How to Install EpochTalk on Manjaro

EpochTalk is an open-source forum software that is highly customizable, user-friendly, and secure. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing EpochTalk on your Manjaro machine.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure that you have the following prerequisites.

Manjaro 18.0 or higher
Node.js (version 10 or higher)
PostgreSQL (version 11 or higher)
Git

Step 1: Install Node.js and PostgreSQL

You can install Node.js and PostgreSQL using the package manager, pamac, on your Manjaro machine. Open the terminal and run the following commands.

sudo pacman -S nodejs
sudo pacman -S postgresql

Step 2: Install Git

Git is required to clone the EpochTalk repository from GitHub. Run the following command in the terminal.

sudo pacman -S git

Step 3: Clone the EpochTalk Repository

Once you have installed Git, open the terminal and clone the EpochTalk repository from GitHub. Run the following command.

git clone https://github.com/epochtalk/epochtalk.git

Step 4: Install Dependencies

Navigate to the epochtalk repository directory in your terminal and run the following command to install the required dependencies.

npm install

Step 5: Configure PostgreSQL

EpochTalk requires a PostgreSQL database to be set up. Follow the below steps.

Launch the PostgreSQL interactive terminal by running the following command.
```
sudo su - postgres
psql
```
Create a new database user and database.
```
CREATE USER epochtalk WITH PASSWORD 'epochtalk';
CREATE DATABASE epochtalk OWNER epochtalk;
```
Note: You can replace 'epochtalk' with any username and password of your choice.
Exit the PostgreSQL interactive terminal by running the following command.
```
\q
exit
```

Step 6: Configure the `config.json` File

Navigate to the config/ directory in the root of the EpochTalk repository directory, and create a copy of the config-example.json file as config.json.

cd epochtalk
cd config
cp config-example.json config.json

Now, edit the config.json file and update the following fields with your PostgreSQL database credentials.

"db": {
    "client": "pg",
    "connection": {
        "host": "localhost",
        "database": "epochtalk",
        "user": "epochtalk",
        "password": "epochtalk"
    }
}

Step 7: Build the Assets

Run the following command in the terminal to build the assets.

npm run build

Step 8: Run the Server

Finally, start the server with the following command.

npm start

Congratulations! EpochTalk is now installed on your Manjaro machine. You can access the web interface by navigating to localhost:8080 in your web browser.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have shown you how to install EpochTalk on your Manjaro machine. We hope that this guide was helpful in getting you started with this powerful forum software. If you face any issues during the installation process or while using EpochTalk, feel free to refer to the official documentation or ask for help in the EpochTalk community.