How to Install PixelFed on Ubuntu Server Latest

PixelFed is a free and open-source, federated image-sharing platform that can be self-hosted. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing PixelFed on Ubuntu Server Latest.

Prerequisites

Before you start installing PixelFed, you should have:

Ubuntu Server Latest installed
sudo access for the user
Basic knowledge of the command line

Step 1: Update Packages and System

Before starting with the PixelFed installation, it is important to update the system and packages to their latest versions. Run the following command:

sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Dependencies

PixelFed requires some dependencies to be installed. Use the below command to install those dependencies:

sudo apt-get install -y curl git imagemagick ffmpeg exiftool sqlite3 libsqlite3-dev composer nodejs npm php7.4-fpm php7.4 gd php7.4-gd php7.4-mbstring php7.4-xml php7.4-bcmath

Step 3: Install Nginx Web Server

PixelFed needs a web server to function, we will install Nginx web server. Run the below command:

sudo apt-get install -y nginx

Once installed, start the Nginx service with:

sudo systemctl start nginx

Step 4: Clone the PixelFed Repository

PixelFed's source code is available on Github, clone the repository using Git by executing:

git clone https://github.com/pixelfed/pixelfed.git /var/www/pixelfed

Step 5: Configure PHP

PixelFed requires some extensions to be enabled in PHP. Edit the /etc/php/7.4/fpm/php.ini file and add the following values:

cgi.fix_pathinfo=0
file_uploads=On
upload_max_filesize=20M
post_max_size=20M
memory_limit=256M

Restart PHP-FPM to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm

Step 6: Configure Nginx

Create a new Nginx server block by creating a file at /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/pixelfed.conf with the below content:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name pixelfed.example.com;
    root /var/www/pixelfed/public;
    index index.php;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }
    location ~ \.php$ {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
        fastcgi_read_timeout 300;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Replace pixelfed.example.com with your domain. After creating the configuration file, link it by running the following command:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/pixelfed.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Test the Nginx configuration:

sudo nginx -t

If the configuration test is successful, restart the Nginx service:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 7: Create an SQLite Database

PixelFed needs a database to store its data. Create an SQLite database by running the following commands:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/pixelfed/database/
sudo touch /var/www/pixelfed/database/database.sqlite
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/pixelfed/database/

Step 8: Install Composer Dependencies

PixelFed uses Composer to manage its dependencies. Change the working directory to /var/www/pixelfed and install dependencies by running the following command:

cd /var/www/pixelfed
sudo composer install --no-dev --optimize-autoloader

Step 9: Generate an Application Key

Run the following command to generate an application key:

php artisan key:generate --force

Step 10: Run Migrations

Create tables in the database by running database migrations using the command below:

php artisan migrate --force

After running the migration, you will need to seed the database with default data using the below command:

php artisan db:seed --force

Step 11: Install Node Dependencies

PixelFed uses NodeJS to compile CSS and JavaScript. Install NodeJS dependencies by running the following command:

cd /var/www/pixelfed
sudo npm install
sudo npm run production

Step 12: Set App URL

Finally, set the App URL by editing the .env file:

sudo nano /var/www/pixelfed/.env

Edit the below line with your domain name:

APP_URL=http://pixelfed.example.com

Step 13: Restart Services

Restart Nginx and PHP-FPM service:

sudo systemctl reload nginx
sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm

Step 14: Access PixelFed

You can now access the PixelFed website by visiting the URL you set in the .env file.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed PixelFed on Ubuntu Server Latest.

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