IPv6rs

Overview

In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install PixelFed on NetBSD. PixelFed is a free, open-source image sharing platform that is similar to Instagram. With PixelFed, you can share your photos and videos in a secure and private way, without having to worry about ads, algorithmic feeds, or ownership of your content.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you must have the following:

• A VPS or dedicated server running NetBSD
• SSH access to the server with root privileges
• Basic knowledge of the NetBSD command line

Step 1: Install Required Dependencies

PixelFed requires several dependencies to be installed on your server before it can be installed. Run the following command in the terminal to install them:

pkgin update && pkgin full-upgrade
pkgin install git apache php74 php74-bz2 php74-iconv php74-json \
php74-openssl php74-pdo_sqlite php74-pdo_pgsql php74-pgsql php74-zip \
php74-dom php74-xmlwriter php74-gd php74-mbstring \
npm

Step 2: Install Composer

Composer is a dependency manager that is used by PixelFed. To install it, run the following command in the terminal:

php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
php composer-setup.php
php -r "unlink('composer-setup.php');"
mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

Step 3: Clone PixelFed

Next, navigate to the directory where you want to store your PixelFed installation and clone the repository by running the following command:

cd /var/www
git clone https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed.git

Step 4: Install PixelFed Dependencies

With PixelFed cloned, navigate to the new directory and install its required dependencies by running the following command:

cd pixelfed
composer install --no-dev
npm install && npm run prod

Step 5: Configure Apache

Next, create a new Apache virtual host configuration file for your PixelFed installation by running the following command in the terminal:

nano /usr/pkg/etc/httpd/vhosts/pixelfed.conf

Then, copy the following content and paste it into the new file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName pixelfed.example.com
    ServerAlias www.pixelfed.example.com
    DocumentRoot "/var/www/pixelfed/public"
    <Directory "/var/www/pixelfed/public">
        AllowOverride None
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog "/var/log/httpd/pixelfed_error.log"
    CustomLog "/var/log/httpd/pixelfed_access.log" common

    <IfModule mod_expires.c>
        ExpiresActive On
        ExpiresByType text/html "access plus 0 seconds"
        ExpiresByType text/css "access plus 1 week"
        ExpiresByType image/jpeg "access plus 1 week"
        ExpiresByType image/png "access plus 1 week"
        ExpiresByType image/gif "access plus 1 week"
        ExpiresByType application/javascript "access plus 1 week"
    </IfModule>
</VirtualHost>

Make sure to replace pixelfed.example.com and www.pixelfed.example.com with your actual domain name.

Save and exit the file.

Then, enable the new configuration file by running the following command:

ln -s /usr/pkg/etc/httpd/vhosts/pixelfed.conf /usr/pkg/etc/httpd/sites-enabled/

And finally, restart Apache for the changes to take effect:

apachectl restart

Step 6: Setup Database

PixelFed requires a database for storing image data. In this tutorial, we will use PostgreSQL as our database engine.

To get started, log in to your PostgreSQL server and create a new database and password for PixelFed:

sudo su postgres
createuser pixelfed --pwprompt
createdb --owner=pixelfed pixelfed
exit

Make sure to take note of the password generated for the pixelfed user, as you will need it later.

Then, configure your PixelFed installation by copying the .env.example file to .env:

cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file and modify the APP_URL and DB_* variables to match your server configuration:

APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=http://pixelfed.example.com
APP_NAME=PixelFed

DB_CONNECTION=pgsql
DB_HOST=127.0.0.1
DB_PORT=5432
DB_DATABASE=pixelfed
DB_USERNAME=pixelfed
DB_PASSWORD=your-password-here

Save and exit the file.

Step 7: Run Migrations

With the database configured, you can now run the PixelFed database migrations by running the following command:

php artisan migrate

Step 8: Create Initial Admin User

Before you can create your PixelFed account, you will need to create an initial admin user by running the following command:

php artisan user:create

Enter the required information, such as the user's name, email, and password.

Step 9: Start The PixelFed Daemon

Finally, PixelFed requires a daemon to manage background jobs for image processing, such as creating thumbnails and optimizing image sizes.

To start the daemon, run the following command:

php artisan queue:work

To stop the daemon, press Ctrl+C.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed PixelFed on NetBSD. You can now access your installation at http://pixelfed.example.com/. Login using the admin user account you created in Step 8 and start sharing your photos and videos.

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