How to Install Discourse on MXLinux Latest

In this tutorial, we will explain the step-by-step process to install Discourse on MXLinux Latest. Discourse is a modern forum software designed for online communities. It supports modern web protocols and is written in Ruby on Rails.

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure you have the following:

  • A server running MXLinux Latest
  • sudo access to the server
  • At least 1 GB of RAM
  • 10 GB of storage
  • A domain name pointing to the server's IP address

Step 1: Install Docker and Docker Compose

Discourse runs inside a Docker container, so the first thing we need to do is install Docker and Docker Compose.

  1. Update the package list:

    sudo apt update

  2. Install Docker and Docker Compose:

    sudo apt install docker.io docker-compose

  3. Start and enable Docker:

    sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

  4. Add your user to the docker group:

    sudo usermod -aG docker $USER

    Note: You need to log out and log back in again for the changes to take effect.

Step 2: Install Discourse

  1. Clone the Discourse repository:

    git clone https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker.git /var/discourse

  2. Change to the discourse_docker directory:

    cd /var/discourse

  3. Copy the samples/standalone.yml file to containers/app.yml:

    cp samples/standalone.yml containers/app.yml

  4. Edit the app.yml file:

    nano containers/app.yml

    Find the DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME setting and set it to your domain name. For example:

    DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME: forum.example.com

    Save and close the file.

  5. Build the Discourse container:

    sudo ./launcher rebuild app

  6. Wait for the build to complete. This may take several minutes.

Step 3: Configure Discourse

  1. Once the build is complete, open a web browser and navigate to your Discourse site. For example:

    http://forum.example.com

  2. Configure your Discourse site using the web interface. Follow the prompts to set up your admin user and other settings.

    Note: Make sure to set up an email server for your Discourse site. Discourse requires email to function properly.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Discourse on MXLinux Latest. You can now start using Discourse to build an online community.