Connect Seafile and Collabora with the Correct WOPI URL

To connect Seafile with Collabora Online, enable HTTPS on Seafile, deploy Collabora, and point Seafile’s Office integration to Collabora’s discovery endpoint. If both services run on the same Docker network, Seafile’s current integration guide uses the internal URL http://collabora:9980/hosting/discovery; if Collabora runs on a separate host, use its public HTTPS URL instead.

The current Seafile Admin Manual documents a dedicated collabora.yml Compose integration and settings in seahub_settings.py. The exact deployment files can differ by Seafile version, so use the manual matching your installed release when adapting these examples.

Before you begin

• Use an HTTPS Seafile address with a valid TLS certificate. Seafile lists HTTPS as a requirement for Collabora integration.
• Know whether Collabora will run as another container on the same Docker host or as a separately hosted service.
• Have administrator access to Seafile’s deployment directory and seahub_settings.py.
• Choose which document formats to allow for preview and editing. The Seafile settings control these extension lists.

Seafile and Collabora communicate using WOPI. Seafile supplies document access information, and Collabora requests the file from Seafile. The discovery URL tells Seafile which Collabora service to use and which editor capabilities it advertises.

1. Confirm HTTPS on Seafile

Open Seafile in a browser and confirm its normal address begins with https:// and its certificate is valid. For Seafile’s Docker deployment, its current manual shows setting SEAFILE_SERVER_PROTOCOL=https in the .env file, then completing the HTTPS setup through the configured reverse proxy. Do not proceed with a public plain-HTTP Seafile endpoint.

# In the Seafile deployment .env file
SEAFILE_SERVER_PROTOCOL=https

Keep the actual certificate and private key under the control of your TLS proxy or certificate manager. This setting alone does not issue a certificate or configure a reverse proxy; finish the HTTPS steps for your deployment before enabling online office editing.

2. Add Collabora to the Seafile Docker deployment

For the documented same-host Docker setup, use the Collabora Compose file supplied by Seafile rather than assembling an unrelated container definition. In the Seafile deployment directory, download the file for the matching manual version, and add collabora.yml to the existing COMPOSE_FILE list in .env. Preserve the Compose files already used by your installation.

# Example for a Seafile 14.0 deployment
wget https://manual.seafile.com/14.0/repo/docker/collabora.yml

Set the Collabora variables documented by Seafile in .env:

COLLABORA_IMAGE=collabora/code
COLLABORA_PORT=6232
COLLABORA_USERNAME=your_admin_username
COLLABORA_PASSWORD=use_a_long_unique_secret
COLLABORA_ENABLE_ADMIN_CONSOLE=true
COLLABORA_ENABLE_FILE_LOGGING=false

Use a unique strong password and restrict access to the .env file because it contains credentials. The example port is the exposed port in Seafile’s integration configuration; do not assume it is the public port on your reverse proxy. Follow the matching collabora.yml file and the proxy arrangement for your release.

Once the service is added to the deployment, start or update the Compose stack using your normal Seafile procedure. Avoid publishing Collabora’s internal port directly to the internet unless your design explicitly requires it and you have secured the endpoint.

3. Point Seafile to Collabora’s discovery URL

Edit the active seahub_settings.py file and add the integration settings. For the same-host Compose setup, the Seafile manual uses the service name and internal Collabora port:

OFFICE_SERVER_TYPE = 'CollaboraOffice'
ENABLE_OFFICE_WEB_APP = True
OFFICE_WEB_APP_BASE_URL = 'http://collabora:9980/hosting/discovery'
WOPI_ACCESS_TOKEN_EXPIRATION = 30 * 60

OFFICE_WEB_APP_FILE_EXTENSION = (
    'odp', 'ods', 'odt', 'xls', 'xlsb', 'xlsm', 'xlsx',
    'ppsx', 'ppt', 'pptm', 'pptx', 'doc', 'docm', 'docx'
)

ENABLE_OFFICE_WEB_APP_EDIT = True
OFFICE_WEB_APP_EDIT_FILE_EXTENSION = (
    'odp', 'ods', 'odt', 'xls', 'xlsb', 'xlsm', 'xlsx',
    'ppsx', 'ppt', 'pptm', 'pptx', 'doc', 'docm', 'docx'
)

The http:// URL here is the internal service-to-service address in Seafile’s documented Docker network. The browser-facing Seafile site still needs HTTPS. Do not copy this internal address into a separate-host deployment.

For Collabora on a different host, configure Collabora behind HTTPS on the standard public port, with the reverse proxy forwarding requests to Collabora’s listening port. Set the base URL to your actual public hostname, for example:

OFFICE_WEB_APP_BASE_URL = 'https://office.example.com/hosting/discovery'

Make sure the hostname in the URL resolves and presents a valid certificate from the clients that need to open documents. Also configure Collabora’s WOPI allow-list to accept the Seafile server host. Collabora’s official Docker documentation describes the aliasgroup environment variable for declaring the permitted WOPI host; match the exact host and scheme used by Seafile, and avoid broad wildcard access on a production server.

4. Restart and test the connection

Restart Seafile so Seahub loads the new Python settings. Use the restart procedure for your package, Compose stack, or Kubernetes setup; service names and commands vary across deployments. If you added a new Compose file, confirm the Collabora container is running before testing the browser workflow.

Open a supported Office document from Seafile’s web interface. The file should open in Collabora’s editor, show its content, and save a small test change back to Seafile. A document opening successfully is more useful than checking the discovery page alone because it exercises the browser, Seafile, Collabora, and WOPI file transfer.

Troubleshoot by checking each connection

• Seahub reports a discovery error: Confirm OFFICE_WEB_APP_BASE_URL is reachable from the Seafile service. Use the internal Docker service name only when both containers share that network.
• The editor loads but cannot fetch the file: Check Collabora logs and Seafile logs. Confirm Collabora allows the Seafile WOPI host and that Seafile’s HTTPS certificate is trusted.
• It works on the same host but not remotely: Replace the internal URL with the public HTTPS discovery URL, confirm DNS and TLS, and verify that the proxy forwards Collabora requests to port 9980.
• Only some formats open: Review OFFICE_WEB_APP_FILE_EXTENSION and OFFICE_WEB_APP_EDIT_FILE_EXTENSION. Keep these lists limited to formats your users need and that your Collabora deployment supports.
• Settings appear unchanged after restart: Confirm you edited the active seahub_settings.py and restarted the correct Seafile service.

For a standalone Collabora node, Seafile specifically directs administrators to Collabora’s deployment documentation instead of using its bundled collabora.yml. The bundled file is intended for the same Docker host/network arrangement described above.

Official references

• Seafile Admin Manual: Collabora Online Integration
• Seafile 14.0 Collabora Compose file
• Collabora CODE Docker image documentation