Server Mode allows you to run Printventory as a web server that can be accessed from any browser on your network. This is useful for accessing your 3D model library from multiple computers or devices without installing the application on each one.

Server Mode runs Printventory as an HTTP server on port 5000, making it accessible from any device on your local network through a web browser.

To start Printventory in Server Mode, launch it with the --server flag:

• Windows: printventory.exe --server
• Command Line: printventory --server

The server will start and continue running until you close the application.

• Server Mode requires UNC (Universal Naming Convention) paths for all file operations
• UNC paths use the format: \\\\server\\share\\path\\to\\file
• Local drive paths (C:\, D:\, etc.) will not work in Server Mode
• The server listens on all network interfaces (0.0.0.0). Default port is 5000; change it under Tools → MCP Server → HTTPS / SSL

Once started, you can access Printventory from any browser on your network:

http://<your-computer-ip>:5000

For example, if your computer's IP address is 192.168.1.100:

http://192.168.1.100:5000

To serve HTTPS, open Tools → MCP Server → HTTPS / SSL. You can point at your own PEM files, generate a self-signed certificate for LAN use, or request a Let's Encrypt certificate for a public domain (requires inbound port 80). Set the listen port there if 5000 is already in use (for example Synology DSM). After TLS is on, use https://<host>:<port>.

Printventory can be deployed as a Docker container for easy server mode deployment on Linux systems.

Quick Start:

Build and run with Docker Compose:

docker-compose up -d

Or build and run manually:

docker build -t printventory:latest .
docker run -d --name printventory-server -p 5000:5000 -v printventory-data:/root/.config/printventory printventory:latest

Accessing Network Shares:

Docker containers cannot directly access Windows UNC paths. You need to mount network shares:

1. Mount SMB/CIFS share on host:

   sudo mount -t cifs //server/share /mnt/network-share -o username=user,password=pass

2. Add to docker-compose.yml:

   volumes:
     - /mnt/network-share:/mnt/network-share:ro

3. Use Linux paths in Printventory: /mnt/network-share/path/to/files

Note: When running in Docker, the application automatically accepts Linux-style absolute paths (starting with /) instead of requiring UNC paths.

For detailed Docker deployment instructions, see the README.md file.