How to Install Isso on OpenBSD

In this tutorial, we will guide you step by step on how to install Isso on OpenBSD. Isso is an open-source commenting system which can be used as a replacement for Disqus or other similar third-party commenting platforms.

Prerequisites

Before starting, you need to have the following requirements:

• A server or VPS running OpenBSD
• Root access to the server
• Basic knowledge of the command line

Step 1: Update Packages and Install Dependencies

The first step is to update the OpenBSD system and install the required dependencies for Isso. You can do this using the following command:

$ doas pkg_add -u
$ doas pkg_add py3-pip py3-setuptools py3-wheel curl

Step 2: Install Isso

To install Isso, you can do it via pip which is a package manager for Python. Run the following command:

$ doas pip3 install isso

Step 3: Create a Configuration File

We need to create a configuration file for Isso which will be used to set various options like database settings, commenting settings, and more.

$ doas mkdir /etc/isso
$ doas touch /etc/isso/isso.cfg

Open the configuration file with your text editor and add the following lines to the file:

[general]
dbpath = /var/db/isso/comments.db

[server]
listen = http://localhost:8080/

Step 4: Configure Isso as a Service

To make Isso a service so that it can start automatically on the system boot, we need to create a service file. Run the following command:

$ doas touch /etc/rc.d/isso

Add the following content to the file:

#!/bin/sh
#
# $OpenBSD: isso.rc$
#
# startup script for isso comment server
#

# Set up environment
. /etc/rc.d/rc.subr

rc_bg=YES
rc_arg1="start"
rc_cmd=$0
rc_pidfile="/var/run/isso.pid"

command="/usr/local/bin/isso"

start_cmd="server_start"
stop_cmd="server_stop"

pidfile="${rc_pidfile}"
command_args="/etc/isso/isso.cfg"

server_start()
{
 if ! $command >/dev/null; then
 log_failure_msg "could not start $daemon"
 fi
}

server_stop()
{
 if [ -f $pidfile ]; then
 kill `cat $pidfile` >/dev/null 2>&1
 fi
}

rc_cmd $1

Give the script execute permissions:

$doas chmod +x /etc/rc.d/isso

Now, start Isso as a service with the following command:

$ doas rcctl start isso

Step 5: Configure Firewall

We need to allow traffic to the Isso port, which is 8080 by default. Run the following command:

$ doas pfctl -e
$ doas echo 'pass in proto tcp from any to any port 8080 keep state' > /etc/pf.conf.local
$ doas pfctl -f /etc/pf.conf.local

Step 6: Test Isso

After completing the above steps, Isso should be up and running. Open your web browser and visit http://localhost:8080 to see if the commenting system is working correctly.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Isso on OpenBSD. You can now use it as your commenting system, and your website visitors can easily leave comments.