Why would I install CE version instead of PRO version

Seafile Server
1

I have tried to figure out what the real difference is between CE and PRO Version, sure the Cluster and HA makes sense, but why does the CE not have full text files search ?

There will only be 3 that will use Seafil, so in theory I can install the Pro version, and I would not hesitate to pay thr $100 a year if I need a 4-5th user

What else is in the pro version that is not in CE ?

2

The Seafile Professional Edition (Pro) includes several enterprise-focused features that are not available in the Community Edition (CE). Here are the primary differences:

1. Full-Text Search

As you noted, full-text search is a Pro-only feature. It uses Elasticsearch to index and search not only filenames but also the content of files (Office, PDF, Markdown, Text, etc.). This requires additional system resources (minimum 4GB RAM) which is why it’s excluded from the lightweight CE version.

2. File Locking

Pro supports manual and automatic file locking. When a user opens an Office file on their desktop, Seafile can automatically lock it to prevent other users from creating sync conflicts.

3. Advanced LDAP/AD Integration

While CE supports basic LDAP authentication, the Pro version adds:

  • User Sync: Automatically importing and deactivating users based on LDAP status.
  • Group Sync: Syncing LDAP groups into Seafile groups or departments.
  • LDAP Integration in Pro

4. Storage Backends

Pro allows you to use cloud storage backends like Amazon S3, Ceph, or OpenStack Swift. CE is limited to local storage or network-attached storage (NAS) via file system mounting.

5. High Availability and Clustering

For larger deployments, Pro supports clustering and high-availability setups to ensure the service remains online even if one server fails.

6. Fine-grained Permissions

Pro includes advanced permission settings, such as:

  • Invisible Permissions: Hide specific sub-folders from users who shouldn’t see them.
  • Online Read-Write: Restrict users to only editing files through the web interface (OnlyOffice/Collabora) without downloading them.

Recommendation

Since you only have 3 users, you can actually use the Seafile Professional Edition for free. Seafile offers a free license for up to 3 users with all Pro features included. This allows you to benefit from full-text search and file locking without any cost until you need to add a 4th user.

You can find more details in the Seafile Professional Server Changelog.

3

Thank you very much for the details.

4

I did the pro installation and it seems to be working just fine, I just noticed a small issue:

I have my own Reverse proxy in my home lab

I got this error in chrome:

(index):190 Mixed Content: The page at ‘https://xxx/’ was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure element ‘http://seafile.example.com/media/avatars/default.png’. This request was automatically upgraded to HTTPS, For more information see https://blog.chromium.org/2019/10/no-more-mixed-messages-about-https.htmlUnderstand this warning
(index):190 Mixed Content: The page at ‘https://xxx/’ was loaded over HTTPS, but requested an insecure element ‘http://seafile.example.com/media/avatars/default.png’. This request was automatically upgraded to HTTPS, For more information see Chromium Blog: No More Mixed Messages About HTTPS

xxx in this case in my internal url.

Chatgpt suggested to look at “/opt/seafile-data/seafile/conf/seahub_settings.py”.

What is the official fix for this ?

5

I have found the issue, mis-configuration on my side - sorry