Installing Pretalx on Ubuntu Server Latest

Pretalx is an open-source conference management software that can be useful for organizing events. In this tutorial, we will outline the steps to install Pretalx on Ubuntu Server Latest.

Prerequisites

Before proceeding with the installation, ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

  • Ubuntu Server Latest
  • Root or sudo access
  • SSH access
  • Python 3.6 or higher
  • PostgreSQL 9.6 or higher
  • Redis
  • Node.js

Step 1 - Create a New User

You should create a new user with sudo privileges to complete the installation. Use the following command to create a new user:

adduser pretalx

Then, grant the user sudo privileges with this command:

usermod -aG sudo pretalx

Step 2 - Install Dependencies

Before installing Pretalx, we need to install some required dependencies. Install them with the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade
sudo apt-get install python3 python3-pip python3-venv postgresql postgresql-contrib libpq-dev redis nodejs npm

The above command will update and upgrade the existing packages, install Python3, Pip, venv, PostgreSQL, and Redis.

Step 3 - Install Pretalx

Once the dependencies are installed, create a new directory for the project and navigate inside it as shown below:

su - pretalx
mkdir pretalx
cd pretalx

Now, create a new Python virtual environment:

python3 -m venv myenv

Activate the virtual environment using:

source myenv/bin/activate

With the virtual environment activated, install Pretalx using pip:

pip install pretalx

Once the installation is done, exit the virtual environment:

deactivate

Step 4 - Setting Up the Database

The next step is to set up a database that Pretalx can use. Follow the steps below to do this:

  1. Log in to PostgreSQL using the postgres user:
sudo -i -u postgres
  1. Create a new database and user:
createdb pretalx_database
createuser pretalx_user
  1. Set the password for the new user:
psql
ALTER ROLE pretalx_user WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE pretalx_database TO pretalx_user;
\q
exit

Replace 'password_here' with a strong password to secure the database.

Step 5 - Configure Pretalx

Now we need to configure the Pretalx installation. Navigate to the Pretalx directory, and activate the Python virtual environment:

su - pretalx
cd pretalx
source myenv/bin/activate

Copy the config.yml.example file to config.yml by running:

cp /usr/local/lib/python3.8/dist-packages/pretalx/example/config.yml.example config.yml

Open the config.yml file using a text editor, e.g., nano:

nano config.yml

In the config.yml file, edit the following lines to match your database credentials (replace password_here with the password you set up in Step 4):

DATABASE_URL: postgres://pretalx_user:password_here@localhost/pretalx_database

Next, set up the timezone by editing the following line:

TIME_ZONE: Asia/Kolkata

Replace Asia/Kolkata with the timezone you want to use.

Save and close the file.

Step 6 - Start Redis

Enable and start the Redis service:

sudo systemctl enable redis-server.service
sudo systemctl start redis-server.service

Step 7 - Start Pretalx Server

Now, we can start the Pretalx server by running:

pretalx start

Once the server is running, you can access Pretalx by visiting http://YOUR_SERVER_IP:8000 in your web browser.

Conclusion

Pretalx is now installed and running on your Ubuntu Server Latest. You can start configuring it, adding events and talks, and customizing it to meet your needs.