How to Install Readflow on Debian Latest

Readflow is an open-source self-hosted RSS feed reader that helps you stay on top of your favorite news sources. This tutorial aims to guide you through the installation of Readflow on Debian Latest step by step.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure that you have the following prerequisites set up on your Debian Latest:

  • A non-root user with sudo privileges
  • Apache web server installed
  • PHP 7.3 or later installed

If you do not have these pre-requisites installed, please refer to the relevant documentation for guidance.

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

In your Debian Latest terminal, run the following command to install the necessary dependencies:

sudo apt-get install curl git unzip

Step 2: Install Composer

We will use Composer to install Readflow, so we need to install it first.

Run the following command to download and install Composer: 

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

Verify the installation by running the command:

composer --version

Step 3: Clone Readflow Source Code

To clone the Readflow repository to your Debian Latest machine, run the following command in your terminal:

git clone https://github.com/kerphi/readflow.git /var/www/readflow

This will create a new directory named "readflow" in the "/var/www/" directory.

Step 4: Install Dependencies using Composer

Navigate into the newly created "readflow" directory by running cd /var/www/readflow and then run the following command to install Readflow's dependencies:

sudo composer install

Wait for the command to finish executing. This may take a few minutes, depending on your system and network speed.

Step 5: Configure Apache

Create a new VirtualHost configuration file for Readflow:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/readflow.conf

Insert the following configuration into the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/readflow/public
    <Directory /var/www/readflow>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Make sure to replace "your-domain.com" with your actual domain name or IP address.

Save and close the file.

Step 6: Enable the Readflow Virtual Host

Enable the Readflow virtual host by running the following command:

sudo a2ensite readflow.conf

Step 7: Restart Apache

Restart Apache so that changes in configuration can take effect:

sudo service apache2 restart

Step 8: Set File Permissions

Set the required file permissions to allow Readflow to function on your Debian Latest machine by running the following command:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/readflow/

Step 9: Set Up the Database

Readflow uses a MySQL database to store its data, so we must create the appropriate database.

Log in to MySQL as the root user, and create a new database using the following commands:

sudo mysql -u root
CREATE DATABASE readflow;
GRANT ALL ON readflow.* TO 'readflow'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Make sure to replace "password" with a strong password of your choice.

Exit the MySQL shell by typing "exit".

Step 10: Configure Readflow

Navigate to the "/var/www/readflow/" directory and make a copy of the ".env.example" file:

cd /var/www/readflow
cp .env.example .env

Edit the copied ".env" file using your preferred text editor, and set the following variables:

APP_NAME=Readflow
APP_URL=http://your-domain.com
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=readflow
DB_USERNAME=readflow
DB_PASSWORD=password

Make sure to replace the "APP_URL", "DB_USERNAME", and "DB_PASSWORD" fields with appropriate values.

Step 11 – Run Migrations

Run the database migrations using the following command:

sudo php artisan migrate

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Readflow on Debian Latest. You can access the application by visiting http://your-domain.com in your web browser.

Enjoy using Readflow and stay informed with your favorite news sources!