How to Install Chitchatter on Ubuntu Server

Chitchatter is a free, open-source chat application that enables you to chat with your friends, family and colleagues in a secure and easy-to-use way. In this tutorial, we will walk you through the process of installing Chitchatter on your Ubuntu Server.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation of Chitchatter, you need to make sure that your Ubuntu Server is up-to-date, and that you have the necessary tools and dependencies installed.

Step 1 - Install Node.js and NPM

Chitchatter is built using Node.js, so you need to have Node.js and NPM installed on your Ubuntu Server. To install Node.js and NPM, run the following commands:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install nodejs
sudo apt-get install npm

Once the installation is complete, you can verify the installation by running the following commands:

node -v
npm -v

Step 2 - Install MongoDB

Chitchatter uses MongoDB to store user data and messages. To install MongoDB on your Ubuntu Server, follow these steps:

1. Import the MongoDB public GPG key by running the following command:

wget -qO - https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-4.4.asc | sudo apt-key add -

2. Create a list file for MongoDB:

echo "deb [ arch=amd64,arm64 ] https://repo.mongodb.org/apt/ubuntu bionic/mongodb-org/4.4 multiverse" | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/mongodb-org-4.4.list

3. Reload the package database and install MongoDB:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb-org

4. Once the installation is complete, start and enable MongoDB:

sudo systemctl start mongod
sudo systemctl enable mongod

You can also verify that MongoDB is running by running the following command:

sudo systemctl status mongod

Step 3 - Install Chitchatter

1. Clone the Chitchatter repository from Github:

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

2. Change into the Chitchatter directory:

cd chitchatter

3. Install the required dependencies:

npm install

4. Create a configuration file:

cp config.example.js config.js

5. Edit the configuration file:

nano config.js

6. Configure Chitchatter to connect to your MongoDB:

module.exports = {
  db: {
    uri: 'mongodb://localhost/chitchat',
    options: {}
  },
  ...
};

Replace mongodb://localhost/chitchat with the URI of your MongoDB instance.

7. Start the Chitchatter server:

npm start

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Chitchatter on your Ubuntu Server.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we have walked you through the process of installing Chitchatter on your Ubuntu Server. Chitchatter is a great alternative to other chat applications and provides a secure and easy-to-use platform for communication. If you have any further questions, feel free to consult the Chitchatter documentation. Happy chatting!

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