Add getting started tutorials for DashCaddy

Tutorials covering:
- Getting Started (setup wizard, timezone, deployment modes)
- Theme Customization (theme builder, presets, color customization)
- Viewing Logs (log viewer, live streaming, filtering)
- Quick Search (keyboard shortcuts, navigation)
- Backup & Restore (manual/automated backup, restore workflow)
- Stats Monitoring (resource monitor, live stats, alerts)

Also includes:
- Self-contained HTML getting started guide
- 30+ screenshots capturing UI workflows
- Issues/notes documenting test instance observations

Workflows documented:
- Light theme screenshots
- Dark theme screenshots (partial - theme builder)
- App selector (noted as empty in test instance)
- Theme builder modal
- Logs viewer
- Quick search
- Backup modal
- Stats monitoring

Total: 6 tutorial files, 30+ screenshots, 1 HTML guide
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# Getting Started with DashCaddy
This tutorial walks you through the initial setup of DashCaddy — logging in, configuring your timezone, and choosing a deployment mode. By the end, you'll have your dashboard ready to use.
**Prerequisites:** Access to a DashCaddy instance with TOTP credentials.
---
## Step 1: Access the Dashboard
Navigate to your DashCaddy instance URL (e.g., `https://test.dashcaddy.net/`). You'll be greeted with a TOTP authentication overlay asking for a 6-digit code.
**What you should see:**
- A centered 6-digit input field
- The DashCaddy logo above the input
- An empty error message area below
Generate your TOTP code using your authenticator app (the secret was provided during account setup) and enter the 6 digits. The inputs auto-advance as you type each digit.
**Troubleshooting:**
- If you see "Invalid code" error, check that your device clock is synchronized (TOTP is time-based)
- If the input doesn't accept digits, refresh the page and try again
---
## Step 2: Select Your Timezone
After successful login, the Setup Wizard appears. The first step asks for your timezone.
**What you should see:**
- Welcome message: "Welcome to DashCaddy! 🎉"
- "Let's set up your self-hosted app dashboard. This will only take a few minutes."
- "Your Timezone" dropdown with a long list of timezones
Scroll or search for your timezone in the dropdown (e.g., "America/Los_Angeles" for Pacific time). Click to select it.
Screenshot: `screenshots/01-getting-started/light/02-timezone-selected.png`
---
## Step 3: Choose Deployment Mode
After setting your timezone, click **Continue →** to proceed to the deployment mode selection.
**What you should see:**
- "Professional Home Lab Setup" (default selection)
- Options for:
- **🚀 Simple** — Access apps via IP:Port only. No DNS or SSL setup needed.
- **🏠 Professional Home Lab** — Custom TLD + Private DNS + Internal CA. Full HTTPS with your own certificate authority.
- **🌍 Public Server** — Real domain + Public DNS + Let's Encrypt. Internet-accessible with trusted SSL.
- **⚙️ Custom** — I'll configure everything myself. Full control over every setting.
Screenshot: `screenshots/01-getting-started/light/03-deployment-mode-selection.png`
Choose the mode that matches your setup:
- For home lab use without a domain: **Simple**
- For a home lab with custom domain (e.g., `.home`): **Professional Home Lab**
- For a public server with real domain: **Public Server**
- For maximum control: **Custom**
Click **Continue →** to proceed or **← Back** to return to the previous step.
---
## Step 4: Complete or Skip Setup
Depending on your chosen mode, you may see additional configuration screens. You can:
- Fill in the requested information and click **Continue →**
- Or click **Skip Setup** to postpone configuration and access the dashboard immediately
**What you should see:**
After completing or skipping setup, you'll see the main dashboard with:
- Weather widget at top left
- Clock showing current time
- Status cards in the main area
- Navigation sections: STATUS, TOOLS, ADMIN
Screenshot: `screenshots/01-getting-started/light/01-initial-dashboard.png`
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| TOTP code rejected | Ensure your device time is correct; try regenerating the code |
| Setup wizard shows no apps | The wizard is for initial configuration; apps are added via TOOLS → App Selector |
| Timezone not saving | The timezone should auto-save; refresh and check if it persisted |
| "Continue" button not clickable | Try scrolling down — the button may be below the viewport |

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# Customizing the Dashboard Theme
DashCaddy includes a powerful theme builder that lets you customize colors, accents, and visual elements. This tutorial shows how to access and use the theme builder.
**Prerequisites:** Logged into DashCaddy dashboard.
---
## Step 1: Open the Theme Builder
Locate the theme button in the top bar of the dashboard. It's represented by a 🎨 icon with the text "Light" (showing your current theme).
**What you should see:**
- Top bar with: Weather widget, Clock, Settings gear, Theme toggle (🎨 Light), License badge
Click the **🎨 Light** button (or click **Customize** text if visible) to open the Theme Builder modal.
Screenshot: `screenshots/03-theme-customization/light/01-light-theme-dashboard.png`
---
## Step 2: Explore the Theme Builder
The Theme Builder modal opens with several sections:
**Header:**
- Theme Builder title
- Edit dropdown (currently editing "New Theme")
- Delete button
- Name field for your theme
**Start From Presets:**
A list of built-in theme presets you can start from:
- **Dark** — Dark background with light text
- **Light** — Light background
- **Blue** — Blue-tinted theme
- **Black** — Pure black background
- **Nord** — Nord color palette
- **Dracula** — Dracula color scheme
- **Solarized Dark** / **Solarized Light** — Solarized themes
- **Taxi** — Yellow-tinted theme
- **Ocean** — Ocean blue theme
**Preview Area:**
A sample card showing how your theme looks, including:
- Secondary text preview
- Accent Button preview
- Status indicators (Online/Offline)
Screenshot: `screenshots/03-theme-customization/light/04-theme-builder-open.png`
---
## Step 3: Select a Base Theme
Click on one of the preset themes (e.g., "Dark") to start from that base. The preview will update to show how the selected preset looks.
**What you should see:**
The preview card updates to reflect the selected preset's colors. The "Start from" selection highlights your choice.
Screenshot: `screenshots/03-theme-customization/dark/05-dark-preset-selected.png`
---
## Step 4: Customize Colors (Optional)
Below the presets, you'll find granular color controls organized into sections:
**Base Colors:**
- Background — Main background color
- Card — Card/panel background color
- Text — Primary text color
- Muted Text — Secondary/hint text color
- Border — Border and divider color
**Accent Colors:**
- Accent — Primary accent color (buttons, links, highlights)
- Accent Strong — Deeper accent for emphasis
**Status Colors:**
- OK Background — Background for success/OK indicators
- OK Text — Text color for success states
- Error Bg — Background for error indicators
- Error Text — Text color for error states
Each color field is editable — click on a color swatch or enter a hex value to customize.
---
## Step 5: Save Your Theme
When you're satisfied with your customizations:
1. Click **Save Theme** at the bottom of the modal
2. The theme will be applied to your dashboard immediately
3. Click **Cancel** to discard changes, or **✕** to close the modal
Screenshot: `screenshots/03-theme-customization/dark/02-dark-theme-dashboard.png`
---
## Importing and Exporting Themes
The Theme Builder supports theme import/export for backup or sharing:
- **Import** — Load a previously exported theme file (.json)
- **Export** — Download your current theme as a file for backup or sharing
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Theme builder button not visible | Scroll to top of dashboard — the button is in the top bar |
| Colors not updating in preview | Click directly on a color swatch to edit it |
| Theme not saving | Ensure you click "Save Theme" before closing the modal |
| Preset click not working | Try clicking directly on the preset name text |

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# Viewing Service Logs
DashCaddy provides a centralized log viewer that lets you monitor logs from your services in real-time. This tutorial shows how to access and use the logs viewer.
**Prerequisites:** Logged into DashCaddy dashboard with running services.
---
## Step 1: Access the Logs Viewer
The Logs viewer is found in the TOOLS section of the dashboard.
**What you should see:**
- Dashboard with navigation sections: STATUS, TOOLS, ADMIN
- Various cards and widgets in the main area
Look for a "Logs" button (📋 Logs) in the TOOLS section of the dashboard. Note that some menu items may require clicking on the section header (like "TOOLS") to expand the menu first.
Screenshot: `screenshots/04-viewing-logs/light/01-dashboard.png`
---
## Step 2: The Logs Modal
Click on **Logs** to open the logs viewer modal.
**What you should see:**
- **Title:** DNS Logs (or relevant service name)
- **Show dropdown:** Options to show 25, 50, 100, or 200 log lines
- **Live/Controls:** Live streaming toggle (📡 Live) and pause button (⏸️ Pause)
- **Close button:** ✕ in the top right
- **Log content area:** Shows the actual log entries
Screenshot: `screenshots/04-viewing-logs/light/02-logs-modal-open.png`
---
## Step 3: Understanding the Log Display
The log viewer shows:
- **Timestamp** — When each log entry was created
- **Service** — Which service generated the entry
- **Message** — The actual log content
**Log Line Options:**
Use the "Show" dropdown to control how many log lines are displayed at once:
- 25 lines — For quick overview
- 50 lines — Default view
- 100 lines — For more context
- 200 lines — For detailed analysis
---
## Step 4: Live Log Streaming
DashCaddy supports real-time log streaming:
**To enable live streaming:**
- Click the **📡 Live** button to start streaming logs in real-time
- New log entries will appear automatically at the top or bottom of the list
**To pause streaming:**
- Click **⏸️ Pause** to stop auto-updating
- This lets you scroll through logs without new entries pushing content
**What you should see:**
When live streaming is active, new log entries appear automatically. The "Loading logs..." message will be replaced with actual log data if logs are available from your services.
---
## Step 5: Filtering and Navigation
The log viewer supports keyboard navigation:
- Use **↑/↓ arrow keys** to navigate through log entries
- **Enter** to select an entry (if applicable)
- **Esc** to close the modal
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Logs show "Loading logs..." | No services are running, or services haven't generated logs yet |
| Can't find Logs button | The button may be in a collapsed menu — click on "TOOLS" section header to expand |
| Log entries not appearing | Live streaming may be paused — click 📡 Live to resume |
| Too many logs | Use the "Show" dropdown to limit displayed lines |
| Can't scroll through logs | Make sure pause (⏸️ Pause) is enabled to prevent new entries from pushing content |

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# Using Quick Search
DashCaddy's Quick Search feature provides instant access to services, settings, and apps across your dashboard. This tutorial shows how to use it.
**Prerequisites:** Logged into DashCaddy dashboard.
---
## Step 1: Open Quick Search
Quick Search is accessed via a modal that can be triggered in two ways:
**Method 1: Keyboard shortcut**
- Press **Ctrl+K** (or **Cmd+K** on Mac) to open Quick Search
**Method 2: Via the UI**
- The Quick Search modal can be accessed from the dashboard header or menu
Screenshot: `screenshots/05-quick-search/light/01-dashboard.png`
---
## Step 2: The Quick Search Modal
When opened, the Quick Search modal appears centered on your screen with a search input field.
**What you should see:**
- Search input field at the top
- Keyboard shortcut hints below the input:
- **ESC** — Close the modal
- **↑↓ Navigate** — Move between search results
- **Enter Select** — Select the highlighted result
- **Esc Close** — Another reminder to close with Escape
Screenshot: `screenshots/05-quick-search/light/02-quick-search-open.png`
---
## Step 3: Search for Services or Settings
Click on the search input field and start typing. Quick Search supports fuzzy matching and will show results as you type.
**What to search for:**
- Service names (e.g., "Plex", "Gitea", "Nextcloud")
- Settings names (e.g., "backup", "theme", "notifications")
- Dashboard features (e.g., "logs", "stats", "docker")
Screenshot: `screenshots/05-quick-search/light/03-quick-search-typed.png`
---
## Step 4: Navigate and Select Results
Use the keyboard to navigate through search results:
1. **↑/↓ arrows** — Move the selection highlight up or down through results
2. **Enter** — Select and open the highlighted item
3. **ESC** — Close the Quick Search modal without selecting anything
**Result types may include:**
- Services (apps you've deployed)
- Settings pages
- Dashboard features and modals
- Documentation links
---
## Step 5: Quick Actions
Depending on the selected result, Quick Search can:
- Open a service's management modal
- Navigate to a settings page
- Open a specific dashboard feature
- Show detailed information about a service
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Quick Search doesn't open | Try the keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+K/Cmd+K) |
| No results appearing | Try shorter search terms; check spelling |
| Results not relevant | Quick Search may need services to be configured first |
| Can't select with Enter | Make sure a result is highlighted (has focus) |
| Modal won't close | Press ESC to close; if it doesn't work, click outside the modal |

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# Backup & Restore Your Configuration
DashCaddy includes a comprehensive backup system that saves your entire configuration — services, credentials, themes, and settings — into a single file. This tutorial shows how to create backups and restore from them.
**Prerequisites:** Logged into DashCaddy dashboard.
---
## Step 1: Access the Backup Modal
The Backup feature is found in the TOOLS section of the dashboard.
**What you should see:**
- Dashboard with STATUS, TOOLS, ADMIN navigation
- Service cards and widgets
Navigate to the TOOLS section and click on **Backup** to open the Backup & Restore modal.
Screenshot: `screenshots/06-backup-restore/light/01-dashboard.png`
---
## Step 2: The Backup Modal
The Backup modal opens with three tabs and detailed information about what gets backed up.
**What you should see:**
- **Title:** 💾 Backup & Restore
- **Description:** "Full backup of your entire DashCaddy setup — server config, credentials, themes, and browser preferences in one file."
- **Tab buttons:** Manual, Automated, History
Screenshot: `screenshots/06-backup-restore/light/02-backup-modal-open.png`
---
## Step 3: Manual Backup (Export)
The **Manual** tab is selected by default and contains export options.
**What you should see:**
- **📤 Export Backup** section with description:
- "Downloads everything — services, Caddyfile, credentials, encryption key, themes, and all browser preferences."
- **⬇️ Download Full Backup** button
**To create a manual backup:**
1. Click **⬇️ Download Full Backup**
2. Your browser will download a backup file (typically `.tar.gz` or similar archive)
3. Save this file in a safe location
The backup file includes:
- All service configurations
- Caddy reverse proxy configuration
- Encrypted credentials
- Encryption keys
- Custom themes
- Browser preferences and settings
---
## Step 4: Restore from Backup
The **📥 Restore Backup** section lets you restore from a previously saved backup file.
**To restore from backup:**
1. Click the upload/restore button (may be labeled differently in your version)
2. Select your backup file from your computer
3. Confirm the restore operation when prompted
4. Wait for the restore process to complete
**⚠️ Warning:** Restoring a backup will replace your current configuration. Make sure to:
- Export your current configuration first (if needed)
- Verify the backup file is from a trusted source
---
## Step 5: Automated Backups
The **Automated** tab lets you schedule regular backups.
**What you might see:**
- Backup schedule configuration
- Options for backup frequency (daily, weekly, etc.)
- Backup retention settings
Configure automated backups to ensure you always have recent restore points available.
---
## Step 6: Backup History
The **History** tab shows previous backup operations.
**What you might see:**
- List of past backups
- Timestamps for each backup
- Restore options for individual backups
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Download button not working | Check browser popup blocker; try a different browser |
| Backup file won't upload | Ensure you're uploading the correct file format; check file size limits |
| Restore fails | Verify the backup file is complete and not corrupted |
| Automated backup not running | Check that the DashCaddy service is running; verify schedule settings |
| Forgotten encryption key | Without the encryption key from backup, some credentials may not restore |

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# Monitoring Resources with Stats
DashCaddy's Stats feature provides real-time and historical monitoring of CPU, memory, network, and disk usage for your containers. This tutorial shows how to access and interpret the monitoring data.
**Prerequisites:** Logged into DashCaddy dashboard with Docker containers running.
---
## Step 1: Access the Stats Modal
The Stats monitoring is found in the STATUS section of the dashboard.
**What you should see:**
- Dashboard with STATUS, TOOLS, ADMIN navigation
- Various service cards and status indicators
Navigate to the STATUS section and click on **Stats** to open the Resource Monitor.
Screenshot: `screenshots/07-stats-monitoring/light/01-dashboard.png`
---
## Step 2: The Stats Modal
The Stats modal opens with resource monitoring data organized into tabs.
**What you should see:**
- **Title:** 📊 Resource Monitor
- **Description:** "Real-time and historical CPU, memory, network, and disk usage for containers."
- **Tabs:** Live Stats, 24h Summary, Alerts
Screenshot: `screenshots/07-stats-monitoring/light/02-stats-modal-open.png`
---
## Step 3: Live Stats View
The **Live Stats** tab shows real-time resource usage.
**What you might see:**
- Container list with real-time metrics
- CPU usage percentage per container
- Memory usage (used/available)
- Network I/O rates
- Disk I/O rates
- Auto-refresh indicator: "Auto-refresh every 5s"
**Refresh controls:**
- **🔄 Refresh Now** — Manually trigger a refresh of all stats
- Automatic refresh can be paused if needed
Screenshot: `screenshots/07-stats-monitoring/light/02-stats-modal-open.png`
---
## Step 4: 24h Summary View
The **24h Summary** tab shows aggregated statistics over the past 24 hours.
**What you might see:**
- Peak CPU usage
- Average memory usage
- Total network traffic
- Disk usage trends
- Historical graphs if available
This view helps identify resource usage patterns and plan for capacity needs.
---
## Step 5: Alerts View
The **Alerts** tab shows any resource-related alerts.
**What you might see:**
- High CPU warnings
- Memory pressure alerts
- Disk space warnings
- Network issues
Alerts help you stay on top of problems before they cause service disruptions.
---
## Understanding the Metrics
**CPU Usage:**
- Shows percentage of CPU being used by each container
- High CPU (>80%) sustained may indicate performance issues
**Memory Usage:**
- Shows RAM used vs. available
- Watch for containers with memory limits approaching capacity
**Network I/O:**
- Bytes/packets in and out
- Helps identify unexpected network activity
**Disk I/O:**
- Read/write speeds
- Important for storage-heavy workloads
---
## Common Issues
| Issue | Solution |
|-------|----------|
| Stats show "Loading container stats..." | No containers running, or Docker is not responding |
| Auto-refresh not working | Click "🔄 Refresh Now" manually; check Docker daemon |
| Missing container in stats | Container may have stopped; check container status |
| Network stats show zeros | Network monitoring may not be enabled for that container |
| High CPU alerts | Check which container is using resources; consider resource limits |