Question 1

How to set up automatic git backups for Overleaf Community Edition?

Accepted Answer

Use the community gitbackup plugin with Docker. Add these environment variables to your Overleaf container: GITBACKUP_ENABLED=true, GITBACKUP_IMAGE=davrot/sharelatex-gitbackup:gitbackup, GITBACKUP_CONTAINER_NAME=gitbackup, GITBACKUP_SSH_PORT=22, GITBACKUP_PUID=1000, GITBACKUP_PGID=1000, GITBACKUP_DATA_DIR=/var/lib/overleaf/gitbackup, GITBACKUP_HOST_DATA_DIR=/docker/compose_cep/overleafserver/data_gitbackup, GITBACKUP_PULL_IMAGE=false. SSH keys are auto-generated and shown in Overleaf user settings. New users are detected every 5 minutes. The git runs in a separate container with restricted shell for security. Code and images available at https://github.com/davrot/overleaf_with_admin_extension/tree/gitbackup.

Question 2

How to restore track changes and comments feature in Overleaf Community Edition?

Accepted Answer

A community member reconstructed the feature. Use the source branch: https://github.com/davrot/overleaf_with_admin_extension/tree/track-changes-and-comments or the Docker image davrot/sharelatex:track-changes-and-comments. After deployment, enable the module by adding 'track-changes' to the moduleImportSequence array in services/web/config/settings.defaults.js. Note: this is a community-driven restoration, not officially maintained.

Question 3

Why does Overleaf Docker fail with 'MongoDB server has version 6.0 but requires at least 8.0'?

Accepted Answer

Update the mongo image in docker-compose.yml to mongo:8.0. If using existing volumes, remove them to avoid feature compatibility errors: run 'docker compose down -v', then 'docker compose up' after the image change. For existing data, first upgrade via mongo:7.0 and set featureCompatibilityVersion to 7.0, then upgrade to 8.0.

Question 4

How to enable sandboxed LaTeX compilation using Docker in Overleaf Community Edition?

Accepted Answer

Use the sandbox-compile branch from davrot/overleaf_with_admin_extension. Mount the Docker socket (-v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock) and the Overleaf data volume. Set the environment variable OVERLEAF_HOST_DATA_DIR to the host path of the data volume (e.g., /path/to/overleafserver/data). Optionally pull TeX Live images beforehand to avoid startup delays. For multiple TeX Live versions, define ALL_TEX_LIVE_DOCKER_IMAGES and ALL_TEX_LIVE_DOCKER_IMAGE_NAMES. This enables isolated compiles per project, supports shell escape (e.g., for minted), and keeps the host server safe. Warning: mounting the Docker socket has security implications; only use in trusted environments. See the sandbox-compile branch for full setup.

Question 5

How to add advanced admin panel features like user management and project URL lookup to Overleaf Community Edition?

Accepted Answer

A community-developed admin extension is available with features: Project URL Lookup, Managing Registered Users, and Manage Site Open Sockets. Use the fork at https://github.com/davrot/overleaf_with_admin_extension/tree/admin_extensions or pull the Docker image davrot/sharelatex:admin_extensions. The extension is licensed under GNU AGPLv3.

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