How to Install Weblate on Elementary OS

In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing Weblate, which is a web-based translation tool, on the latest version of Elementary OS. Weblate supports translations of files, documentation, websites, and desktop applications.

Prerequisites

Before installing Weblate, ensure that your system is up to date using the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Also, ensure that your system has Python 3 and pip3 installed. You can check their presence using the following command:

python3 --version
pip3 --version

If not installed, you can install them using the following command:

sudo apt install python3
sudo apt install python3-pip

Install Weblate

To install Weblate on the latest version of Elementary OS, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Install Dependencies

Before installing Weblate, we need to install some dependencies necessary for it to work properly. Run the following command to install the required packages:

sudo apt install nginx git gettext redis-server mysql-server libmysqlclient-dev libjpeg-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev zlib1g-dev libssl-dev libffi-dev python3-dev libpq-dev

Step 2: Clone Weblate from GitHub

Next, you need to download the Weblate source code from their official GitHub repository. Run the following command to clone the source code:

git clone https://github.com/WeblateOrg/weblate.git

Step 3: Create a Virtual Environment

Create a virtual environment for Weblate using the following command:

python3 -m venv ~/weblate-env

Step 4: Activate the Virtual Environment

Activate the virtual environment created earlier by running the following command:

source ~/weblate-env/bin/activate

Step 5: Install Weblate dependencies

Install the dependencies required by Weblate using the following command:

pip3 install -r requirements-full.txt

Step 6: Configure Weblate

Create a configuration file for Weblate using the following command:

cp contrib/examples/weblate.ini .

Edit the configuration file and replace the database configuration with the following:

[database]
ENGINE = django.db.backends.mysql
NAME = weblate
USER = root
PASSWORD = [YOUR_PASSWORD_HERE]
HOST = localhost
PORT = 3306
OPTIONS = {"charset": "utf8mb4"}

Save the changes and exit the file.

Step 7: Initialize the Database

To initialize the Weblate database, run the following command:

weblate migrate

Step 8: Launch Weblate

To start Weblate on the configured port, use the following command:

weblate runserver 0.0.0.0:8000

Step 9: Access Weblate

You can now access your Weblate instance using the following URL in your browser:

http://localhost:8000/

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Weblate on Elementary OS. You can now configure Weblate as per your requirements and start translating your projects.

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Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!