Overview
CommaFeed reader
The CommaFeed web interface - subscriptions organized in the left tree with unread counts, and feed entries in the main reading pane.
CommaFeed reader
Reading an entry
Subscribe wizard
This is a repackaged open source software product wherein additional charges apply for cloudimg support services.
Why This AMI Instead of a Manual Install?
Standing up a self-hosted feed reader from scratch means provisioning PostgreSQL, relocating its data directory onto a dedicated disk, compiling or fetching the right runtime, hardening credentials, wiring a reverse proxy, and troubleshooting the first-run account setup. This AMI eliminates all of that. You launch a production-ready RSS and Atom reader running entirely within your own AWS account, with a unique administrator password generated automatically on first boot - no shared or default passwords ever ship in the image.
Compared to hosted feed services like the retired Google Reader or subscription readers, you keep full control of your subscriptions, read state, and reading history instead of handing them to a third party. Compared to other Marketplace images, this stack is hardened by default and backed by 24/7 expert support from cloudimg.
Application Stack
- CommaFeed - a fast, self-hosted Google Reader style RSS and Atom feed reader with a modern React web interface, shipped as the project's own recommended GraalVM native executable (no Java runtime dependency)
- PostgreSQL - the datastore for your feeds, entries, tags, and read state, bound to the loopback interface for security
- nginx - the sole public listener, reverse-proxying port 80 to the application on loopback and serving a static health endpoint, with WebSocket support for the live feed tree
- The PostgreSQL data directory lives on a dedicated, independently resizable EBS volume
Secure by Default
The image ships with an empty database and no usable baked credentials. On first boot, a one-shot service rotates the PostgreSQL password to a unique per-instance value, generates a fresh session-encryption key, creates the administrator account through CommaFeed's own first-run setup API with a strong per-instance password, and writes the credentials to a root-only file - no manual hardening steps required. New-user self-registration is disabled by default so the reader is not left open to the public; the deployment guide shows how to enable it if you want to invite others.
Because all data resides entirely within your AWS account, you maintain complete data residency control - your reading history and subscriptions never leave your chosen AWS region.
Ready To Use
- Launch the AMI from AWS Marketplace.
- SSH into your instance and retrieve the administrator password from the root-only file.
- Navigate to your instance's public IP in a browser and sign in.
- Subscribe to your first feeds, organize them into categories, and start reading.
CommaFeed supports categories and tags, keyboard shortcuts, starred entries, full-text search, OPML import and export, and a REST API for automation.
Example Use Cases
- Individual reader: Run your own private, ad-free replacement for Google Reader and keep your subscriptions and reading history on infrastructure you control.
- Team or newsroom: Track industry, competitor, and press feeds in a shared, self-hosted reader without sending your interests to a third-party service.
- Research and monitoring: Aggregate journal, blog, and release-note feeds into organized categories and use the API and full-text search to keep on top of a topic.
Key Features
- Fast, modern React web interface for reading and organizing feeds
- Categories, tags, starred entries, and full-text search across your subscriptions
- OPML import and export to move your subscriptions in and out easily
- Keyboard shortcuts and a responsive layout for desktop and mobile
- REST API for automation and integration
- Dedicated EBS volume for PostgreSQL data - resize storage independently of compute
Architecture Overview
The stack follows a simple, secure pattern: nginx listens on port 80 as the only public-facing service, proxying requests to the CommaFeed GraalVM native binary on the loopback interface. CommaFeed connects to PostgreSQL, also bound to loopback, with its data directory on a dedicated EBS volume you can snapshot or resize independently. This separation means you can scale storage without changing your instance type.
cloudimg Support
24/7 technical support by email and live chat covers deployment, configuration, upgrades, TLS termination, and database administration. Critical issues receive a one-hour average response time.
Ready to get started? Launch the AMI and have your private feed reader running in minutes. For a guided deployment walkthrough, reach out to cloudimg support directly.
CommaFeed is a trademark of its respective owner. All product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders. Use of them does not imply any affiliation with or endorsement by them.
Highlights
- Production-ready in minutes: CommaFeed ships pre-configured with PostgreSQL on a dedicated EBS volume, the project's own GraalVM native executable behind an nginx reverse proxy, and the database schema created automatically on first boot. Instead of hours spent provisioning, hardening, and troubleshooting a manual install, you launch from AWS Marketplace and retrieve a unique administrator password from a root-only file. All feed and reading data stays in your AWS account.
- Hardened security with zero default credentials: On first boot a one-shot service generates a unique PostgreSQL password, a fresh session-encryption key, and an administrator account with a strong per-instance password - no shared secrets ever ship in the image. PostgreSQL and the application bind exclusively to the loopback interface with nginx as the only public listener, credentials are stored in a root-only file, and new-user self-registration is disabled by default.
- 24/7 expert support from cloudimg with a one-hour average response time for critical issues. Coverage includes deployment guidance, TLS termination setup, database administration, upgrade assistance, and integration help - delivered via email and live chat so you can resolve configuration questions without searching forums or community threads.
Details
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Dimension | Description | Cost/hour |
|---|---|---|
m5.large Recommended | m5.large | $0.08 |
t2.micro | t2.micro instance type | $0.04 |
t3.micro | t3.micro instance type | $0.04 |
c5a.12xlarge | c5a.12xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.16xlarge | c5a.16xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.24xlarge | c5a.24xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.2xlarge | c5a.2xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.4xlarge | c5a.4xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.8xlarge | c5a.8xlarge instance type | $0.24 |
c5a.large | c5a.large instance type | $0.08 |
Vendor refund policy
Refunds available on request.
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Delivery details
64-bit (x86) Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
Amazon Machine Image (AMI)
An AMI is a virtual image that provides the information required to launch an instance. Amazon EC2 (Elastic Compute Cloud) instances are virtual servers on which you can run your applications and workloads, offering varying combinations of CPU, memory, storage, and networking resources. You can launch as many instances from as many different AMIs as you need.
Version release notes
Initial release of CommaFeed 7.2.0, a self-hosted Google Reader style RSS and Atom feed reader.
Additional details
Usage instructions
Connect via SSH on port 22 as the default login user for your operating system variant (the user guide lists it per variant; on Ubuntu it is 'ubuntu'). CommaFeed is served on port 80 by nginx, which reverse-proxies to the application on loopback. Retrieve the generated administrator login with: sudo cat /root/commafeed-credentials.txt. Browse to http://<instance-public-ip>/ and sign in as 'admin' with the password shown. The static health endpoint http://<instance-public-ip>/health returns 200. The services are managed with systemctl (commafeed, nginx, postgresql). New-user self-registration is disabled by default; to enable it, follow the user guide. To enable HTTPS, follow the Let's Encrypt section of the user guide.
Resources
Vendor resources
Support
Vendor support
cloudimg provides 24/7 technical support for this product via email and live chat.
What is covered:
- Deployment assistance and first-boot configuration
- Feed subscription, OPML import/export, and organization guidance
- Upgrades and version migrations
- TLS termination setup and certificate management
- PostgreSQL database administration and performance tuning
- General troubleshooting of the shipped application stack
Response times:
Critical issues receive a one-hour average response. Our engineers are available around the clock to help resolve problems that affect your feed reader's availability or data integrity.
Getting started after launch:
- Launch the AMI from AWS Marketplace in your preferred region.
- Ensure your security group allows inbound traffic on ports 80 and 443 (HTTPS recommended).
- SSH into the instance and retrieve your unique administrator credentials from the root-only file generated on first boot.
- Open your instance's public IP or domain in a browser and sign in.
- Subscribe to your first feeds and start reading.
If you need help with any step - including configuring a custom domain, setting up TLS, or enabling registration - contact us and we will walk you through it.
Contact: support@cloudimg.co.uk
For refund requests or billing inquiries, please reach out to the same email address and include your AWS account ID and instance details.
AWS infrastructure support
AWS Support is a one-on-one, fast-response support channel that is staffed 24x7x365 with experienced and technical support engineers. The service helps customers of all sizes and technical abilities to successfully utilize the products and features provided by Amazon Web Services.