chrislongros/anki-desktop repository overview

⁠Anki Desktop Docker (KasmVNC)

High-performance browser-accessible Anki Desktop using LinuxServer's KasmVNC⁠ for optimal streaming performance.

🆕 Unlike other projects, this uses Anki's official launcher system to always get the latest Anki version automatically.

⁠Features

• 🚀 High Performance - KasmVNC provides WebP compression and adaptive encoding for smooth browser experience
• 🆕 Always Latest - Uses Anki's official launcher to get the newest version on first run
• 🌐 Browser Access - No VNC client needed, just open your browser
• 🔄 Custom Sync Server - Configure your own Anki sync server via environment variable
• 🔌 AnkiConnect Ready - Port 8765 exposed, auto-configured when addon installed
• 📦 Multi-arch - Supports both amd64 and arm64 platforms
• 🔒 Secure - Optional HTTPS support on port 3001
• 💾 Persistent Data - Volume mount preserves Anki data AND downloaded program files
• ❤️ Healthcheck - Built-in container health monitoring

⁠Comparison with Other Projects

⁠Quick Start

⁠Docker Run

docker run -d \
  --name anki-desktop \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v anki_data:/config \
  --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
  --shm-size=1gb \
  chrislongros/anki-desktop:latest

Then open http://localhost:3000⁠ in your browser.

On first run, the Anki Launcher will appear - press 1 then Enter to download the latest Anki version.

⁠Docker Compose

services:
  anki-desktop:
    image: chrislongros/anki-desktop:latest
    container_name: anki-desktop
    ports:
      - "3000:3000"    # HTTP
      - "3001:3001"    # HTTPS (optional)
    volumes:
      - anki_data:/config
    environment:
      - PUID=1000
      - PGID=1000
      - TZ=Europe/Berlin
      # Optional: Custom sync server
      # - ANKI_SYNC_SERVER=http://your-sync-server:8080
    security_opt:
      - seccomp=unconfined
    shm_size: 1gb
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  anki_data:

⁠Environment Variables

⁠Ports

⁠Volumes

⁠Custom Sync Server

To use your own anki-sync-server⁠, set the ANKI_SYNC_SERVER environment variable:

docker run -d \
  --name anki-desktop \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -v anki_data:/config \
  -e ANKI_SYNC_SERVER=http://192.168.1.100:8080 \
  --security-opt seccomp=unconfined \
  --shm-size=1gb \
  chrislongros/anki-desktop:latest

⁠CJK Font Support

To add Chinese, Japanese, or Korean font support:

environment:
  - DOCKER_MODS=linuxserver/mods:universal-package-install
  - INSTALL_PACKAGES=fonts-noto-cjk

⁠Building Locally

git clone https://github.com/chrislongros/anki-desktop-docker.git
cd anki-desktop-docker
docker build -t anki-desktop .

⁠TrueNAS SCALE Deployment

For TrueNAS SCALE users, create a custom app with these settings:

Container Image: chrislongros/anki-desktop:latest
Security Context:
  - seccomp: unconfined
Resources:
  - Shared Memory Size: 1Gi
Ports:
  - 3000:3000 (Web UI)
  - 8765:8765 (AnkiConnect)
Storage:
  - Host Path or PVC → /config
Environment:
  - PUID: 1000
  - PGID: 1000
  - TZ: Europe/Berlin
  - ANKI_SYNC_SERVER: http://your-sync-server:8080 (optional)

⁠Technical Details

⁠Why KasmVNC?

Traditional noVNC setups suffer from high latency and poor image quality. KasmVNC provides:

• WebP adaptive compression
• Low-latency streaming optimized for web browsers
• Better color reproduction
• Reduced bandwidth usage

⁠Why the Launcher?

Other Anki Docker projects pin to older versions (25.02.x) because Anki 25.09+ switched to a launcher-based installation. This project embraces the launcher system:

• Always get the latest Anki version
• Automatic updates when container restarts (optional)
• Same experience as native Anki installation

⁠Required Docker Flags

• --security-opt seccomp=unconfined - Required for Qt/Chromium sandboxing
• --shm-size=1gb - Prevents shared memory issues with Qt WebEngine

⁠Troubleshooting

⁠Black screen after launcher

Check container logs: docker logs anki-desktop

Common fixes:

• Ensure --security-opt seccomp=unconfined is set
• Ensure --shm-size=1gb is set
• Try restarting the container

⁠Slow performance

• Click the gear icon in KasmVNC toolbar to adjust quality settings
• Reduce video quality for slower networks

⁠AnkiConnect

AnkiConnect is pre-configured once installed. Port 8765 is already exposed.

1. Open Anki in the browser
2. Go to Tools → Add-ons → Get Add-ons
3. Enter code: 2055492159
4. Restart Anki (right-click desktop → Anki)

The addon is automatically configured to listen on 0.0.0.0:8765 with CORS enabled.

Test it:

curl http://localhost:8765 -X POST -d '{"action": "version", "version": 6}'

⁠License

MIT License - see LICENSE⁠

⁠Credits

• Anki⁠ - Powerful, intelligent flashcards
• LinuxServer.io⁠ - KasmVNC base image
• KasmVNC⁠ - High-performance VNC