How to Install Radicale on OpenBSD

Radicale is an open source CalDAV and CardDAV server that allows you to synchronize your calendars and contacts across multiple devices. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing and configuring Radicale on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you'll need to have the following:

  • A server running OpenBSD (version 6.8 or later)
  • Root access or a user account with sudo privileges
  • A domain name or IP address for your server
  • Port 5232 open for Radicale to listen on

Step 1: Install Pip

First, we need to install pip, the package installer for Python.

$ sudo pkg_add py3-pip

Step 2: Install Radicale

We can now use pip to install Radicale.

$ sudo pip3 install radicale

Step 3: Create a Configuration File

Radicale needs a configuration file to know where to store its data and how to authenticate users.

Create a new configuration file:

$ sudo touch /etc/radicale/config

Open the configuration file using your preferred text editor:

$ sudo vi /etc/radicale/config

Add the following content to the file:

[server]
hosts = 0.0.0.0:5232
daemon = true

[storage]
type = filesystem
filesystem_folder = /var/radicale/collections

[auth]
type = htpasswd
htpasswd_filename = /etc/radicale/users
htpasswd_encryption = bcrypt
  • The server section defines the listening IP address and port, and enables Radicale to run as a daemon.
  • The storage section defines the storage location for Radicale data.
  • The auth section defines the authentication method to be used. In this case, we're using htpasswd with bcrypt encryption.

Step 4: Create Users

We need to create user accounts for Radicale to authenticate against.

Create a new user file:

$ sudo touch /etc/radicale/users

Add users to the file using htpasswd format:

$ sudo htpasswd -c /etc/radicale/users user1
New password:
Re-type new password:

$ sudo htpasswd /etc/radicale/users user2
New password:
Re-type new password:

Step 5: Start Radicale

We can now start Radicale using the following command:

$ sudo radicale

You should see Radicale start up and listen on port 5232.

Step 6: Test Radicale

To test that Radicale is working correctly, you can use a CalDAV client such as Thunderbird/Lightning or Apple Calendar.

Create a new CalDAV account, using the address http://<your-server-address>:5232/user1/calendar/ (substituting user1 with the username you created in Step 4).

You should now be able to add and edit events on your calendar, which will be synchronized across devices.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed and configured Radicale on OpenBSD!