How to Install Wagtail on Pop!_OS Latest

This tutorial will guide you through the steps to install Wagtail, which is a Python-based web framework designed to create attractive, user-friendly websites. The steps below have been tested on Pop!_OS Latest, but should work on other versions of Linux as well.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure you have the following:

• A computer running Pop!_OS Latest
• Terminal access with a user account that has sudo privileges

Step 1: Install Python3 and pip3

First, we need to ensure that Python3 and pip3 are installed on our system. Enter the following commands to install them:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install python3 python3-pip

Step 2: Install PostgreSQL

Wagtail requires PostgreSQL to operate. You can install it with the following command:

sudo apt install postgresql

Step 3: Create a PostgreSQL User and Database

Now that PostgreSQL is installed, we need to create a database and user for Wagtail to use. To do so, use the following commands:

sudo su - postgres
psql
CREATE DATABASE wagtaildb;
CREATE USER wagtailuser WITH PASSWORD 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE wagtaildb TO wagtailuser;

Remember to replace 'password' with a new password of your choice.

Step 4: Create a Python Virtual Environment

Creating a virtual environment for Python is an optional but recommended step as it allows Wagtail to run in a contained environment. To create a virtual environment, use the following command:

python3 -m venv wagtail_venv

Step 5: Activate the Virtual Environment

To activate the virtual environment, use the following command:

source wagtail_venv/bin/activate

Step 6: Install Wagtail

Now that we have created a virtual environment and activated it, we can install Wagtail using pip3:

pip3 install wagtail

Step 7: Create a New Wagtail Project

We are now ready to create a new Wagtail project. Use the following command to create a project named wagtailproject:

wagtail start wagtailproject

Step 8: Configure Wagtail

To configure Wagtail to use the PostgreSQL database,we need to edit the wagtailproject/settings/base.py file. Use the following commands to edit the file:

cd wagtailproject
nano settings/base.py

Add the following changes to the database settings at the bottom of the file:

DATABASES = {
    'default': {
        'ENGINE': 'django.db.backends.postgresql',
        'NAME': 'wagtaildb',
        'USER': 'wagtailuser',
        'PASSWORD': 'password',
        'HOST': 'localhost',
    }
}

Save and close the file by pressing Ctrl + X, Y, and Enter.

Step 9: Migrate the Database

Now that we have configured the database, we need to migrate it. Run the following command:

python manage.py migrate

Step 10: Create a Superuser

To manage the Wagtail project, we need to create a superuser account. Use the following command:

python manage.py createsuperuser

Step 11: Run the Server

We are now ready to run the server using the following command:

python manage.py runserver

Go to this link on your web browser to view the application: http://localhost:8000/

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Wagtail and created a new project. You can now continue to develop your project, create new pages, and manage content using the Wagtail admin interface.