BookStack is an open-source platform that helps you create and organize documentation. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install BookStack on your POP! OS in just a few steps.
Before you install BookStack, ensure that your POP! OS system is updated to the latest version. Additionally, you need to have administrative access to proceed with the installation.
BookStack runs on top of the Apache webserver. To install Apache web server on your system, open the terminal by pressing CTRL+ALT+T keys and run the following command:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2
BookStack requires PHP version 7.2 or higher to run. To install PHP on your system, run the following command in the terminal:
sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-curl php-mysql php-gd php-json php-mbstring php-xml php-zip
BookStack uses MySQL to store its information. Use the following command to install MySQL server:
sudo apt install mysql-server
To create a new database, log in to the MySQL shell by running:
sudo mysql -u root -p
Create a new database and grant a new user ${user} access with a password ${password}:
CREATE DATABASE bookstack;
GRANT ALL ON bookstack.* TO ${user}@localhost IDENTIFIED BY '${password}';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit;
Composer is a dependency manager for PHP applications. Install it using the following command:
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer
Create a new directory and navigate into it:
mkdir -p ~/BookStack && cd ~/BookStack
Clone the BookStack repository into the ~/BookStack directory with Git:
git clone https://github.com/BookStackApp/BookStack.git .
Copy the env.example file as .env:
cp .env.example .env
Update the .env file to match your environment configuration. Set the database details and the URL where the BookStack is running.
Next, install the dependencies using Composer:
composer install --no-dev
The setup script will run database migrations and create the initial administrator account. Run the setup script with this command:
php artisan bookstack:install
It will prompt a series of questions that need to be answered. Make sure you provide the database and administrator account details that you previously created.
Ensure that the webserver has write permissions to the /public/uploads/ directory. Use the following command to set write permissions:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /path/to/BookStack/public/uploads
Create a new virtual host configuration file by running:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/bookstack.conf
Copy and paste the following content into the file:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName bookstack.example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/BookStack/public
<Directory /var/www/BookStack>
AllowOverride All
Order Allow,Deny
Allow from All
</Directory>
<Directory /var/www/BookStack/public>
AllowOverride All
Order Allow,Deny
Allow from All
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
Save the file by pressing CTRL+X, Y, and then ENTER.
Enable the new virtual host configuration:
sudo a2ensite bookstack.conf
Restart Apache web server to apply changes:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Open your web browser and navigate to the URL you specified in the Virtual Host configuration. You will be redirected to the BookStack login page. Log in with the administrator credentials and start using BookStack.
Congratulations! You have now installed and configured BookStack on your POP! OS system.
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!
