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Synology Setup

Prerequisites

This guide assumes you're familiar with Docker and have basic knowledge of server management. You'll need:

  • A Synology NAS or similar server
  • Docker installed
  • Basic command line knowledge
  • Access to manage network settings

Setup Process

1. Folder Structure Setup

ROM Storage Folders

Create the following directory structure for game assets and configuration:

mkdir -p /volume1/data/media/games/assets
mkdir -p /volume1/data/media/games/config

ROM Library Structure

RomM requires a very specific folder structure for rom files:

mkdir -p /volume1/data/media/games/library/roms
mkdir -p /volume1/data/media/games/library/bios

Note: For supported platforms and their specific folder names, refer to the official RomM wiki.

Docker Data Folders

Create these folders for project and container data:

mkdir -p /volume1/docker/romm-project/
mkdir -p /volume1/docker/romm/resources
mkdir -p /volume1/docker/romm/redis-data
mkdir -p /volume1/docker/mariadb-romm

2. Network Bridge Setup

Create a new network bridge named rommbridge following standard Docker networking practices. You can use this guide for reference.

3. Key Generation

Authentication Key

Generate your authentication key using:

openssl rand -hex 32
> 03a054b6ca27e0107c5eed552ea66bacd9f3a2a8a91e7595cd462a593f9ecd09

Save the output - you'll need it for the ROMM_AUTH_SECRET_KEY in your configuration.

API Integration Setup

RomM currently supports 3 metadata sources: IGDB, MobyGames and SteamGridDB. Follow the dedicated wiki page for API key generation to set up your API keys. We recommend setting up IGDG at the minimum.

4. MariaDB Configuration

Important

  • This guide uses a dedicated MariaDB container for RomM, but you can use an existing MariaDB instance if preferred
  • We're using MariaDB version 10.7 for compatibility
  • The container uses port 3306 internally, mapped to 3309 externally
  • A simplified health check is implemented for stability

5. Docker Compose Configuration

Create a docker-compose.yml file with the following content:

Example Docker Compose 
version: "3"

volumes:
    mysql_data:

services:
    romm:
        image: rommapp/romm:latest
        container_name: romm
        restart: unless-stopped
        environment:
            - DB_HOST=romm-db
            - DB_NAME=romm # Should match MARIADB_DATABASE in mariadb
            - DB_USER=romm-user # Should match MARIADB_USER in mariadb
            - DB_PASSWD= # Should match MARIADB_PASSWORD in mariadb
            - ROMM_AUTH_SECRET_KEY= # Generate a key with `openssl rand -hex 32`
            - IGDB_CLIENT_ID= # Generate an ID and SECRET in IGDB
            - IGDB_CLIENT_SECRET= # https://api-docs.igdb.com/#account-creation
            - MOBYGAMES_API_KEY= # https://www.mobygames.com/info/api/
            - STEAMGRIDDB_API_KEY= # https://github.com/rommapp/romm/wiki/Generate-API-Keys#steamgriddb
        volumes:
            - /volume1/docker/romm/resources:/romm/resources
            - /volume1/docker/romm/redis-data:/redis-data
            - /volume1/data/media/games/library:/romm/library
            - /volume1/data/media/games/assets:/romm/assets
            - /volume1/data/media/games/config:/romm/config
        ports:
            - 7676:8080
        network_mode: rommbridge
        depends_on:
            romm-db:
                condition: service_healthy
                restart: true

    mariadb-romm:
        image: mariadb:latest
        container_name: mariadb-romm
        restart: unless-stopped
        environment:
            - MARIADB_ROOT_PASSWORD= # Use a unique, secure password
            - MARIADB_DATABASE=romm
            - MARIADB_USER=romm-user
            - MARIADB_PASSWORD=
        ports:
            - 3309:3306
        network_mode: rommbridge
        volumes:
            - /volume1/docker/mariadb-romm:/var/lib/mysql
        healthcheck:
            test: ["CMD", "healthcheck.sh", "--connect", "--innodb_initialized"]
            start_period: 30s
            start_interval: 10s
            interval: 10s
            timeout: 5s
            retries: 5

6. Initial Launch

  1. Start the containers using Docker Compose
  2. Be patient! The container can take a few minutes to setup on first launch
  3. Monitor progress through container logs
  4. Access RomM through your browser at http://your-server-ip:7676

Important

  • Replace placeholder values (UIDs, GIDs, passwords, API keys) with your own
  • Ensure proper permissions on all created directories
  • Back up your configuration after successful setup
  • Monitor logs during initial startup for any errors

Troubleshooting

  • If the web interface shows "page not found," wait for initial setup to complete
  • For database connection issues, verify MariaDB container health status
  • Check logs for both containers if experiencing issues
  • Ensure all volumes are properly mounted with correct permissions

Contributing

This guide is an abridged version of ChopFoo's original guide. If you have any suggestions or improvements, please submit a pull request to the RomM wiki.