Configuring Snipe-IT for your Microsoft Azure Virtual Machine

What is Snipe-IT?

Snipe-IT is an open-source IT asset management system that helps you track:

• Hardware (laptops, servers, phones, monitors)
• Software licenses
• Accessories (keyboards, mice)
• Consumables (printer toner, cables)
• Check-out/check-in workflows
• Maintenance schedules
• Asset depreciation

Install Prerequisites

Install Docker and Docker Compose:

# Install Docker
curl -fsSL https://get.docker.com -o get-docker.sh
sudo sh get-docker.sh

# Add your user to docker group (avoid sudo)
sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

# Install Docker Compose
sudo apt install -y docker-compose

# Log out and back in for group changes to take effect
exit

SSH back in:

ssh -i homelab-vm_key.pem azureuser@100.x.x.x # Use Tailscale IP

Verify Docker installation:

docker --version
docker-compose --version

Deploy Snipe-IT with Docker Compose

Create directory structure:

mkdir -p ~/snipe-it
cd ~/snipe-it

Generate App Key:

# Run this on your VM
docker run --rm snipe/snipe-it php artisan key:generate --show

Create Docker Compose file:

nano docker-compose.yml

Paste this configuration:

version: '3.8'

services:
  # MySQL Database
  mysql:
    image: mysql:8
    container_name: snipeit_mysql
    restart: unless-stopped
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: SecureRootPassword1234 # Feel free to change this
      MYSQL_DATABASE: snipeit
      MYSQL_USER: snipeituser
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: SecureSnipePassword4567 # Feel free to change this
    volumes:
      - mysql_data:/var/lib/mysql
    networks:
      - snipeit_network

  # Snipe-IT Application
  snipeit:
    image: snipe/snipe-it:latest
    container_name: snipeit_app
    restart: unless-stopped
    depends_on:
      - mysql
    environment:
      # Database Configuration
      MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_ADDR: mysql
      MYSQL_PORT_3306_TCP_PORT: 3306
      MYSQL_DATABASE: snipeit
      MYSQL_USER: snipeituser
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: SecureSnipePassword4567 # Feel free to change this

      # Application Configuration
      APP_ENV: production
      APP_DEBUG: true
      APP_KEY:  # Will be generated on first run
      APP_URL: http://100.x.x.x:8080  # Replace with YOUR Tailscale IP
      APP_TIMEZONE: America/New_York  # Change to your timezone
      APP_LOCALE: en

    volumes:
      - snipeit_data:/var/lib/snipeit
    ports:
      - "8080:80"
    networks:
      - snipeit_network

volumes:
  mysql_data:
    driver: local
  snipeit_data:
    driver: local

networks:
  snipeit_network:
    driver: bridge

IMPORTANT: Edit these values:

1. Replace 100.x.x.x with your actual Tailscale IP
2. Change timezone if needed
3. Update email settings if you want notifications (optional)

Save and exit: Press Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter

Start Snipe-IT

Launch the containers:

cd ~/snipe-it
docker-compose up -d

Wait 2–3 minutes for initialization, then check status:

docker-compose ps

Expected output:

     Name                   Command               State           Ports
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
snipeit_app     /entrypoint.sh                   Up      0.0.0.0:8080->80/tcp
snipeit_mysql   docker-entrypoint.sh mysqld      Up      3306/tcp, 33060/tcp

View logs to verify successful startup:

docker-compose logs -f snipeit

Press Ctrl+C to exit logs when you see:

INFO  Server running on [http://0.0.0.0:80]

Complete Snipe-IT Setup

Access Snipe-IT in your browser:

1. Open your web browser (on your laptop)
2. Navigate to: http://100.72.88.62:8080
3. You should see the Snipe-IT setup wizard

Pre-Flight Setup:

1. All checks should be green ✓
2. Email check is optional
3. Click Next: Create Database Tables
4. Troubleshooting if Database Tables create 500 error:

   docker-compose logs snipeit | tail -50
   docker-compose logs mysql | tail -20
   

5. If snipeit starts before mysql has time to connect, it's a race condition error.
6. You can try to start each app separately to avoid collision:

   docker-compose down
   docker-compose up -d mysql
   # Wait 30 seconds for MySQL to fully initialize
   sleep 30
   docker-compose up -d snipeit
   

7. Otherwise, wait 30–60 seconds while tables are created
8. You should see: "Success! Database tables created successfully"
9. Click Next: Create User
10. Create Admin User:

    Site Name: Snipe-IT Asset Management Homelab
    
    First Name: Firstname
    Last Name: Lastname
    Email: placeholder@email.com
    Username: admin
    Password: Placeholder1234
    Confirm Password: Placeholder1234
    

11. Click Next: Save User
12. Click Login to Snipe-IT — http://100.x.x.x:8080/login

Initial Login:

1. Username: admin
2. Password: [The password you just created]

Configure Snipe-IT Basics

Navigate to Settings:

1. Click Settings (gear icon) in top right → App Settings

General Settings:

Site Name: [Your Organization] Asset Management
Default Currency: USD
Language: English, US
Timezone: [Your timezone]
Date Format: YYYY-MM-DD

Asset Settings:

Asset ID Prefix: LAB- (or whatever you prefer)
Asset Tag Generation: Random (or Sequential)
Default Purchase Cost: 0.00
Default Asset Model: [Leave blank for now]

Click Save at the bottom

Add Sample Assets (Testing)

Create a Category (click on the left side gear icon):

1. Settings → Categories → Create New

   Category Name: Laptops
   Category Type: Asset
   EULA: [Leave blank]
   

2. Click Save

Create a Manufacturer:

1. Click Create New Manufacturers

Create an Asset Model:

1. Settings → Asset Models → Create New

   Model Name: Latitude 5420
   Manufacturer: Dell
   Category: Laptops
   Model Number: L5420
   Image: (Optional, I added one because visual aids help)
   

2. Click Save

Create Your First Asset:

1. Assets → Create New

   Asset Tag: LAB-001
   Model: Dell Latitude 5420
   Status: Ready to Deploy
   Serial Number: ABC123XYZ
   Purchase Date: mm/dd/yyyy
   Purchase Cost: 1200.00
   Supplier: Dell
   Notes: Test laptop for homelab
   

2. Click Save

Backup Configuration

Create a backup script:

cd snipe-it
nano backup.sh

Paste this:

#!/bin/bash
# Snipe-IT Backup Script

BACKUP_DIR="$HOME/backups/snipeit"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)

# Create backup directory
mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR

# Backup database, use your own secure password
docker exec snipeit_mysql mysqldump -u snipeituser -p SecureSnipePassword4567 snipeit > \
  $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_db_$DATE.sql

# Backup uploaded files
docker cp snipeit_app:/var/lib/snipeit $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_files_$DATE

# Compress backups
tar -czf $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_backup_$DATE.tar.gz \
  $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_db_$DATE.sql \
  $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_files_$DATE

# Cleanup uncompressed files
rm -rf $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_db_$DATE.sql $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_files_$DATE

# Keep only last 7 backups
cd $BACKUP_DIR && ls -t snipeit_backup_*.tar.gz | tail -n +8 | xargs -r rm

echo "Backup completed: $BACKUP_DIR/snipeit_backup_$DATE.tar.gz"

Make it executable:

chmod +x backup.sh

Test the backup:

./backup.sh

Schedule daily backups (optional):

# Open crontab
crontab -e

# Add this line (runs daily at 2 AM)
0 2 * * * /home/azureuser/snipe-it/backup.sh >> /home/azureuser/snipe-it/backup.log 2>&1

Create log file:

touch backup.log

What's Next?

In the next guide we will setup Wazuh for SIEM (Security Information and Event Management) logging.