Setting up Speedtest-Tracker

I've shown you several different open source, and self hosted, speedtest applications over the years. I showed you one called Docker Sppedtest Grafana a couple of years ago, but recently the install doesn't work as expected for me anymore, and I've heard similar reports from others who've tried it as well. So, I started looking for another option, and found Sppedtest Tracker by henrywhitaker3 over on Github. I've used it for about 6 months, and it's been very useful, but again it's gone unmaintained for over a year now. Luckily, another person picked it up and continued the project by forking it, and enhancing it quite a bit. So today we'll be looking at Speedtest Tracker by alexjustesen over at Github.

What You'll Need

Docker-CE and Docker-Compose installed on the server / machine you want to use for running speed tests.
- it's better to run them from a wired connection if at all possible.
(Optional) If you want to setup a domain name for your Speed Test web interface, you'll want a reverse proxy (I use NginX Proxy Manger)
(Optional) SMTP Details for an Email Server if you want email notifications of speed test data
About 30 minutes of your time

Installation Docker and Docker-Compose via a Simple Script

You can easily install Docker-CE, Docker-Compose, Portainer-CE, and NGinX Proxy manager by using this quick install script I created and maintain on Github. Just use the command:

wget https://gitlab.com/bmcgonag/docker_installs/-/raw/main/install_docker_nproxyman.sh

To download the script to your desired host.

Change the permissions to make the script executable:

chmod +x ./install_docker_nproxyman.sh

and then run the script with the command:

./install_docker_nproxyman.sh

When run, the script will prompt you to select your host operating system, then will ask you which bits of software you want to install.

Simply enter 'y' for each thing you want to install.

At some point, you may be asked for your super user (sudo) password as well.

Allow the script to complete installation.

At this point, you might want to log out and back in, as this will allow you to use the docker and docker-compose commands without the need of sudo in front of them.

Installing Speedtest Tracker

SSH to your chosen machine, or if you can sit in front of it, and access the terminal / command line, then do that. Once connected, I like to create a folder structure that allows me to backup my docker applications easily. I put everything inside a parent "docker" folder. So, we'll make sure we put our application folder "speedtest-tracker" into our docker folder. If you don't have a "docker" folder already, don't worry, we'll create both with 1 command.

mkdir -p docker/speedtest-tracker

This command will create the folders that don't exist already, but will not duplicate them if they do.

Once we've created this structure, we'll move into the 'speedtest-tracker' folder, and create our 'docker-compose.yml' file.

cd docker/speedtest-tracker

nano docker-compose.yml

Once you've opened the new 'docker-compose.yml' file, you'll want to copy and paste the following yaml code into it. You'll need to make some value updates based on your system needs. I'm going to put two versions of the yaml code below. The first version will be to run the application without email. The second will be to run it with email sending functions, and for it you'll need the SMTP server information for your email.

No Email Notifications:

version: '3.3'
services:
   speedtest-tracker:
       container_name: speedtest-tracker
       ports:
           - '8982:80'
           - '8943:443'
       environment:
           - PUID=1000
           - PGID=1000
       volumes:
           - './config:/config'
       image: 'ghcr.io/alexjustesen/speedtest-tracker:latest'
       restart: unless-stopped

Email Notifications

version: '3.3'
services:
   speedtest-tracker:
       container_name: speedtest-tracker
       ports:
           - '8982:80'   # feel free to change the port on the left side of the colon
           - '8943:443'  # feel free to change the port ont he left side of the colon
       environment:
           - PUID=1000
           - PGID=1000
           - MAIL_HOST=smtp.myemailserver.io
           - MAIL_PORT=587
           - MAIL_USERNAME=no-reply@myemailserver.io
           - MAIL_PASSWORD=a-long-st0n6-pa55w0rd!
           - MAIL_ENCRYPTION=tls
           - MAIL_FROM_ADDRESS="my-email@myemailserver.io"
       volumes:
           - './config:/config'  # left side can be any path you want, but this keeps it in the folder
       image: 'ghcr.io/alexjustesen/speedtest-tracker:latest'
       restart: unless-stopped

Once you've made adjustments to any ports (on the left side of the colon ':' only), and if you elect to use SMTP email, make sure you update all MAIL_* values to match your SMTP server settings, you can then save the file with CTRL + O, then Enter to confirm, and CTRL + X to exit.

Starting Our Speedtest Tracker Server

We now start our server with the command:

docker-compose up -d

I like to run a second command, which you can run separately after the container is up, or you can run it with two ampersands '&' between the commands:

docker-compose logs -f

docker-compose up -d && docker-compose logs -f

Either way, you'll be able to watch the logs as the application starts up. You're looking for anything that stands out as an error. If you happen to hit errors, you can get some information that may help you fix the issues, and at the very least to report issues to the github project.

After about 30 seconds to a minute (depending on the hardware you are running on), the application should be up and running. You can now navigate to the site in a modern web browser by entering the IP Address and the port number of the application.

http://192.168.10.154:8982

is where I would go. You'll want to use your server's IP address, and the port you entered on the left side of the colon ':' in the port mapping in your docker-compose file.

username: admin@example.com

password: password

First thing you'll want to do, once you're logged in, is update the Admin user. On the left panel, find the 'Users' section, and click on it. In the users table, click the pencil icon in order to edit the default Administrative user. In the form, change the default email address to your email, and update the password to a long, strong password. Save it in a password manager like Vaultwarden / ~~Bitwarden.~~Bitwarden.

Next, you'll likely want to run your first speed test. Back on the Dashboard screen, click on the 'Queue a Speedtest' button, then patiently wait a minute or so, and the interface should update to show you the results.

Finally, go through the settings, and make sure you set the system up the way you want it. Take a look at setting your time zone, the frequency of tests, and make sure to setup notifications if you want them.

You've done it, and now you have a great tool to help you ensure you are getting the speeds you expect, and most likely pay your ISP for.