How to Install PushBits on OpenBSD

PushBits is a messaging platform designed to provide real-time updates to web and mobile applications. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install PushBits on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Make sure you have the following prerequisites before proceeding with the installation:

• An OpenBSD system
• A web server (Nginx or Apache)
• PHP 7.3 or higher
• Composer

Step 1: Clone PushBits Repository

First, we need to clone the PushBits repository from GitHub. Run the following command in your terminal to clone the repository:

$ git clone https://github.com/pushbits/server.git

Step 2: Install Dependencies

PushBits uses Composer to manage its dependencies. We need to navigate to the PushBits directory and run the following command to install the dependencies:

$ cd server
$ composer install

Step 3: Configure PushBits

PushBits comes with a configuration file named .env.example. We need to rename it to .env and configure it according to our system environment.

$ cp .env.example .env

Open the .env file in your preferred editor, and configure the following settings:

• APP_ENV=production

• APP_DEBUG=false

• APP_KEY=<enter a 32-character random string>

• DB_CONNECTION=mysql

• DB_HOST=127.0.0.1

• DB_PORT=3306

• DB_DATABASE=<enter your database name>

• DB_USERNAME=<enter your database user>

• DB_PASSWORD=<enter your database password>

• BROADCAST_DRIVER=pusher

• PUSHER_APP_ID=<enter your Pusher App ID>

• PUSHER_APP_KEY=<enter your Pusher App Key>

• PUSHER_APP_SECRET=<enter your Pusher App Secret>

• PUSHER_APP_CLUSTER=mt1

Make sure to replace the placeholders with actual values.

Step 4: Create Database Tables

PushBits uses migration scripts to create its database tables. We need to run the following command to execute the migration scripts:

$ php artisan migrate

Step 5: Configure Web Server

We need to configure our web server to serve PushBits. Here, we will use Nginx as our web server. If you're using Apache, make the necessary changes according to your Apache configuration.

Open the Nginx configuration file in your preferred editor:

$ sudo vi /etc/nginx/nginx.conf

Add the following configuration block to the http section of the Nginx configuration file:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name pushbits.example.com;
    root /var/www/pushbits/server/public;

    index index.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Make sure to replace pushbits.example.com with your actual domain name.

Save the file and reload the Nginx service to apply the changes:

$ sudo service nginx reload

Step 6: Start PushBits Worker

PushBits needs a background worker to process and broadcast messages. We need to run the following command to start the worker:

$ php artisan pushbits:worker

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed PushBits on OpenBSD. You can now use PushBits to send real-time updates to your web or mobile applications.

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!