How to Install Diaspora* on POP! OS Latest

Diaspora* is a free and open-source social networking platform that allows users to create and maintain their own social network. In this tutorial, we will show you how to install Diaspora* on POP! OS Latest.

Prerequisites

Before you start, make sure that you have the following:

• A running POP! OS Latest installation.
• A user account with sudo privileges.

Step 1: Update the System

The first step is to update the system to ensure that you have the latest packages and security updates. Open the terminal app and run the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Diaspora* requires some packages to be installed on your system. Run the following command to install the required packages:

sudo apt install git curl libssl-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev zlib1g-dev libreadline-dev libyaml-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev libffi-dev libpq-dev postgresql postgresql-contrib imagemagick redis-server

Step 3: Install Ruby

Diaspora* is built using Ruby on Rails, so we need to install Ruby on your system. Run the following command to install Ruby:

sudo apt install ruby-full

Step 4: Install Bundler

Next, we need to install Bundler, which is a Ruby package manager. Run the following command to install Bundler:

sudo gem install bundler

Step 5: Clone the Diaspora* Repository

Now, we need to clone the Diaspora* repository. Run the following command to clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/diaspora/diaspora.git

This will create a new directory called "diaspora" in your current directory.

Step 6: Install Dependencies

We need to install the dependencies for Diaspora*. Change to the "diaspora" directory by running the following command:

cd diaspora

Next, run the following command to install the dependencies:

bundle install

Step 7: Configure the Database

Diaspora* uses PostgreSQL as its database. We need to create a new user and database for Diaspora*. Start by switching to the PostgreSQL user:

sudo -u postgres psql

Create a new user by running the following command:

CREATE USER diaspora WITH PASSWORD 'password';

Replace "password" with a secure password.

Next, create a new database by running the following command:

CREATE DATABASE diaspora_production OWNER diaspora;

Exit the PostgreSQL prompt by running the following command:

\q

Step 8: Configure Diaspora*

Next, we need to configure Diaspora*. Copy the example configuration file by running the following command:

cp config/database.yml.example config/database.yml

Edit the database configuration file by running the following command:

nano config/database.yml

Find the following line:

  password:

Replace it with:

  password: password

Replace "password" with the password you set for the PostgreSQL user.

Save and close the file.

Step 9: Initialize the Database

We need to initialize the database schema by running the following command:

RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake db:create db:schema:load

Step 10: Start Diaspora*

Now, we can start Diaspora*. Run the following command to start it:

RAILS_ENV=production bin/start

This will start the Diaspora* server on your system.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, you have learned how to install Diaspora* on POP! OS Latest. You can now create your own social network using Diaspora*.

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!