How to Install Lstu on NetBSD

Lstu is a free and open-source self-hosted URL shortener that allows you to create your own short URLs. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps of installing Lstu on NetBSD.

Prerequisites

Before installing Lstu on NetBSD, make sure that you have an SSH client installed on your computer and that you have root access to your NetBSD server.

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

The first step is to install the required dependencies for Lstu. To do so, open the terminal and type the following command:

pkgin install git go postgresql96-server

This command will install the Git version control, the Go programming language, and the PostgreSQL 9.6 server.

Step 2: Clone the Lstu Repository

Once the dependencies are installed, clone the Lstu repository using Git. Type the following command in the terminal:

git clone https://github.com/ldidry/lstu.git

This command will create a copy of the Lstu repository in your current working directory.

Step 3: Build and Install Lstu

After cloning the repository, navigate to the Lstu directory using the following command:

cd lstu

Then, build and install Lstu by running the following command:

make build && make install

This command will build and install the Lstu binary in /usr/local/bin/lstu.

Step 4: Create a PostgreSQL Database

Lstu requires a PostgreSQL database to store the short URLs. To create a new PostgreSQL database, perform the following steps:

1. Initialize the PostgreSQL database using the following command:

   /usr/pkg/bin/initdb -D /var/postgresql/data
   

2. Start the PostgreSQL server using the following command:

   /usr/pkg/bin/postgres -D /var/postgresql/data &
   

3. Create a new PostgreSQL user using the following command:

   createuser -W lstu
   

   You will be prompted to enter a password for the user.

4. Create a new PostgreSQL database and grant the lstu user access to the database using the following command:

   createdb -O lstu lstu
   

Step 5: Configure Lstu

To configure Lstu, copy the provided configuration file lstu.conf.sample to /etc/lstu.conf using the following command:

cp lstu.conf.sample /etc/lstu.conf

Then, open the /etc/lstu.conf file in a text editor and modify the following configuration options:

1. dsn: Set it to postgres://lstu:YOUR_PASSWORD@localhost/lstu, where YOUR_PASSWORD is the password you created for the lstu user in Step 4.
2. domain: Set it to your domain name or IP address.
3. port: Set it to the port you want to use for the Lstu service.

Step 6: Start the Lstu Service

To start the Lstu service, run the following command:

/usr/local/bin/lstu

This will start the Lstu service. You can now access it by navigating to http://<your_domain_or_IP>:<port> in your web browser.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Lstu on NetBSD. You can now create your own short URLs using your own self-hosted URL shortener.

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