Troubleshooting
Common issues and how to fix them.
UniFi API Auth Errors
- Use the local controller URL (e.g.
https://192.168.1.1), not the Ubiquiti cloud URL. - The site ID must be the internal name (usually
default), not the display name shown in the UniFi UI. - Use a Local Admin API key, not a cloud admin key. Create one in UniFi OS under Settings → Admins → Local Admin.
- If you changed
SECRET_KEYorPOSTGRES_PASSWORDafter initial setup, stored API keys become unrecoverable. Re-enter the UniFi API key in Settings.
No Logs Appearing
- Confirm your UniFi gateway's syslog is pointed at the Insights Plus host on UDP port 514.
- Syslog must be enabled per firewall rule in the UniFi controller. Use the Settings → Firewall zone matrix to bulk-toggle syslog.
- Check container logs for receiver errors:
$
docker logs unifi-log-insight --tail 100Verify that UDP 514 is not blocked by a host firewall or already in use by another process.
GeoIP Not Working
- Verify the
.mmdbfiles exist in the MaxMind volume:
$
docker exec unifi-log-insight ls -la /app/maxmind/- Check the health endpoint for GeoIP status:
$
curl http://localhost:8090/api/health- If auto-update is configured, check the update log:
$
docker exec unifi-log-insight cat /var/log/geoip-update.log- To trigger a manual update:
$
docker exec unifi-log-insight /app/geoip-update.shContainer Won't Start
- Check the container logs for startup errors:
$
docker logs unifi-log-insight- Verify your
.envfile exists and containsPOSTGRES_PASSWORD. - If the database is corrupted, reset with a full wipe (this destroys all data):
$
docker compose down -vThen start fresh with docker compose up -d.
External Database Issues
| Symptom | Fix |
|---|---|
| Connection refused | Verify DB_HOST, DB_PORT, and that the PostgreSQL server allows remote connections (check pg_hba.conf and listen_addresses) |
| Password authentication failed | Confirm DB_PASSWORD matches the database user's password. If using POSTGRES_PASSWORD as fallback, ensure DB_PASSWORD is set explicitly for external databases |
| Permission denied | The DB_USER must own or have full privileges on DB_NAME. Run GRANT ALL ON DATABASE ... TO ... as superuser |
| SSL required | Set DB_SSLMODE=require (or verify-ca / verify-full). Provide DB_SSLROOTCERT if the server uses a private CA |
| Health check shows unhealthy | Check container logs with docker logs. Verify the external database is reachable from the container network and credentials are correct |