How to Install Homebox on OpenBSD

Homebox is a flexible, easy-to-configure personal server designed for sharing files, calendars, and contacts with friends and family. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to install Homebox on OpenBSD:

  1. Ensure that OpenBSD is Installed: Homebox is designed for OpenBSD. So, ensure that OpenBSD is already installed on your machine. Otherwise, go through the OpenBSD installation guide to get yourself started.

  2. Install Required Dependencies: Before you install Homebox, you need to install some dependencies on your system. Run the following command to get the required dependencies:

sudo pkg_add node npm postgresql-server
  1. Clone the Homebox Repository: Clone the Homebox repository from Github to your local directory. Use the following command to clone the repository:
git clone https://github.com/progmaticltd/homebox.git
  1. Create a Database: Homebox uses PostgreSQL as its database, so you need to create a new database for Homebox. Run the following command to create the database:
sudo su - postgres -c "createdb --encoding=utf-8 --locale=en_US.UTF-8 --template=template0 homebox"
  1. Initialize Configuration Files: Homebox uses configuration files to set up the environment. Run the following command to initialize the configuration files:
cd homebox && npm install && npm run init
  1. Configure the Database: Homebox uses a .env file to configure the database. Copy the .env.example file to .env by running the following command:
cp .env.example .env

Then, open the .env file and modify the following lines according to your system:

DB_NAME=homebox
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=<your_postgresql_password>
  1. Set up SSL: Homebox requires SSL to be configured for its operation. You can generate a self-signed certificate using the following command:
openssl req -newkey rsa:2048 -nodes -keyout ./ssl.key -x509 -days 365 -out ./ssl.crt
  1. Start the Homebox Server: Homebox comes with a pre-configured script that starts the server. Use the following command to start the server:
npm start

After starting the server, you will see the following message:

Homebox listening on port 3000!
  1. Access Homebox: Open your web browser and type https://localhost:3000. Your browser will show a warning message about your self-signed certificate. Proceed anyway to access the Homebox Dashboard.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Homebox on OpenBSD!