How to Install Mattermost on OpenBSD

Mattermost is an open-source messaging and collaboration tool that can be used by teams to communicate and share information in a secure manner. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install it on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you need to make sure that the following packages are installed on your OpenBSD system:

• OpenBSD 6.9 or later
• PostgreSQL
• Nginx
• PHP

Step 1: Install PostgreSQL

To install PostgreSQL on OpenBSD, run the following command:

doas pkg_add postgresql-server

After installation, enable PostgreSQL to start on boot by running the following command:

doas rcctl enable postgresql

Next, initialize the PostgreSQL database by running the following command:

doas /usr/local/bin/initdb -D /var/postgresql/data -U postgres

Finally, start the PostgreSQL server by running the following command:

doas rcctl start postgresql

Step 2: Install Nginx

To install Nginx on OpenBSD, run the following command:

doas pkg_add nginx

After installation, enable Nginx to start on boot by running the following command:

doas rcctl enable nginx

Step 3: Install PHP

To install PHP on OpenBSD, run the following command:

doas pkg_add php-7.4.24

Step 4: Download and Install Mattermost

1. Download Mattermost from https://mattermost.org/download/.

2. Extract the downloaded file by running the following command:

   tar -xf mattermost.tar.gz
   

3. Move the extracted folder to the /var/www/ directory and rename it to mattermost:

   sudo mv mattermost /var/www/
   

4. Change the ownership of the mattermost directory to www by running the following command:

   sudo chown -R www:www /var/www/mattermost
   

Step 5: Configure Mattermost

1. Create a new PostgreSQL user for Mattermost by running the following command:

   sudo -u _postgresql createuser -P mattermost
   

   Enter a password for the Mattermost user when prompted.

2. Create a new PostgreSQL database for Mattermost by running the following command:

   sudo -u _postgresql createdb -O mattermost mattermost
   

3. Rename the Mattermost configuration file:

   sudo mv /var/www/mattermost/config/config.json /var/www/mattermost/config/config.orig.json
   

4. Create a new Mattermost configuration file by running the following command:

   sudo -u www php /var/www/mattermost/bin/mattermost config generate --database-url=postgres://mattermost:<password>@localhost/mattermost?sslmode=disable > /var/www/mattermost/config/config.json
   

   Replace <password> with the password you set for the Mattermost user in step 5.1.

5. Update the ownership and permissions of the Mattermost configuration file:

   sudo chown -R www:www /var/www/mattermost/config
   sudo chmod 700 /var/www/mattermost/config/config.json
   

Step 6: Configure Nginx

1. Rename the existing Nginx configuration file:

   sudo mv /etc/nginx/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/nginx.conf.orig
   

2. Create a new Nginx configuration file by running the following command:

   sudo sh -c 'cat << EOF > /etc/nginx/nginx.conf
   user www;
   worker_processes auto;
   error_log /var/log/nginx/error.log;
   
   events {
       worker_connections 1024;
   }
   
   http {
       include /etc/nginx/mime.types;
       default_type application/octet-stream;
   
       log_format main '\$remote_addr - \$remote_user [\$time_local] "\$request" '
                       '\$status \$body_bytes_sent "\$http_referer" '
                       '"\$http_user_agent" "\$http_x_forwarded_for"';
   
       access_log /var/log/nginx/access.log main;
   
       sendfile on;
       tcp_nopush on;
   
       keepalive_timeout 65;
   
       gzip on;
       gzip_http_version 1.1;
       gzip_comp_level 2;
       gzip_proxied any;
       gzip_types text/plain text/html text/css application/json application/javascript application/x-javascript text/xml application/xml application/xml+rss text/javascript;
   
       server {
           listen 80;
           server_name mattermost.example.com;
   
           location / {
               proxy_set_header X-Real-IP \$remote_addr;
               proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For \$proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
               proxy_set_header Host \$http_host;
               proxy_set_header X-Nginx-Proxy true;
               proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8065;
               proxy_redirect off;
           }
       }
   }
   EOF'
   

   Replace mattermost.example.com with your domain name.

Step 7: Start Mattermost

1. Start Mattermost by running the following command:

   sudo -u www /var/www/mattermost/bin/mattermost start
   

   Confirm that Mattermost has started successfully by checking the output.

2. Open a web browser and navigate to http://mattermost.example.com (replace mattermost.example.com with your domain name).

3. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Mattermost setup.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Mattermost on OpenBSD.

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!