TimeTracker/docs/admin/deployment/OFFICIAL_BUILDS.md

Official Builds vs Self-Hosted

TimeTracker supports two deployment models with different analytics configurations.

Official Builds

Official builds are published on GitHub Container Registry with analytics pre-configured for community support.

Characteristics

• Analytics Keys: PostHog and Sentry keys are embedded at build time
• Telemetry: Opt-in during first-time setup (disabled by default)
• Privacy: No PII is ever collected, even with telemetry enabled
• Updates: Automatic community insights help improve the product
• Support: Anonymous usage data helps prioritize features

Using Official Builds

# Pull the official image
docker pull ghcr.io/YOUR_USERNAME/timetracker:latest

# Run with default configuration
docker-compose up -d

On first access, you'll see the setup page where you can:

• ✅ Enable telemetry to support community development
• ⬜ Disable telemetry for complete privacy (default)

What Gets Tracked (If Enabled)

• Event types (e.g., "timer.started", "project.created")
• Internal numeric IDs (no usernames or emails)
• Anonymous installation fingerprint
• Platform and version information

What's NEVER Tracked

• ❌ Email addresses or usernames
• ❌ Project names or descriptions
• ❌ Time entry notes or content
• ❌ Client information or business data
• ❌ IP addresses
• ❌ Any personally identifiable information

Self-Hosted Builds

Self-hosted builds give you complete control over analytics and telemetry.

Build Your Own Image

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/timetracker.git
cd timetracker

# Build without embedded keys
docker build -t timetracker:self-hosted .

# Run your build
docker run -p 5000:5000 timetracker:self-hosted

Configuration Options

Option 1: No Analytics (Default)

No configuration needed. Analytics placeholders remain empty.

# Just run it
docker-compose up -d

Option 2: Your Own Analytics

Provide your own PostHog/Sentry keys:

# .env file
POSTHOG_API_KEY=your-posthog-key
POSTHOG_HOST=https://your-posthog-instance.com
SENTRY_DSN=your-sentry-dsn

Option 3: Official Keys (If You Have Them)

If you have the official keys, you can use them:

export POSTHOG_API_KEY="official-key"
docker-compose up -d

Comparison

Feature	Official Build	Self-Hosted
Analytics Keys	Embedded	User-provided or none
Telemetry Default	Opt-in (disabled)	Opt-in (disabled)
Privacy	No PII ever	No PII ever
Updates	Via GitHub Releases	Manual builds
Support Data	Optional community sharing	Private only
Customization	Standard	Full control

Transparency & Trust

Official Build Process

1. GitHub Actions Trigger: Tag pushed (e.g., v3.0.0)
2. Placeholder Replacement: Analytics keys injected from GitHub Secrets
3. Docker Build: Image built with embedded keys
4. Image Push: Published to GitHub Container Registry
5. Release Creation: Changelog and notes generated

Verification

You can verify the build process:

# Check if this is an official build
docker run ghcr.io/YOUR_USERNAME/timetracker:latest python3 -c \
  "from app.config.analytics_defaults import is_official_build; \
   print('Official build' if is_official_build() else 'Self-hosted')"

Source Code Availability

All code is open source:

• Analytics configuration: app/config/analytics_defaults.py
• Build workflow: .github/workflows/build-and-publish.yml
• Telemetry code: app/utils/telemetry.py

Override Priority

Configuration is loaded in this priority order (highest first):

1. Environment Variables (user override)
2. Built-in Defaults (from GitHub Actions for official builds)
3. Empty/Disabled (for self-hosted without config)

This means you can always override official keys with your own:

# Even in an official build, you can use your own keys
export POSTHOG_API_KEY="my-key"
docker-compose up -d

Privacy Guarantees

For Official Builds

• ✅ Telemetry is opt-in (disabled by default)
• ✅ Can be disabled anytime in admin dashboard
• ✅ No PII is ever collected
• ✅ Open source code for full transparency

For Self-Hosted

• ✅ Complete control over all analytics
• ✅ Can disable entirely by not providing keys
• ✅ Can use your own PostHog/Sentry instances
• ✅ Same codebase, just without embedded keys

FAQ

Q: Will the official build send my data without permission? A: No. Telemetry is disabled by default. You must explicitly enable it during setup or in admin settings.

Q: Can I audit what data is sent? A: Yes. All tracked events are documented in docs/all_tracked_events.md and logged locally in logs/app.jsonl.

Q: Can I use the official build without telemetry? A: Yes! Just leave telemetry disabled during setup. The embedded keys are only used if you opt in.

Q: What's the difference between official and self-hosted? A: Official builds have analytics keys embedded (but still opt-in). Self-hosted builds require you to provide your own keys or run without analytics.

Q: Can I switch from official to self-hosted? A: Yes. Your data is stored locally in the database. Just migrate your data/ directory and database to a self-hosted instance.

Q: Are the analytics keys visible in the official build? A: They're embedded in the built image (not in source code). This is standard practice for analytics (like mobile apps).

Building Official Releases

Prerequisites

1. GitHub repository with Actions enabled
2. GitHub Secrets configured:
   • POSTHOG_API_KEY: Your PostHog project API key
   • SENTRY_DSN: Your Sentry project DSN

Release Process

# Create and push a version tag
git tag v3.0.0
git push origin v3.0.0

# GitHub Actions will automatically:
# 1. Inject analytics keys
# 2. Build Docker image
# 3. Push to GHCR
# 4. Create GitHub Release

Manual Trigger

You can also trigger builds manually:

1. Go to Actions tab in GitHub
2. Select "Build and Publish Official Release"
3. Click "Run workflow"
4. Enter version (e.g., 3.0.0)
5. Click "Run workflow"

Support

• Official Builds: GitHub Issues, Community Forum
• Self-Hosted: GitHub Issues, Documentation
• Privacy Concerns: See docs/privacy.md
• Security Issues: See SECURITY.md

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Remember: Whether you use official or self-hosted builds, TimeTracker respects your privacy. Telemetry is always opt-in, transparent, and never collects PII.