How to get started with Miniflux

Miniflux is a minimalist feed reader written in Go that compiles into a single static binary, eliminating the need for complex runtime dependencies. It relies on a PostgreSQL database for persistence and exposes both the Fever API and its own REST interface for third-party clients. The application strips trackers and pixels from fetched content by default, ensuring a clean reading experience without external tracking scripts. Because it is statically linked, deployment involves dropping one file onto a server and configuring the environment variables for the database connection. This architecture keeps the footprint extremely small compared to PHP-based alternatives like FreshRSS or Ruby-based tools.

Choosing an installation path

The most straightforward method for many users is Docker Compose, which pairs the official Miniflux image with a separate PostgreSQL service. You must pin specific container versions to control updates, as the project publishes images to Docker Hub, GHCR, and Quay. For those preferring native packages, upstream binaries exist for Debian and RHEL, while community repositories cover Alpine, Arch, FreeBSD, Nix, and Cloudron. A Raspberry Pi setup requires installing pgsql-server and pgsql-cli, creating a dedicated Unix user named miniflux, and initializing the hstore extension in the database before starting the service. On OpenBSD, you can install both Miniflux and postgresql-contrib via pkg_add(1), though you must explicitly point the binary to your configuration file using the -c flag because it does not read the daemon config by default.

One critical detail for reverse proxy setups on Synology NAS devices is the WebSocket header configuration; if you omit the two automatic header names and values when creating the reverse proxy rule, mobile clients will fail to connect. Similarly, on any Linux host running Nginx, the proxy_pass directive must not end with a slash, otherwise the routing behavior changes drastically and breaks the application. The hardware requirements are modest, with 8 GB of RAM providing ample headroom for the app and a small PostgreSQL instance. There is no universal minimum published, but workload scales primarily with the number of feeds and refresh frequency rather than raw CPU power. If you run other services on the same box, ensure you back up the PostgreSQL data regularly, since the Miniflux container itself is largely disposable and the database holds your entire reading history.

Configuring the core service

Once the database is ready, you initialize the Miniflux schema and set the LISTEN_ADDR environment variable, typically to 0.0.0.0:8080. The latest release, version 2.2.6, introduced a Slack integration and added a Pushover notification hook, expanding how you can receive alerts about new entries. It also fixed a sanitizer bug where non-allowed attributes were not properly stripped, improving security against malformed HTML payloads. The application supports full-content fetching via built-in scraping rules, which is essential for feeds that only publish summaries rather than full articles. You can customize these rules per feed to handle specific site structures, though the system remains intentionally minimal without a plugin architecture.

Mobile access depends entirely on third-party apps that speak the Fever API, such as Unread or Miniflutt, since there are no official phone applications. Compatibility varies by app version, so verify your preferred client lists support for the Miniflux backend before committing to the stack. One significant limitation is that Miniflux does not offer multi-user administration out of the box, making it less suitable for team environments compared to FreshRSS or Tiny Tiny RSS. If you require granular filtering rules or a native Android app, you may hit a ceiling faster than with more feature-heavy competitors. However, for individual users who value speed and simplicity, the trade-off is worth it. The UI is deliberately spare, avoiding theme customization rabbit holes and keeping the focus on the reading list. Is it enough for power users who rely on complex automation? That depends on how much you are willing to script externally versus relying on built-in features.