How to Install Mediagoblin on Windows 11

Mediagoblin is a free and open-source media hosting platform. It allows you to share and organize media files like photos, videos, and audio on your own server. It's a great alternative to commercial media hosting services like Flickr or YouTube. In this tutorial, we'll walk you through the process of installing Mediagoblin on Windows 11.

Prerequisites

Before we get started, make sure you have the following software installed on your system:

• Python 3.6 or later (we recommend using Anaconda distribution)
• PostgreSQL database server (we recommend using PostgreSQL 13)
• Git command-line tool (you can download it from git-scm.com)

Step 1: Clone Mediagoblin Repository

The first step is to clone the Mediagoblin repository from GitHub. Open a command prompt and navigate to the directory where you want to install Mediagoblin, then run the following command:

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

This will download the latest version of Mediagoblin from the official repository.

Step 2: Create a Python Virtual Environment

It's always a good idea to create a separate Python virtual environment for each project you work on. This ensures that your project dependencies are isolated from your system Python installation. To create a virtual environment, run the following command:

python -m venv env

This will create a new virtual environment called env in the current directory.

Step 3: Activate the Virtual Environment

To activate the virtual environment, run the following command:

env\Scripts\activate

You should see the (env) prefix in your command prompt, indicating that the virtual environment is active.

Step 4: Install Mediagoblin Dependencies

Next, we need to install the dependencies required by Mediagoblin. Navigate to the mediagoblin directory and run the following command:

pip install -r requirements.txt

This will download and install all the required Python packages.

Step 5: Create a PostgreSQL Database

Now we need to create a new PostgreSQL database for Mediagoblin. Open the PostgreSQL command prompt and run the following commands:

CREATE USER mediagoblin;
ALTER USER mediagoblin WITH PASSWORD 'mypassword';
CREATE DATABASE mediagoblin OWNER mediagoblin;

This will create a new user called mediagoblin with the password mypassword, and a new database called mediagoblin that is owned by this user.

Step 6: Configure Mediagoblin

We need to create a configuration file for Mediagoblin. Navigate to the mediagoblin directory and copy the sample configuration file:

cp mediagoblin.ini mediagoblin_local.ini

Open the mediagoblin_local.ini file in a text editor and edit the following settings:

• sqlalchemy.url: set it to postgresql://mediagoblin:mypassword@localhost/mediagoblin
• email_sender: set it to your email address
• email_smtp_server: set it to the SMTP server of your email provider (e.g. smtp.gmail.com:587)

Save the file and close it.

Step 7: Initialize the Database

We need to initialize the database schema for Mediagoblin. Navigate to the mediagoblin directory and run the following command:

python -m mediagoblin.init

This will create the necessary database tables and indexes.

Step 8: Start the Web Server

Finally, we need to start the Mediagoblin web server. Navigate to the mediagoblin directory and run the following command:

paster serve mediagoblin_local.ini

This will start the development web server on http://localhost:6543.

Conclusion

Congratulations, you have successfully installed Mediagoblin on Windows 11! You can now upload and view media files on your own server. Keep in mind that this tutorial only covers the basic installation process, and there are many more features and configuration options available in Mediagoblin. We recommend that you read the official documentation to learn more.

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!