How to Install Wirow on Windows 11

Wirow is an open-source, privacy-focused alternative to Google Photos, which allows you to store, share and organize your photos and videos safely. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation process of Wirow on your Windows 11 computer.

Prerequisites

Before you get started, you need to ensure the following prerequisites are met:

• Your computer is running Windows 11.
• You have administrative privileges on your computer.
• You have installed Node.js, Yarn package manager, and Git on your computer.

Step 1: Clone the Wirow Repository

First, you need to clone the Wirow repository from GitHub. To do this, follow the below steps:

1. Open the command prompt by pressing the Windows key + R, typing "cmd", and pressing Enter.

2. Navigate to the directory where you want to clone the repository using the "cd" command. For example, to navigate to the desktop, type: cd C:\Users\<your_username>\Desktop

3. Clone the repository by running the following command:

   git clone https://github.com/wirow-io/wirow-server.git
   

   This will download the Wirow repository to your computer.

Step 2: Install Dependencies

Once you have cloned the repository, you need to install the dependencies required to run the Wirow server. To do this, follow the below steps:

1. Navigate to the cloned repository directory using the command prompt. For example, if you cloned the repository to the desktop, type: cd C:\Users\<your_username>\Desktop\wirow-server

2. Run the following command to install the dependencies:

   yarn install
   

   This will download and install all the required dependencies.

Step 3: Configure the Server

To configure the Wirow server, you need to create a .env file in the root directory of the cloned repository. This file should contain the server configuration variables. To do this, follow the below steps:

1. Create a new file in the cloned repository directory called .env. You can do this by running the following command:

   notepad .env
   

2. Add the following variables to the .env file:

   PORT=3000
   DB_CONNECT=mongodb://localhost/wirow
   SECRET_KEY=your_secret_key_here
   JWT_EXPIRES_IN=server_expiry_time_here
   UPLOAD_PATH=path_to_uploaded_files_here
   

   Replace the values of the variables with the appropriate values for your setup. For example, if you want the server to run on port 8080, replace PORT=3000 with PORT=8080.

Step 4: Start the Server

To start the Wirow server, follow the below steps:

1. Navigate to the cloned repository directory using the command prompt. For example, if you cloned the repository to the desktop, type: cd C:\Users\<your_username>\Desktop\wirow-server

2. Run the following command to start the server:

   yarn start
   

   This will start the Wirow server, and you should see a message in the command prompt that says: Server running on port: <PORT>

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Wirow on your Windows 11 computer. You can now access the server using your web browser at http://localhost:<PORT> (where <PORT> is the port number you specified in the .env file).

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!