How to Install Shynet on OpenBSD

Shynet is a lightweight, open-source web analytics tool that can be easily installed on OpenBSD. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing and setting up Shynet for tracking website traffic and analytics.

Requirements

Before we begin with the installation process, make sure that you have the following requirements:

• OpenBSD installed on your system
• Root access
• Git installed on your system

Step 1: Install Dependencies

The first step is to install the dependencies that Shynet requires to function properly on your OpenBSD system. Run the following command to install the dependencies:

sudo pkg_add postgresql node

Step 2: Clone Shynet Repository

Next, you need to clone the Shynet repository using Git. Run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/milesmcc/shynet.git

Navigate into the Shynet directory using the following command:

cd shynet

Step 3: Install Node Modules

Shynet requires Node.js and some additional modules to function properly. Run the following command to install the required Node modules:

npm install

Step 4: Create PostgreSQL Database

Shynet stores its data in a PostgreSQL database. We need to create a new database and a user for Shynet to use. Run the following command to create a new PostgreSQL database:

sudo -u _postgresql psql -c "CREATE DATABASE shynet"

Now, create a new user with the following command:

sudo -u _postgresql psql -c "CREATE USER shynet WITH PASSWORD 'your_password'"

Replace 'your_password' with a strong password of your choice.

Next, grant permissions to the shynet user on the shynet database with the following command:

sudo -u _postgresql psql -c "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE shynet TO shynet"

Step 5: Configure Shynet

Now, you need to configure Shynet to connect to the PostgreSQL database. Open the config.js file using a text editor such as vi or nano:

sudo vi config.js

Find the following line in the file:

postgresUrl: process.env.POSTGRES_URL || 'postgresql://localhost:5432/shynet'

Change it to the following:

postgresUrl: 'postgresql://shynet:your_password@localhost:5432/shynet'

Save and close the file.

Step 6: Start Shynet

Now, you can start Shynet using the following command:

node src/index.js

You should see the following output on your screen:

Shynet startup complete

Additionally, you can start Shynet in the background using the following command:

nohup node src/index.js &

Step 7: Access Shynet Dashboard

After starting Shynet, you can access the Shynet dashboard by navigating to the following URL in your web browser:

http://your_server_ip:8080

Replace 'your_server_ip' with the IP address of your OpenBSD server. You should see the Shynet login page. Use the default username 'admin' and password 'password' to log in to the dashboard.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and set up Shynet on your OpenBSD server. You can now use Shynet to track website traffic, analytics and generate reports.