Installing Misago on Linux Mint

Misago is an open-source forum platform written in Python. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing Misago on a Linux Mint system.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, there are a few prerequisites that need to be met:

• A Linux Mint system (version 19.3 or later)
• Python 3.7 or later
• Virtualenv
• PostgreSQL database

Step 1: Install Dependencies

First, update your system's package manager and install the necessary dependencies:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install build-essential python3-dev python3-pip python3-venv postgresql postgresql-contrib libpq-dev

Step 2: Prepare the Database

We need to create a PostgreSQL database for Misago to use:

sudo -i -u postgres
psql

Once you're in the PostgreSQL shell, run the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE misago;
CREATE USER misago WITH PASSWORD 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE misago TO misago;
\q
exit

Make sure to replace password with a strong password of your choice.

Step 3: Install Misago

Create a new virtual environment for Misago:

python3 -m venv misago-env

Activate the virtual environment:

source misago-env/bin/activate

Install Misago and its dependencies:

pip3 install misago

Step 4: Configure Misago

Create a new configuration file for Misago:

touch misago.cfg

Open the file in your preferred text editor and add the following configuration:

SECRET_KEY=<your secret key>
DEBUG=true
DATABASE_URL=postgresql://misago:password@localhost/misago
ALLOWED_HOSTS=127.0.0.1,localhost

Replace <your secret key> with a long, random string.

Step 5: Initialize the Database

Run the following command to initialize the database and create the necessary tables:

misago migrate

Step 6: Start Misago

You can now start Misago:

misago runserver

Open your web browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000 to view the Misago installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Misago on your Linux Mint system. You can now create forums, categories, topics, and posts. Happy forum-building!

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