Tutorial: How to Install HyperKitty on OpenBSD

HyperKitty is an open-source web-based mailing list archiver developed by the GNU Mailman team. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation process of HyperKitty on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before you begin the installation process, you need to ensure that you have the following prerequisites:

• OpenBSD installed on your system
• Root access to the server
• Python 3.6 or higher installed
• Mailman 3 installed and configured

Steps

Follow the below steps to install HyperKitty on your OpenBSD system:

Step 1: Update the system

To begin with, update the system of your OpenBSD server by running the following command:

# sudo pkg_add -u

Step 2: Install the required packages

After updating the system, you need to install the packages required to run HyperKitty by running the following command:

# sudo pkg_add apache2 py3-django py3-hyperkitty py3-postgresql

Step 3: Configure Apache

Next, you need to configure the Apache web server to serve HyperKitty by creating the following file:

# sudo vim /etc/httpd.conf

And add the following configuration:

Listen 8080
<VirtualHost *:8080>
    Alias /static /usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hyperkitty/static
    <Directory /usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hyperkitty/static>
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    Alias / /usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hyperkitty/hyperkitty.wsgi
    <Directory /usr/local/lib/python3.8/site-packages/hyperkitty>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks Includes ExecCGI
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Save and exit the file.

Step 4: Setup the PostgreSQL database

HyperKitty requires a PostgreSQL database to store its data. To create a database for HyperKitty, run the following command:

# su - _postgresql
$ createdb hyperkitty
$ exit

Step 5: Configure HyperKitty

To configure HyperKitty, create the following file:

# sudo vim /etc/hyperkitty.cfg

And add the following configuration:

[database]
engine = django.db.backends.postgresql_psycopg2
name = hyperkitty
user = postgres
password = <password>

[mailman]
server = https://<mailman_server_url>
user = <mailman_user>
password = <mailman_password>
list_name_regex = .*

[general]
hostname = <hyperkitty_server_url>
from_address = <from_address>
secret_key = <secret_key>

[imap]
server = <mail_server>
username = <email_user>
password = <email_password>
ssl = yes
verify_cert = no

Replace the placeholders with the actual values for your environment.

Step 6: Import the data

To import the data into HyperKitty, you need to run the following command:

# su _hyperkitty
$ hyperkitty-import-mails
$ exit

Step 7: Start the Apache server

Finally, start the Apache web server by running the following command:

# sudo /etc/rc.d/apache2 start

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have successfully installed and configured HyperKitty on OpenBSD. You can now access HyperKitty by browsing to http://<hyperkitty_server_url>:8080.

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!