SOTC (State of the Collection) - Watch Collection Management

A self-hostable web application for managing watch collections with comprehensive tracking, analytics, and image sharing capabilities.

Features

• Multiple Collections: Create and manage different watch "boxes" (SOTC, wish list, etc.)
• Detailed Watch Management: Track purchase dates, service schedules, valuations, specifications
• Image Management: Upload and manage multiple images per watch with carousel display
• Wear Tracking: Daily wear logging with "WIT" (Wearing It Today) functionality
• Analytics Dashboard: Comprehensive wear statistics and streak tracking
• Drag & Drop Organization: Reorder watches within customizable grid layouts
• Collection Sharing: Export collection grids as images for social media
• Mobile Optimized: Responsive design for all screen sizes

Technology Stack

• Frontend: React 18 + TypeScript + Tailwind CSS + shadcn/ui
• Backend: Node.js + Express + TypeScript
• Database: SQLite with Drizzle ORM
• File Storage: Local filesystem for images
• Build Tools: Vite + ESBuild

Quick Start with Docker

Prerequisites

• Docker and Docker Compose installed
• At least 1GB of available disk space

1. Clone and Build

git clone <repository-url>
cd sotc-watch-collection

2. Create Data Directories

mkdir -p data/db data/uploads

3. Deploy with Docker Compose

docker-compose up -d

The application will be available at http://localhost:5000

4. Persistent Data

Your data is stored in bind mounts:

• ./data/db/ - SQLite database file
• ./data/uploads/ - Uploaded watch images

Manual Docker Deployment

Build the Image

docker build -t sotc-watch-collection .

Run the Container

docker run -d \
  --name sotc \
  -p 5000:5000 \
  -v $(pwd)/data/db:/app/data/db \
  -v $(pwd)/data/uploads:/app/data/uploads \
  -e NODE_ENV=production \
  -e DATABASE_URL=file:/app/data/db/database.sqlite \
  --restart unless-stopped \
  sotc-watch-collection

Development Setup

Prerequisites

• Node.js 20 or higher
• npm

Installation

npm install

Development Server

npm run dev

Access the development server at http://localhost:5000

Build for Production

npm run build
npm start

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
NODE_ENV	development	Application environment
DATABASE_URL	file:./database.sqlite	SQLite database path
PORT	5000	Application port

Docker Volumes

For persistent data, mount these directories:

• /app/data/db - Database storage
• /app/data/uploads - Image uploads

Data Backup

To backup your collection data:

# Backup database
cp data/db/database.sqlite backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).sqlite

# Backup images
tar -czf images-backup-$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz data/uploads/

Maintenance

Update Application

docker-compose pull
docker-compose up -d

View Logs

docker-compose logs -f sotc

Database Maintenance

The SQLite database is maintenance-free for most use cases. For optimal performance with large collections (1000+ watches), consider running:

docker-compose exec sotc sqlite3 /app/data/db/database.sqlite "VACUUM;"

Troubleshooting

Container Won't Start

• Check if port 5000 is already in use
• Verify data directories exist and have proper permissions
• Check logs with docker-compose logs sotc

Images Not Loading

• Verify the uploads directory is properly mounted
• Check file permissions on the uploads directory

Database Issues

• Ensure the database directory is writable
• Check that DATABASE_URL environment variable is correct

System Requirements

Minimum

• 512MB RAM
• 1GB storage
• Single CPU core

Recommended

• 1GB RAM
• 5GB storage (for image storage)
• 2 CPU cores

Security Considerations

• The application is designed for self-hosting in trusted environments
• No built-in authentication (use reverse proxy with auth if needed)
• Uploaded images are stored locally without encryption
• Database contains no sensitive authentication data

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Support

For issues and feature requests, please use the GitHub issue tracker.