How to Self-Host XLerate

Step-by-step installation instructions, docker compose configuration, and server prerequisites for XLerate.

overview & requirements

This guide will walk you through self-hosting the XLerate Excel add-in by serving its manifest and web resources using Docker and Caddy. This setup allows you to host the add-in on your own infrastructure, providing full control over its distribution within your organization.

Prerequisites

A server running a Linux distribution (e.g., Ubuntu, CentOS)
Docker and Docker Compose installed on your server
A domain name (e.g., xlerate.yourdomain.com) pointing to your server's IP address
Basic knowledge of Linux command line

First, ensure you have the XLerate add-in files ready in a specific directory structure on your server. After cloning the repository, your directory should look like this (for example, under /opt/xlerate/):

/opt/xlerate/
├── docker-compose.yml
├── Caddyfile
└── html/
    ├── manifest.xml  (the root manifest file, MODIFIED to point to your domain)
    └── XLerate/      (the folder containing XLerate.html, XLerate.js, etc.)
        ├── XLerate.html
        ├── XLerate.js
        ├── XLerate.css
        └── docs/
            └── images/
                └── XLerate.png

Docker Compose Configuration: Create the docker-compose.yml file in /opt/xlerate/:

version: '3.8'

services:
  caddy:
    image: caddy:latest
    container_name: xlerate_caddy
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./Caddyfile:/etc/caddy/Caddyfile
      - ./html:/srv # Mount our html content to /srv within the container
      - caddy_data:/data
      - caddy_config:/config
    environment:
      DOMAIN: xlerate.yourdomain.com # IMPORTANT: Replace with your actual domain
    restart: unless-stopped
    networks:
      - xlerate-network

volumes:
  caddy_data:
  caddy_config:

networks:
  xlerate-network:
    driver: bridge

Caddyfile Configuration for Automatic HTTPS: Create the Caddyfile in /opt/xlerate/:

xlerate.yourdomain.com { # IMPORTANT: Replace with your actual domain
    root * /srv
    file_server

    # Enable gzip compression
    encode gzip

    # Log requests
    log {
        output file /var/log/caddy/access.log
    }
}

This setup will serve the contents of the ./html directory (which includes manifest.xml and the XLerate folder) at the root of your domain xlerate.yourdomain.com, with Caddy automatically handling HTTPS certificate issuance and renewal.

installation steps

Server Configuration & Prerequisites

Ensure you have a server (e.g., Ubuntu 22.04 LTS) with at least 512MB RAM and 1 vCPU. Update your system and install Docker and Docker Compose by following the official Docker documentation. Verify installations: `docker --version` and `docker compose --version`. Configure your DNS provider to point `xlerate.yourdomain.com` (replace with your chosen domain) to your server's public IP address. Create a directory for your XLerate deployment: `mkdir -p /opt/xlerate/html`. Clone the XLerate repository: `git clone https://github.com/omegarhovega/XLerate.git /tmp/xlerate_repo`. Copy the necessary files: `cp /tmp/xlerate_repo/manifest.xml /opt/xlerate/html/` and `cp -r /tmp/xlerate_repo/XLerate /opt/xlerate/html/`. Crucially, you must edit `/opt/xlerate/html/manifest.xml`. Open it and change the `<SourceLocation DefaultValue="https://omegarhovega.github.io/XLerate/XLerate/XLerate.html"/>` to `<SourceLocation DefaultValue="https://xlerate.yourdomain.com/XLerate/XLerate.html"/>` (replace `xlerate.yourdomain.com` with your domain). You can use `sed -i 's|https://omegarhovega.github.io/XLerate|https://xlerate.yourdomain.com|g' /opt/xlerate/html/manifest.xml` for this.

Docker Compose Setup

Navigate to `/opt/xlerate/` and create a `docker-compose.yml` file with the content provided in the `body_md` section above. Also, create a `Caddyfile` in the same directory, filling in your domain name. Remember to replace `xlerate.yourdomain.com` with your actual domain in both files. Once configured, start the service: `docker compose up -d`. Verify the Caddy container is running: `docker ps`. You should see `xlerate_caddy` listening on ports 80 and 443. Check Caddy logs for any errors: `docker compose logs caddy`.

Deploying to Excel & Shared-Folder Catalog

Access your manifest file via your browser at `https://xlerate.yourdomain.com/manifest.xml` (ensure it downloads or displays correctly). To install in Excel Desktop, you'll set up a shared-folder add-in catalog. Create a local folder on your machine (e.g., `C:\ExcelAddins`). Download the `manifest.xml` file from `https://xlerate.yourdomain.com/manifest.xml` and place it into this local folder. In Excel, go to `File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Trusted Add-in Catalogs`. Add the local folder path (e.g., `C:\ExcelAddins`) as a 'Catalog URL'. Restart Excel. Go to `Insert > Add-ins > My Add-ins`, select 'Shared Folder', and you should find 'XLerate' listed. Click 'Add' to install it, and the XLerate ribbon tab should appear.

server prerequisites

memory (ram)512MB

processor (cpu)1 vCPU

docker engineRequired

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