How to Install webtrees on OpenBSD

webtrees is an open-source web-based genealogy software that helps you create family trees and share them with others. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing webtrees on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

  • A running instance of OpenBSD
  • Root or superuser access

Installing Dependencies

Before we can install webtrees, we need to make sure that all the required dependencies are installed. OpenBSD uses the package manager pkg_add to install packages.

  1. Update the package list:
# pkg_add -u
  1. Install the required dependencies:
# pkg_add php postgresql-server ap-php

Setting up PostgreSQL

webtrees requires a PostgreSQL database to store its data. Let's set up PostgreSQL and create a database for webtrees.

  1. Initialize the PostgreSQL database:
# rcctl start postgresql
# su - _postgresql
$ initdb -D/var/postgresql/data/
  1. Start PostgreSQL:
$ exit
# rcctl enable postgresql
# rcctl start postgresql
  1. Create a new database and user for webtrees:
# su - postgres
$ createdb webtrees
$ createuser --pwprompt webtrees

Installing webtrees

Now that we have all the dependencies installed, let's proceed with the installation of webtrees.

  1. Download and extract the latest version of webtrees:
# cd /var/www/htdocs
# ftp https://github.com/fisharebest/webtrees/releases/latest/download/webtrees-2.0.16.zip
# unzip webtrees-2.0.16.zip
# cd webtrees
  1. Copy the sample configuration file and edit it to reflect your PostgreSQL database settings:
# cp data/config.ini.sample data/config.ini
# nano data/config.ini

Update the following lines with your PostgreSQL settings:

database_type = postgresql
database_host = localhost
database_port = 5432
database_name = webtrees
database_user = webtrees
database_password = your_database_password_here
  1. Run the webtrees installer:
# chmod -R u+w data
# chmod u+x index.php
# ./index.php

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

  1. Once the installation is complete, remove the install directory for security purposes:
# rm -r install
  1. Finally, set the correct permissions for webtrees directories:
# chown -R www:www /var/www/htdocs/webtrees
# chmod 755 /var/www/htdocs/webtrees

Accessing webtrees

With the installation complete, you can now access webtrees by opening a web browser and navigating to the following URL:

http://<server-ip>/webtrees

You will be prompted to log in with the credentials you specified during the installation.

Congratulations, you have successfully installed webtrees on OpenBSD!