Migration from ecoDMS to Paperless-NGX
In July 2026, version 3 of Paperless-NGX was released as a stable release. This introduced some of the features I had noted as missing in my post about the ecoDMS document management system. This led me once again to consider switching from ecoDMS to the open-source Paperless-NGX. Ultimately, the following reasons actually convinced me to make the switch:
- Switching my operating system from Tuxedo OS to OpenSuSE Tumbleweed.
- The lack of a dark theme implementation in ecoDMS for many months.
- Occasional issues with document linking when opening files in Linux.
- No option to add new versions to existing documents via the Office plugins.
If you read this list, you’ll notice that Paperless also lacks some of these capabilities. However, since there’s a free API available—and it’s well-documented—there’s a way around this. So, with the help of some AI tokens and a lot of time, I decided to carry out the migration from the previous ecoDMS to Paperless-NGX. In the end, it actually worked well, and the loss of information is manageable.
Regarding the reasons mentioned above:
Operating System
ecoDMS is designed for Debian-based operating systems (primarily Debian, Ubuntu, and Kubuntu). Official support is only available for Debian and Ubuntu. In principle, it can be installed anywhere that .deb packages can be processed—including, of course, on Windows. openSUSE Tumbleweed became my operating system of choice due to the hardware in my new PC. I had used openSUSE many years ago and decided to give the operating system another chance. The hardware is supported here—unfortunately, it isn’t with Debian, Ubuntu, and the like. Since openSUSE is an RPM-based system, there was no way to install ecoDMS. Even when I inquired, I was told there was no prospect of this happening.
Dark Theme
At least in Linux—and specifically in KDE Plasma—when using a dark theme, the colors in ecoDMS change in such a way that the content simply becomes unreadable. When I inquired with support many months ago, I was told that the issue was known. An adjustment to the color scheme for dark desktop themes—as is now standard in many software solutions—has still not been implemented.
Problematic Document Links
On occasion, documents opened in LibreOffice could not be saved back to ecoDMS because the link to the original document had apparently been lost. I had also reported this issue to support. Unfortunately, it was to no avail. The problem certainly did not originate directly with ecoDMS, but possibly stemmed from other factors (Qt5 in ecoDMS vs. Qt6 in KDE Plasma, X.org in ecoDMS vs. Wayland in KDE Plasma); however, there might have been a workable solution. This situation meant that I had to temporarily save documents manually on the system and then manually add them as new versions to the existing document. However, this also meant that no PDF/A was generated, which is why it wasn’t possible to view the document in ecoDMS either.
Adding New Versions to Existing Documents
When you open a document for editing in ecoDMS, you can add a new version directly from the application (e.g., LibreOffice) by saving it. Unfortunately, this doesn’t work via the email plugin. Here, too, I always had to save the document temporarily and add it manually. Sure, it’s a convenient feature, but when you have to do it frequently, it gets a bit annoying.
Migration Process
With the help of AI, I created a multi-step script that allows data to be retrieved and migrated using standard ecoDMS exports. I divided my total collection of approximately 11,500 documents into 6 batches, each containing 2,000 documents. Each export was migrated to a Paperless database using script-based processing. Finally, the Paperless database was imported as a dump into an existing system. The process took several days but went largely smoothly. As a result, I now have a fully migrated dataset in a current Paperless-NGX instance.
Plugins
ecoDMS includes plugins for Office. These allow documents to be conveniently opened, edited, and saved back to the DMS in Office. Emails and/or their attachments can also be transferred. Using AI, I also created two plugins for Paperless-NGX that enable this functionality for LibreOffice. What’s more, the feature I was missing—the ability to add documents as new versions to an existing document—is now also included in these plugins. Also included is a feature to insert download links directly into an email without having to generate them separately in Paperless-NGX first.
Conclusion
I think that, after several days of work and a significant time investment, I’ve found a practical solution for optimizing document management in Linux—a very good solution for me. However, I’ll have to disappoint anyone who expects me to recommend this to everyone. As is always the case, the world isn’t black and white. The solution I implemented started out with an uncertain outcome. The risks included data loss and a complete failure. The solution I implemented worked—and I also believe it will remain reproducible as long as the underlying conditions don’t change. eocDMS remains an excellent program, and I’ll continue to recommend it to everyone. The German software company does a great job and is virtually the only one offering this kind of software, which is also ideal for all private households and isn’t just intended for businesses. The pricing is very fair. I consider the solution I implemented—and Paperless-NGX in general—to be the right choice for anyone who has good to very good knowledge of Linux and isn’t afraid of the Linux shell. Anyone willing to troubleshoot errors and work out solutions on their own is welcome to check out Paperless-NGX. For everyone else—and that’s the vast majority—I still recommend ecoDMS. The program has served me well for over 12 years. There’s no reason to switch just because it’s trendy. I wish ecoDMS continued success in the future and hope that it will still be the software of choice for private users in a few years’ time.
I’m making my scripts publicly available. Anyone who wants to use them may do so at their own risk. I provide no guarantee of functionality, nor do I accept any liability for damages resulting from their use. I assume that anyone who wants to use these scripts can and will familiarize themselves with them thoroughly, so that they can be used sensibly.
Git-Repository: Skript for Migration from ecoDMS to Paperless-NGX