This guide will assume you are on Debian Stretch. This guide should also work with Ubuntu 16.04 and 18.04. It also assumes that you have administrative rights, either as root or a user with [sudo permissions](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-add-delete-and-grant-sudo-privileges-to-users-on-a-debian-vps). If you want to run this guide with root, ignore the `sudo` at the beginning of the lines, unless it calls a user like `sudo -Hu pleroma`; in this case, use `su <username> -s $SHELL -c 'command'` instead.
### Required packages
* `postgresql` (9.6+, Ubuntu 16.04 comes with 9.5, you can get a newer version from [here](https://www.postgresql.org/download/linux/ubuntu/))
* `postgresql-contrib` (9.6+, same situtation as above)
* `elixir` (1.8+, Follow the guide to install from the Erlang Solutions repo or use [asdf](https://github.com/asdf-vm/asdf) as the pleroma user)
* `erlang-dev`
* `erlang-nox`
* `libmagic-dev`
* `git`
* `build-essential`
* `cmake`
#### Optional packages used in this guide
* `nginx` (preferred, example configs for other reverse proxies can be found in the repo)
* `certbot` (or any other ACME client for Let’s Encrypt certificates)
**Note**: To execute a single command as the Pleroma system user, use `sudo -Hu pleroma command`. You can also switch to a shell by using `sudo -Hu pleroma $SHELL`. If you don’t have and want `sudo` on your system, you can use `su` as root user (UID 0) for a single command by using `su -l pleroma -s $SHELL -c 'command'` and `su -l pleroma -s $SHELL` for starting a shell.
* Git clone the PleromaBE repository and make the Pleroma user the owner of the directory:
* Install the dependencies for Pleroma and answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `Hex`:
```shell
sudo -Hu pleroma mix deps.get
```
* Generate the configuration: `sudo -Hu pleroma mix pleroma.instance gen`
* Answer with `yes` if it asks you to install `rebar3`.
* This may take some time, because parts of pleroma get compiled first.
* After that it will ask you a few questions about your instance and generates a configuration file in `config/generated_config.exs`.
* Check the configuration and if all looks right, rename it, so Pleroma will load it (`prod.secret.exs` for productive instance, `dev.secret.exs` for development instances):
```shell
mv config/{generated_config.exs,prod.secret.exs}
```
* The previous command creates also the file `config/setup_db.psql`, with which you can create the database:
```shell
sudo -Hu postgres psql -f config/setup_db.psql
```
* Now run the database migration:
```shell
sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix ecto.migrate
```
* Now you can start Pleroma already
```shell
sudo -Hu pleroma MIX_ENV=prod mix phx.server
```
### Finalize installation
If you want to open your newly installed instance to the world, you should run nginx or some other webserver/proxy in front of Pleroma and you should consider to create a systemd service file for Pleroma.
#### Nginx
* Install nginx, if not already done:
```shell
sudo apt install nginx
```
* Setup your SSL cert, using your method of choice or certbot. If using certbot, first install it:
If that doesn’t work, make sure, that nginx is not already running. If it still doesn’t work, try setting up nginx first (change ssl “on” to “off” and try again).
---
* Copy the example nginx configuration and activate it:
Questions about the installation or didn’t it work as it should be, ask in [#pleroma:matrix.org](https://matrix.heldscal.la/#/room/#freenode_#pleroma:matrix.org) or IRC Channel **#pleroma** on **Freenode**.
* A machine running Linux with GNU (e.g. Debian, Ubuntu) or musl (e.g. Alpine) libc and `x86_64`, `aarch64` or `armv7l` CPU, you have root access to. If you are not sure if it's compatible see [Detecting flavour section](#detecting-flavour) below
* A (sub)domain pointed to the machine
You will be running commands as root. If you aren't root already, please elevate your priviledges by executing `sudo su`/`su`.
While in theory OTP releases are possbile to install on any compatible machine, for the sake of simplicity this guide focuses only on Debian/Ubuntu and Alpine.
If your platform is supported the output will contain the flavour string, you will need it later. If not, this just means that we don't build releases for your platform, you can still try installing from source.
### Installing the required packages
Other than things bundled in the OTP release Pleroma depends on:
* curl (to download the release build)
* unzip (needed to unpack release builds)
* ncurses (ERTS won't run without it)
* PostgreSQL (also utilizes extensions in postgresql-contrib)
* nginx (could be swapped with another reverse proxy but this guide covers only it)
* certbot (for Let's Encrypt certificates, could be swapped with another ACME client, but this guide covers only it)
It is recommended to use PostgreSQL v11 or newer. We have seen some minor issues with lower PostgreSQL versions.
RUM indexes are an alternative indexing scheme that is not included in PostgreSQL by default. You can read more about them on the [Configuration page](../configuration/cheatsheet.md#rum-indexing-for-full-text-search). They are completely optional and most of the time are not worth it, especially if you are running a single user instance (unless you absolutely need ordered search results).
If your distro does not have either of those you can append `include /etc/nginx/pleroma.conf` to the end of the http section in /etc/nginx/nginx.conf and
If everything worked, you should see Pleroma-FE when visiting your domain. If that didn't happen, try reviewing the installation steps, starting Pleroma in the foreground and seeing if there are any errrors.
Still doesn't work? Feel free to contact us on [#pleroma on freenode](https://irc.pleroma.social) or via matrix at <https://matrix.heldscal.la/#/room/#freenode_#pleroma:matrix.org>, you can also [file an issue on our Gitlab](https://git.pleroma.social/pleroma/pleroma-support/issues/new)
## Post installation
### Setting up auto-renew of the Let's Encrypt certificate
```sh
# Create the directory for webroot challenges
mkdir -p /var/lib/letsencrypt
# Uncomment the webroot method
$EDITOR path-to-nginx-config
# Verify that the config is valid
nginx -t
```
=== "Alpine"
```
# Restart nginx
rc-service nginx restart
# Start the cron daemon and make it start on boot
rc-service crond start
rc-update add crond
# Ensure the webroot menthod and post hook is working
# If everything worked the output should contain /etc/cron.daily/renew-pleroma-cert
run-parts --test /etc/cron.daily
```
## Create your first user and set as admin
```sh
cd /opt/pleroma/bin
su pleroma -s $SHELL -lc "./bin/pleroma_ctl user new joeuser joeuser@sld.tld --admin"
```
This will create an account withe the username of 'joeuser' with the email address of joeuser@sld.tld, and set that user's account as an admin. This will result in a link that you can paste into the browser, which logs you in and enables you to set the password.
Questions about the installation or didn’t it work as it should be, ask in [#pleroma:matrix.org](https://matrix.heldscal.la/#/room/#freenode_#pleroma:matrix.org) or IRC Channel **#pleroma** on **Freenode**.
; Path to the home directory of the user running the Pleroma service.
Environment="HOME=/var/lib/pleroma"
; Path to the folder containing the Pleroma installation.
WorkingDirectory=/opt/pleroma
-; Path to the environment file. the file contains RELEASE_COOKIE and etc
-EnvironmentFile=/opt/pleroma/config/pleroma.env
; Path to the Mix binary.
ExecStart=/usr/bin/mix phx.server
; Some security directives.
; Use private /tmp and /var/tmp folders inside a new file system namespace, which are discarded after the process stops.
PrivateTmp=true
; The /home, /root, and /run/user folders can not be accessed by this service anymore. If your Pleroma user has its home folder in one of the restricted places, or use one of these folders as its working directory, you have to set this to false.
ProtectHome=true
; Mount /usr, /boot, and /etc as read-only for processes invoked by this service.
ProtectSystem=full
; Sets up a new /dev mount for the process and only adds API pseudo devices like /dev/null, /dev/zero or /dev/random but not physical devices. Disabled by default because it may not work on devices like the Raspberry Pi.
"\n All files successfully written! Refer to the installation instructions for your platform for next steps."
)
if db_configurable? do
shell_info(
" Please transfer your config to the database after running database migrations. Refer to \"Transfering the config to/from the database\" section of the docs for more information."
)
end
else
shell_error(
"The task would have overwritten the following files:\n" <>
~s(CREATE USER dbuser WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'dbpass';\nCREATE DATABASE dbname OWNER dbuser;\n\\c dbname;\n--Extensions made by ecto.migrate that need superuser access\nCREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS citext;\nCREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS pg_trgm;\nCREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS \"uuid-ossp\";\nCREATE EXTENSION IF NOT EXISTS rum;\n)