How to Install Tracks on FreeBSD Latest

Tracks is an open source web-based application that lets you manage your tasks, to-do lists, projects, and notes. If you want to install it on your FreeBSD server, you can follow the steps below.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

A FreeBSD server with root access
A bash shell
An internet connection

Step 1 - Install Ruby and Rails

To install Tracks, we first need to install Ruby and Rails on our FreeBSD server. Run the following commands to install them:

# pkg install ruby
# pkg install rubygem-rails

Step 2 - Install Database Server

Next, we need to install a database server. We will use PostgreSQL for this. If you haven't installed it yet, run the following command:

# pkg install postgresql13-server

Then, initialize the PostgreSQL cluster:

# /usr/local/etc/rc.d/postgresql initdb

Start the PostgreSQL server:

# service postgresql start

Step 3 - Create a Database and User

Now, we will create a new database for Tracks and a user with the necessary privileges. Run the following commands:

# su - postgres
$ psql

In the PostgreSQL prompt, run the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE tracksdb;
CREATE USER tracksuser WITH PASSWORD 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE tracksdb TO tracksuser;

Exit the PostgreSQL prompt and log out of the postgres user.

Step 4 - Download and Install Tracks

Now that we have all the prerequisites ready, let's download and install Tracks. Run the following commands to download Tracks:

# cd /usr/local/www/
# fetch https://www.getontracks.org/downloads/tracks-2.4.0.tar.gz

Extract the downloaded archive:

# tar -xzf tracks-2.4.0.tar.gz

Rename the extracted directory to tracks:

# mv tracks-2.4.0 tracks

Copy the database.yml.example file to database.yml:

# cd tracks/config/
# cp database.yml.example database.yml

Edit the database.yml file and replace the values with your PostgreSQL database details:

production:
 adapter: postgresql
 database: tracksdb
 username: tracksuser
 password: password
 host: localhost
 encoding: utf8
 port: 5432

Save the changes and exit the editor.

Navigate to the tracks directory:

# cd /usr/local/www/tracks

Install the necessary gems:

# bundle install --without development test

Run the following commands to create the necessary database tables:

# RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake db:setup
# RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake db:migrate

Precompile the assets:

# RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake assets:precompile

Finally, start the Tracks server:

# RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rails server -d

You can now access Tracks by opening your web browser and navigating to http://your_server_ip:3000.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Tracks on FreeBSD.