How to Install Asciinema on Ubuntu Server

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation process of Asciinema on Ubuntu Server. Asciinema is a terminal recorder that records videos of terminal sessions and shares them online.

Prerequisites

Before installing Asciinema, make sure that your Ubuntu Server is up to date and all packages are installed.

You can update your server by running the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade

Step 1: Installing Docker

Asciinema requires Docker to run. You can install Docker on Ubuntu Server by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install docker.io

After the installation, start the Docker service by running the following command:

sudo systemctl start docker

Step 2: Installing Asciinema

To install Asciinema, first, you need to clone the Asciinema repository from GitHub. Run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/asciinema/asciinema-server.git

After cloning the repository, go to the asciinema-server directory by running the following command:

cd asciinema-server

Next, build the Asciinema Docker container by running the following command:

sudo docker build -t asciinema/asciinema-server .

Step 3: Running Asciinema

After successfully building the Asciinema Docker container, run the following command to start the container:

sudo docker run -d --name asciinema-server -p 80:80 asciinema/asciinema-server

This command runs the Asciinema Docker container in the background and maps the container port 80 to the host port 80. With this command, you can access the Asciinema web interface by typing your Ubuntu Server IP address on a web browser followed by :80 (e.g., http://xxx.xxx.xxx.xxx:80).

Step 4: Uploading your first recording

To upload your first recording, follow these steps:

  1. Open the terminal.
  2. Install the Asciinema command-line tool by running the following command: sudo apt-get install asciinema
  3. Record your terminal session by running the command: asciinema rec
  4. After finishing your recording, type exit.
  5. To upload your recording to the Asciinema server, run the following command: asciinema upload <recording_file_name>.cast

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Asciinema on Ubuntu Server and uploaded your first recording. Asciinema is a powerful tool that can be used for sharing terminal sessions with others.