How to Install Libravatar on Elementary OS

Libravatar is a service that provides a global avatar service, which means that you can have the same avatar everywhere you go on the internet. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Libravatar on Elementary OS.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation of Libravatar, we need to ensure that the following packages are installed on our system:

• Apache server
• MySQL server
• PHP

You can install these packages by running the following command:

sudo apt-get install apache2 mysql-server php

Installing the Libravatar Server

1. Download the latest version of the Libravatar server from https://www.libravatar.org/.

2. Extract the downloaded file to a directory of your choice, e.g. /var/www/html/libravatar/.

3. Change the ownership of the extracted directory to the Apache user:

   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/libravatar/
   

4. Create a new MySQL database and user for the Libravatar server:

   sudo mysql -u root -p
   CREATE DATABASE libravatar;
   CREATE USER 'libravataruser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'libravatarpassword';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON libravatar.* TO 'libravataruser'@'localhost';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   EXIT;
   

5. Rename the config.ini.example file to config.ini and edit it to reflect the MySQL database credentials created in the previous step:

   cp config.ini.example config.ini
   nano config.ini
   

   Modify the following lines in the config.ini file:

   [DATABASE]
   user = libravataruser
   pass = libravatarpassword
   name = libravatar
   

6. Enable the required Apache modules:

   sudo a2enmod rewrite
   sudo a2enmod ssl
   

7. Create a new Apache virtual host configuration file for the Libravatar server, e.g. /etc/apache2/sites-available/libravatar.conf:

   sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/libravatar.conf
   

   Add the following contents to the file:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@localhost
       DocumentRoot /var/www/html/libravatar
       ServerName your_libravatar_server_domain.com
   
       <Directory "/var/www/html/libravatar/">
           Options FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
           Require all granted
       </Directory>
   
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/libravatar_error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/libravatar_access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>
   

   Save and close the file.

8. Enable the new virtual host and restart Apache:

   sudo a2ensite libravatar.conf
   sudo systemctl restart apache2
   

9. Open your web browser and navigate to http://your_libravatar_server_domain.com/. If everything went well, you should see the Libravatar installation page.

Conclusion

Now that you have successfully installed the Libravatar server on your Elementary OS machine, you can start using this service across all your online accounts to have a consistent avatar. Happy coding!

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!