How to Install Loomio on macOS

Loomio is a free and open-source software designed for groups to make collective decisions in an efficient, inclusive, and democratic way. If you want to install Loomio on your macOS, follow these steps:

  1. Install Homebrew: Homebrew is a package manager for macOS that makes it easy to install and manage software packages. To install Homebrew, open the Terminal app (Finder > Applications > Utilities) and enter the following command:

    /usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"
    

    Press Enter to run the command and follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

  2. Install PostgreSQL: PostgreSQL is a powerful open-source database system that Loomio uses to store data. To install PostgreSQL, enter the following command in the Terminal:

    brew install postgresql
    

    Press Enter to run the command and wait until the installation is complete.

  3. Create a PostgreSQL database: After installing PostgreSQL, you need to create a database for Loomio to use. Enter the following command in the Terminal:

    createdb loomio_dev
    

    Press Enter to run the command and wait until the database is created.

  4. Install Ruby and Rails: Loomio is built using Ruby on Rails, a popular web application framework. To install Ruby and Rails, enter the following command in the Terminal:

    brew install ruby
    gem install bundler rails
    

    Press Enter to run the command and wait until both Ruby and Rails are installed.

  5. Download and install Loomio: To download the latest version of Loomio, go to https://github.com/loomio/loomio and click on the "Clone or download" button. Choose "Download ZIP" and save the file to a directory on your Mac.

    After downloading the file, go back to the Terminal and navigate to the directory where the ZIP file is located. Enter the following command to unzip the file:

    unzip loomio-master.zip
    

    You should now have a new directory called "loomio-master". Navigate to that directory by entering the following command:

    cd loomio-master
    

    Once you are in the loomio-master directory, enter the following command to install all the required dependencies:

    bundle install
    

    Now you can set up the database by entering the following command:

    bin/rails db:migrate
    

    Finally, start the Loomio server with this command:

    bin/rails server
    

    You should now be able to access Loomio by opening your web browser and entering "http://localhost:3000" in the address bar.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Loomio on your Mac. You can now create a new account and start using Loomio to make group decisions.

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!