How to Install Snikket on OpenBSD

Snikket is a modern XMPP server written in modern Python that's designed to be simple, secure, and easy to use. In this tutorial, we will cover how to install Snikket on OpenBSD.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you will need the following:

• Access to an OpenBSD server
• Basic knowledge of the OpenBSD command-line interface
• Access to sudo privileges

Step 1: Update System Packages and Software

Before we install Snikket, update your system packages and software by running the following command with root privileges:

sudo pkg_add -u

This command will update all installed packages and system software to their latest versions.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Now, we need to install some required dependencies for Snikket to run on OpenBSD. Enter the following command to install the necessary dependencies:

sudo pkg_add py3-virtualenv py3-pip py3-aiohttp py3-psycopg2 py3-psutil py3-slixmpp py3-toml py3-typed-ast rust cargo

This command will install the following dependencies:

• py3-virtualenv: Python virtual environment
• py3-pip: Python package installer
• py3-aiohttp: Asynchronous HTTP client/server for Python
• py3-psycopg2: PostgreSQL adapter for Python
• py3-psutil: System information library for Python
• py3-slixmpp: Modern XMPP library for Python
• py3-toml: Configuration file parser for Python
• py3-typed-ast: Simplified Python abstract syntax tree
• rust: Required for some dependencies to build
• cargo: Rust package manager

Step 3: Create a Snikket Directory and Virtual Environment

With the dependencies installed, we can now create a Snikket directory and virtual environment. Enter the following command to create the directory:

sudo mkdir /usr/local/snikket

Now, change to the Snikket directory and create a virtual environment by running the following commands:

cd /usr/local/snikket
sudo virtualenv -p python3.8 venv

This will create a virtual environment in the directory with Python 3.8 as the interpreter.

Step 4: Install Snikket

With the virtual environment created, we can now install Snikket. Activate the virtual environment by running the following command:

. venv/bin/activate

This will activate the virtual environment and change your prompt to show that you are working in the environment.

Next, we need to install Snikket using pip. Enter the following command:

pip install snikket

This will install the latest version of Snikket in your virtual environment.

Step 5: Configure Snikket

After installing Snikket, we need to configure it to work with our server. To do this, we need to create a config.toml file. Run the following command to create the file:

vim config.toml

This will open the Vim text editor, where you can add your configuration options. Here is a sample configuration file that you can use:

[snikket]
domain = "example.com"
external_url = "https://{$PROVIDER_DOMAIN}"

[tls]
cert = "/path/to/cert.pem"
key = "/path/to/key.pem"

Replace example.com with your domain name and update the paths to your SSL certificate and private key files.

If you want to enable registration and account creation for your users, add the following to your config.toml file:

[http]
allow_registration = true
allow_account_creation = true

Save and close the file by pressing ESC, :wq, and ENTER.

Step 6: Create a Systemd Service File

To run Snikket automatically on startup, we need to create a systemd service file. Run the following command to create a new service file:

sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/snikket.service

Add the following contents to the file:

[Unit]
Description=Snikket XMPP Server
After=network.target

[Service]
WorkingDirectory=/usr/local/snikket/
User=_snikket
Group=_snikket
ExecStart=/usr/local/snikket/venv/bin/snikket serve /usr/local/snikket/config.toml
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and close the file by pressing ESC, :wq, and ENTER.

Step 7: Start and Enable the Service

With the service file created, we can start and enable the service to run automatically on startup.

sudo systemctl start snikket.service
sudo systemctl enable snikket.service

The first command will start the service, and the second command will enable it to run automatically on startup. You can check the status of the service by running the following command:

sudo systemctl status snikket.service

This should show that the service is running and active.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we covered how to install and configure Snikket on OpenBSD. With a few commands, you can set up your own modern XMPP server that is easy to use, secure, and offers modern features.

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!