OpenFlare/docs/en/guide/troubleshooting.md

Troubleshooting

You will learn how to debug OpenFlare Server, database, login, Agent, OpenResty, release, and frontend build issues by symptom.

Start by locating the failing layer: browser, Server, database, Agent, OpenResty, origin, or DNS. OpenFlare applies configuration only after a version is activated and the Agent discovers it through heartbeat.

Quick Triage

Symptom	Check First
Management UI does not open	Server process/container logs and port binding
Login fails	Default account, SESSION_SECRET, browser request, Server logs
Data cannot be saved	Database connection, SQLite permissions, PostgreSQL health
Agent is offline	Agent logs, token, Server URL, network reachability
Node does not update after release	Active version, node heartbeat, apply logs
OpenResty apply fails	Apply logs, Agent logs, certificates, upstream URL, port conflicts
No access analytics	OpenResty status, observability port, Agent replay logs

Server Does Not Start

1. Check logs:

docker compose logs -n 200 openflare

For source runs, check terminal output.

2. Check port usage:

lsof -i :3000

3. If PostgreSQL is used, check database health:

docker compose ps postgres
docker compose logs -n 100 postgres

4. If SQLite is used, check that the database directory is writable:

ls -ld "$(dirname /path/to/openflare.db)"

Common causes:

Log or Symptom	Fix
Database connection failed	Check username, password, host, port, database, and sslmode in DSN
SQLite cannot create file	Check that the SQLITE_PATH directory exists and is writable
Port is already in use	Change PORT or --port, or stop the process using the port

UI Does Not Open or Is Blank

1. Confirm that the Server responds:

curl -I http://127.0.0.1:3000

2. For source runs, confirm frontend static assets were built:

cd openflare_server/web
pnpm build

3. Check whether the browser URL matches your reverse proxy setup.

4. If using the frontend dev server, confirm backend proxy configuration:

cd openflare_server/web
NEXT_DEV_BACKEND_URL=http://127.0.0.1:3000 pnpm dev

Default Account Cannot Sign In

The default account is root / 123456. If the password was changed after first login, use the updated password.

Steps:

1. Confirm the Server is connected to the expected database, not another SQLITE_PATH or DSN.
2. Check Server logs to see whether it uses sqlite or postgres.
3. If deployed behind replicas or a reverse proxy, ensure SESSION_SECRET is fixed and consistent across instances.
4. Clear browser cookies and try again.

[Needs confirmation: whether the project provides a safe root password reset command or procedure]

Agent Cannot Register or Stays Offline

On the Agent node:

curl -I http://your-server:3000

Check Agent logs:

journalctl -u openflare-agent -n 200 --no-pager

Check config:

sed -n '1,160p' /opt/openflare-agent/agent.json

Confirm:

Config	Notes
server_url	Must be reachable from the Agent node
agent_token / discovery_token	At least one is required
heartbeat_interval	Supports millisecond integers or Go duration strings
request_timeout	Increase it for slow networks

If the log says the token is invalid, prepare a new token in the UI, update agent.json, and restart:

systemctl restart openflare-agent

Node Does Not Apply a New Version

Check in order:

1. The target version is active on the versions page.
2. The node is online and heartbeat time is updating.
3. Apply logs contain a success, warning, or failure for the target version.
4. The site configuration is enabled.
5. Agent logs show pull, validation, reload, or rollback messages.

Follow Agent logs:

journalctl -u openflare-agent -f

After a target version + checksum fails and rolls back, the Agent blocks repeated attempts for that same target locally. Fix the configuration and publish a new checksum, or activate an old version to roll back.

OpenResty Apply Fails

Common causes:

Cause	Check
Domain or server block conflict	Ensure the same domain is not used by multiple sites
Invalid upstream URL	Every upstream must be http:// or https://
Invalid multi-upstream format	Multiple upstreams must be plain scheme://host[:port]
Missing certificate or wrong path	Check domain certificate binding and Agent certificate directory permissions
Port conflict	Check local 80 and 443 usage

OpenResty config test:

openresty -t -c /path/to/openflare/data/etc/nginx/nginx.conf

OpenResty runtime:

ps aux | grep openresty

Use the actual openresty_path and main_config_path from agent.json.

HTTPS Does Not Work

1. Confirm the certificate exists.
2. Confirm the domain is bound to that certificate in the site configuration.
3. Confirm a new version was published and activated.
4. Check apply logs for success.
5. Inspect with curl:

curl -Iv https://your-domain

Domains without a bound certificate are not automatically added to HTTPS configuration.

No Access Analytics

1. Confirm the node applied a configuration that includes observability Lua assets.
2. Confirm OpenResty is running.
3. Check Agent logs for collection or replay failures.
4. Check whether openresty_observability_port is occupied. The default is 18081.
5. Confirm Server cleanup policy did not remove data for that time window.

Frontend Build Fails

cd openflare_server/web
corepack enable
pnpm install
pnpm lint
pnpm typecheck
pnpm test
pnpm build

Common causes:

Symptom	Fix
pnpm version mismatch	Run corepack enable and reinstall
Type errors	Run pnpm typecheck to locate files
API type mismatch	Check lib/api/ and types/ response structures
E2E fails	Ensure both the Server and frontend dev server are running

Docs Build Fails

cd docs
pnpm install
pnpm build

If the failure is a link error, check that new pages are added to docs/en/config.ts and that relative links point to existing Markdown files.