how do I run a .stack file"

How the Stack Desktop app runs .stack files

The Stack Desktop app (macOS Tauri app) is the primary way to run .stack files. The flow:

1. Receive the bundle — via file association (double-click .stack), CLI argument, or API call
2. Download if URL — supports http://, https://, file:// schemes
3. Extract — gunzip + untar to a temporary directory
4. Read metadata — parse stack.yaml to get the slug and other metadata
5. Detect flavor — inspect files to determine DockerCompose / DockerService / StaticWebsite
6. Run — execute the appropriate command:
   • DockerCompose: docker compose --project-name <slug> up -d --wait --remove-orphans
   • DockerService: docker build → docker run -d --name docker-<slug>
   • StaticWebsite: docker run -d --name <slug> -v <path>:/usr/share/nginx/html:ro nginx:stable-alpine

Stack Desktop API

When the Stack Desktop app is running, it exposes a local API:

The /run endpoint returns a streaming response with progress updates.

Procedure

When a user wants to run a .stack file:

Option A — Via Stack Desktop app (preferred)

1. Check if the user has the Stack Desktop app: https://stack.lol/download

2. For a pre-existing stack from the catalog:

   Download URL: https://stack.lol/downloads/{slug}.stack
   Web launch:   https://stack.lol/{slug}.stack
   

   The web launch page (/{slug}.stack) automatically attempts to communicate with the Desktop app API. If the app is not running, it falls back to downloading the .stack file.

3. For a custom/generated .stack file:

   • Double-click the .stack file (if file association is set up)
   • Or drag-and-drop onto the Stack Desktop app icon

Option B — Manual with Docker (no app needed)

For users without the Stack Desktop app:

# 1. Download (if from URL)
curl -LO https://stack.lol/downloads/{slug}.stack

# 2. Extract
mkdir -p {slug} && cd {slug}
tar -xzf ../{slug}.stack

# 3. Run
docker compose up -d --wait --remove-orphans

# 4. Access
# Open https://{slug}.stack.localhost in your browser
# (requires Traefik or similar reverse proxy, or use localhost:<port>)

Option C — Client-side launch via browser

If the .stack file was generated client-side and the Desktop app is running:

const STACK_API = 'https://127.0.0.1:57404';

// Check if app is running
async function isAppRunning() {
  try {
    const res = await fetch(`${STACK_API}/health`);
    return (await res.text()) === 'OK';
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}

// Run a stack by URL
async function runStack(stackUrl) {
  const response = await fetch(`${STACK_API}/run`, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: { 'Content-Type': 'application/json' },
    body: JSON.stringify({ slug: stackUrl }),
  });

  const reader = response.body.getReader();
  while (true) {
    const { value, done } = await reader.read();
    if (done) break;
    console.log(new TextDecoder().decode(value));
  }
}

// Usage
if (await isAppRunning()) {
  await runStack('https://stack.lol/downloads/gitea.stack');
} else {
  console.log('Stack Desktop app not running. Download it at https://stack.lol/download');
}

Running a previously generated .stack (end-to-end)

If the user generated a .stack file using the client-side approach from Use case 4:

1. If the Desktop app is running: Upload the generated blob to a temporary URL or save to disk, then call the /run API endpoint.
2. If no Desktop app: Provide the manual Docker instructions (Option B above).
3. Prerequisites reminder: Always remind the user they need:
   • Docker Engine installed and running
   • Sufficient disk space for the container images
   • Ports available (check for conflicts)

Output format

Always include:

1. Prerequisites — Docker status, port availability
2. The run command(s) — appropriate for the user's setup
3. Access URL — where the running stack will be available
4. Stop command — how to shut it down:

   docker compose --project-name {slug} down
   

General guidelines

• Always fetch live data — never hard-code catalog contents; the catalog evolves.
• Prefer stacks over recipes for single-tool requests; recipes are multi-service bundles.
• stars is the primary trust signal; updated_at is the freshness signal. Flag stacks not updated in > 1 year.
• Compose files are production-ready but remind the user to review environment variables (.env) and reverse-proxy config before deploying.
• When alternativeTo is empty and a tag search yields no results, say so clearly rather than guessing.
• Link the detail page (https://stack.lol{link}) so the user can explore further.
• When generating .stack files, always include .env with at least PROJECT=<slug> and DOMAIN=stack.localhost.
• The .stack file format is simply tar.gz — any tool that can create tar.gz archives can produce valid .stack files.
• When providing client-side code, prefer pako for gzip (it's already a dependency of the project and available via CDN at https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/npm/pako/dist/pako.min.js).