Prepare the QNAP
In QTS / QuTS hero, enable the SSH service and SFTP, and create a dedicated user and a folder such as /share/paperoffice.
QNAP NAS · AI-DMS with BYOS
AI document management for QNAP NAS: files AES-256 encrypted on your own storage, OCR and search by PaperOffice.
Even without port forwarding: the NAS opens the tunnel itself via reverse SSH. Guide for QTS / QuTS hero below.
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Learn moreHow it works
PaperOffice reaches your QNAP via SFTP or through a reverse SSH tunnel that the NAS opens itself. The full guide for QTS / QuTS hero is further down.
In QTS / QuTS hero, enable the SSH service and SFTP, and create a dedicated user and a folder such as /share/paperoffice.
In PaperOffice in your browser (app.paperoffice.ai), choose BYOS storage and reverse SSH or SFTP under Storage Mounts, and enter the NAS user, folder and password.
Paste the block from the app on the NAS via SSH. The tunnel runs as a container in Container Station and restarts on its own after every reboot.
Capabilities
From a single scan folder to an encrypted storage location: per mount, you decide which role the NAS takes on.
There is no PaperOffice app for the NAS. It connects like any server, via SFTP, WebDAV or reverse SSH. OCR, AI and search run at PaperOffice.
Files stay unchanged on the NAS, subfolders are included, and renames and moves are tracked. For processing, PaperOffice keeps an encrypted working copy.
New files from exactly one folder land in the target workspace. The source file is then kept, moved or deleted.
Via SFTP or reverse SSH, a workspace stores new documents as encrypted .pod archives with AES-256 on your NAS, using a password you set.
A BYOS mount can be mirrored to a second SFTP NAS, with every file operation replicated. If the first one fails, PaperOffice keeps reading from the mirror.
The NAS opens an outbound tunnel over port 443 itself, as a Docker container or, on Synology, via Task Scheduler. No fixed IP, DynDNS or port forwarding needed. The tunnel works as a source and as BYOS storage.
The index skips folders such as @eaDir, #recycle and #snapshot on Synology or @Recycle on QNAP, plus recycle bins, dot folders, lock and temp files.
Few parallel connections per mount and gentle retries on errors, so protection such as fail2ban on the NAS does not trigger.
curl -X POST \ "https://api.paperoffice.ai/latest/storage_mounts/add" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer po_ut_YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name":"QNAP Archiv","connector_type":"reverse_ssh","mount_purpose":"byos","local_ssh_user":"paperoffice","local_path":"/share/paperoffice","encryption_key":"YOUR_ENCRYPTION_PASSWORD"}' curl -X POST \ "https://api.paperoffice.ai/latest/documents/workspaces-create" \ -H "Authorization: Bearer po_ut_YOUR_API_KEY" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"name":"QNAP Archiv","type":"ablage","storage_mode":"byos","storage_mount_id":2381}' For developers
Reverse SSH mounts and BYOS workspaces can also be created automatically. The API returns the setup commands for the NAS.
Besides passwords, the API also accepts SSH keys. The app form only knows passwords.
Add, list, switch on and off or remove mirrors.
16 MCP tools for storage mounts, from creating them through the connection test to mirrors.
Security and data sovereignty
In index mode, the originals stay on your NAS and PaperOffice keeps an encrypted working copy. With BYOS, the workspace's documents are stored encrypted on the NAS. OCR, AI and search run at PaperOffice in its own data center in the EU, which also holds full text, index, metadata and AI results.
Frequently asked questions
No. No PaperOffice app runs on the QNAP. The NAS serves as encrypted storage or as a source. OCR, AI and search run at PaperOffice in its own data center in the EU.
No. With reverse SSH, the QNAP opens an outbound tunnel over port 443 to PaperOffice itself. You only need port forwarding with DynDNS for the direct SFTP connection.
myQNAPcloud can provide the address for the direct SFTP connection, but it does not replace port forwarding. myQNAPcloud Link is a relay service for QNAP apps, not SFTP access. Without port forwarding, use the reverse SSH tunnel.
On QNAP, only members of the administrators group can sign in via SSH. Create a dedicated administrator user with a home folder instead of using the admin account. The tunnel key is stored in the home folder.
With BYOS, the documents of the workspace are stored on the NAS as .pod archives with AES-256. Full text, index, metadata and AI results are stored at PaperOffice in its own data center in the EU.
The availability check reports the outage by email. Without a mirror, PaperOffice locks the BYOS workspace until the NAS is reachable again. The tunnel container then reconnects on its own.
BYOS does not take over existing files on its own. For that, use an index connector, which leaves the originals on the NAS, or the Data Importer from the Starter plan.
The .pod archives are encrypted with AES-256 and your password. PaperOffice keeps this password encrypted in order to open the files for processing and retrieval. Keep it safe: without the password, the files cannot be read.
Guide
From the SSH service in QTS / QuTS hero to the first encrypted document on the NAS.
PaperOffice reaches your QNAP NAS either directly via SFTP or through a reverse SSH tunnel that the NAS opens itself. The tunnel needs no port forwarding, no fixed IP and no DynDNS.
| Direct via SFTP | Reverse SSH | |
|---|---|---|
| Port forwarding on the router | required | not required |
| Public address | fixed IP or DynDNS | not required, outbound over port 443 |
| On the NAS | SSH and SFTP service | SSH service and Container Station |
| Use | Source and BYOS storage | Source and BYOS storage |
Control Panel › Network & File Services › Telnet/SSH › Allow SSH connection.Control Panel › Privilege › Users › Create and add it to the administrators group. Without this group, QNAP does not allow SSH sign-in.Control Panel › Privilege › Shared Folders › Create, for example paperoffice, with read and write access for this user.Control Panel › Privilege › Users › Home Folder. The setup stores the tunnel key there.Use a dedicated user for PaperOffice only. That way, the NAS log shows exactly what PaperOffice does, and you can revoke access at any time.
Storage Mounts, choose Use as BYOS-Storage and the protocol Reverse SSH.Your NAS, choose QNAP and enter the NAS user. Check the folder: on QNAP it starts with /share/ followed by the name of the shared folder, for example /share/paperoffice, with upper and lower case exactly as in File Station. Then set an encryption password with at least 16 characters and download the MasterKey.NAS with Docker variant and copy the block.Test Connection. If successful, PaperOffice creates the file .po_byos_manifest.json in the folder.The block contains the private key of this tunnel. It is only shown in your app, is valid for this one mount only and can be revoked at any time together with the mount.
SFTP: host, port, user, password and base path /share/paperoffice.Test Connection and choose the purpose: import source for a connector or BYOS storage for a workspace.Local network addresses such as nas.local or 192.168.x.x do not work for the direct connection. That is what the reverse SSH tunnel is for.
Workspaces, create a new workspace and choose the storage mode BYOS and the mount..pod archives with AES-256 in the folder on the QNAP NAS. Full text, index, metadata and AI results are stored at PaperOffice in its own data center in the EU.| Message in the app | Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Tunnel from the NAS not active | The tunnel container is not running or cannot reach PaperOffice. | Check in Container Station that the container is running, and allow outbound connections over port 443. |
| Gateway rejected the tunnel key | The key in the container does not belong to this mount. | Create the mount again and paste the new block on the NAS. |
| Folder on the NAS not writable | The NAS user may not write to the folder, or the SSH service refuses the sign-in. | Grant write access to the folder, enable SSH and SFTP, enable home folders. |
| Folder already contains encrypted PaperOffice files | The folder contains the manifest of another BYOS mount. | Choose an empty folder or reconnect with the original password. |
The availability check reports outages by email. Without a mirror, the BYOS workspace is locked until the tunnel is back, so that no document is lost. The container reconnects on its own.
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