How to Install Diaspora* on Debian Latest

Diaspora* is a free, decentralized social network that allows users to share information and participate in discussions without the need for a centralized authority. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Diaspora* on Debian latest.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need to have the following:

  • A Debian latest server
  • Sudo privileges or root access to the server
  • A static IP address

Step 1: Update and Upgrade Your System

Before you start installing any packages, you need to update your system's package list and upgrade the installed packages to their latest version. To do this, run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Diaspora* requires the following dependencies to be installed:

  • Ruby 2.5, 2.6 or 2.7
  • MySQL or MariaDB
  • ImageMagick
  • libssl-dev

Run the following command to install these dependencies:

sudo apt install -y ruby mysql-server imagemagick libssl-dev

Step 3: Install RVM

Diaspora* requires Ruby version 2.5, 2.6, or 2.7. We will use RVM to install the required version of Ruby.

Run the following commands to install RVM:

gpg --keyserver hkp://keys.gnupg.net --recv-keys 409B6B1796C275462A1703113804BB82D39DC0E3 7D2BAF1CF37B13E2069D6956105BD0E739499BDB
curl -sSL https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable
source $HOME/.rvm/scripts/rvm

Step 4: Install Required Gems

Diaspora* requires several gems to be installed. Run the following commands to install them:

gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc bundler
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc bundler:1.17.2
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc pkg-config -v "~> 1.4"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc mysql2 -v "~> 0.5.2"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc bcrypt -v "~> 3.1.7"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc curb -v "<= 0.9.6"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc mini_magick -v "~> 4.10.1"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc nokogiri -v "~> 1.10.7"
gem install --no-ri --no-rdoc redis -v "~> 3"

Step 5: Clone and Configure Diaspora*

Run the following commands to clone the Diaspora* repository, configure it, and install the required gems:

git clone https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora.git
cd diaspora
cp config/database.yml.diaspora config/database.yml
cp config/diaspora.yml.example config/diaspora.yml
bundle install

Step 6: Create the Database

Create a new MySQL or MariaDB database for Diaspora*, and grant that database user privileges:

mysql -u root -p
CREATE DATABASE diaspora_production CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON diaspora_production.* TO 'YOURUSERNAME'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YOURPASSWORD';
exit

Step 7: Configure Diaspora*

Edit the config/database.yml file to match the database credentials you just created:

nano config/database.yml

production:
  adapter: mysql2
  database: diaspora_production
  username: YOURUSERNAME
  password: YOURPASSWORD
  host: localhost

Next, edit the config/diaspora.yml file to configure Diaspora*'s settings:

nano config/diaspora.yml

You will need to set the following settings:

  • pod_url: This is the URL at which your pod will be accessed.
  • environment: This should be set to 'production'.
  • database settings: These should match the database credentials you just created.
  • rails_environment: This should be set to 'production'.
  • secret_token: Generate a random string and use it as the value for this setting.

Step 8: Precompile Assets and Migrate the Database

Run the following commands to precompile Diaspora*'s assets and migrate the database:

bundle exec rake assets:precompile
bundle exec rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV=production

Step 9: Start Diaspora*

Run the following command to start Diaspora*:

bin/bundle exec rails server -e production

Diaspora* should now be running at the URL you specified in the config/diaspora.yml file.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you learned how to install Diaspora* on Debian latest. Now that you have Diaspora* installed, you can begin to explore all of the features that it has to offer. Enjoy!