ChangeDetection.io on StartOS

Upstream docs: https://github.com/dgtlmoon/changedetection.io

Everything not listed in this document should behave the same as upstream changedetection.io. If a feature, setting, or behavior is not mentioned here, the upstream documentation is accurate and fully applicable.

ChangeDetection.io monitors web pages, JSON APIs, and documents for changes, then sends alerts through its upstream notification integrations.

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Table of Contents

• Image and Container Runtime
• Volume and Data Layout
• Installation and First-Run Flow
• Configuration Management
• Network Access and Interfaces
• Actions (StartOS UI)
• Backups and Restore
• Health Checks
• Dependencies
• Limitations and Differences
• What Is Unchanged from Upstream
• Quick Reference for AI Consumers

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Image and Container Runtime

Property	Value
Image	LinuxServer lscr.io/linuxserver/changedetection.io image
Architectures	x86_64, aarch64
Entrypoint	Upstream image entrypoint and default command via SDK
Managed env	User ID, group ID, timezone, and version-check behavior

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Volume and Data Layout

Volume	Mount Point	Purpose
main	/config	Watch list, history, screenshots, app settings, and imports

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Installation and First-Run Flow

Install and start the service, then open the Web UI interface from the StartOS dashboard.

The upstream app starts with its standard first-run behavior. By default the web UI is open to anyone who can reach its address — run the Manage Access action to require a password. Configure watch defaults, notifications, and any API keys inside the changedetection.io web UI.

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Configuration Management

StartOS-Managed	Upstream-Managed
Container image, daemon, port, volume, user/group IDs, timezone, version-check behavior, and the optional web UI login password (Manage Access action)	Watches, notification URLs, proxy settings, API keys, import/export, and UI settings

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Network Access and Interfaces

Interface	Port	Protocol	Purpose
Web UI	5000	HTTP	changedetection.io web interface and API

Access methods:

• LAN IP with unique port
• <hostname>.local with unique port
• Tor .onion address
• Custom domains (if configured)

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Actions (StartOS UI)

Action	Purpose
Manage Access	Require a password to log in to the web UI, or keep it open. Uses changedetection.io's own login (injected via SALTED_PASS); only the salted hash is stored on the StartOS side, never the plaintext.

All other settings are handled in the upstream web UI.

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Backups and Restore

Included in backup:

• main volume, including watch data, history, screenshots, settings, and imports stored by the upstream app

Restore behavior: Volume is fully restored before the service starts.

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Health Checks

Check	Method	Messages
Web Interface	Port listening	Success: "The web interface is ready" / Error: "The web interface is not ready"

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Dependencies

None.

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Limitations and Differences

1. LinuxServer container wrapper - the package uses LinuxServer's changedetection.io image because it includes the Playwright content fetcher and supports the StartOS target architectures. The application itself remains changedetection.io.
2. Minimal StartOS configuration - watches, notification URLs, proxy settings, and API keys are managed in changedetection.io itself. The one exception is the web UI login password, which you set via the Manage Access action.
3. External browser drivers are not managed by StartOS - the bundled Playwright fetcher is available, but any separate WebDriver or remote Playwright service must be configured manually in changedetection.io.
4. Notification delivery depends on network reachability - outbound notification integrations must be reachable from the StartOS device.
5. Website monitoring responsibility remains with the user - users are responsible for complying with site terms, robots policies, and applicable law when monitoring remote content.

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What Is Unchanged from Upstream

The package runs a prebuilt changedetection.io container image without rebuilding it. Core watch management, HTML/text/JSON/PDF monitoring, Playwright-backed fetching, filters, history, import/export, API, and notification integrations behave as documented upstream unless limited above.

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Quick Reference for AI Consumers

package_id: changedetection
image: lscr.io/linuxserver/changedetection.io
architectures: [x86_64, aarch64]
volumes:
  main: /config
ports:
  ui: 5000
dependencies: none
startos_managed_env_vars:
  - PUID
  - PGID
  - TZ
  - DISABLE_VERSION_CHECK
  - SALTED_PASS # only when a web UI password is set via Manage Access
actions:
  - manage-access # require a login for the web UI, or keep it open