How to install Baïkal on NixOS Latest?

Baïkal is a lightweight CalDAV and CardDAV server, built on top of the SabreDAV framework. It allows you to synchronize your calendar and contacts with your mobile devices, desktop applications, and web-based clients. In this tutorial, we will learn how to install Baïkal on NixOS Latest.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you need to have:

• A running instance of NixOS Latest.
• Basic knowledge of the Nix package manager and the configuration.nix file.

Steps

1. Update the system

   Use the following command to update your system to the latest packages:

   sudo nixos-rebuild switch
   

2. Create a new user

   You should create a new Unix user that will run the Baïkal server. Choose a name for the user, replace bailkal in the following commands with your preferred username.

   sudo useradd -m -s /bin/bash baikal
   sudo passwd baikal
   su - baikal
   

3. Install the required dependencies

   Install the required packages:

   nix-env -iA nixos.php
   

   Baïkal also requires SQLite and PDO, which are enabled by default in the PHP package.

4. Download Baïkal

   Use the following commands to download the latest version of Baïkal into the user's home directory:

   cd ~/
   mkdir baikal
   cd baikal
   wget https://github.com/sabre-io/Baikal/releases/download/0.7.2/baikal-0.7.2.zip
   unzip baikal-0.7.2.zip
   

   Note: If you prefer a different version, please check the releases page on GitHub.

5. Configure Baïkal

   Use the following command to create a new configuration file:

   cp ~/baikal/Specific/config/SQLite.example.php ~/baikal/Specific/config/SQLite.php
   

   Edit the configuration file:

   nano ~/baikal/Specific/config/SQLite.php
   

   Replace the database settings with the following:

   'pdo' => [
       'dsn' => 'sqlite:/home/baikal/baikal/Specific/db/db.sqlite',
       'username' => null,
       'password' => null,
   ],
   

6. Set up the HTTP server

   In this tutorial, we will use the Nginx HTTP server. Add the following code to the /etc/nixos/configuration.nix file:

   services.nginx = {
     enable = true;
     recommendedTlsSettings = true;
     virtualHosts."yourdomain.com" = {
       locations."/baikal" = {
         root = "/home/baikal/baikal";
         index = "Core/admin/index.php";
         tryFiles = [ "$uri" "$uri/ /baikal/Core/admin/index.php?$args" ];
         fastcgiPass = "unix:/run/php-fpm/php-fpm.sock";
         fastcgiParams = {
           SCRIPT_FILENAME = "/home/baikal/baikal/Core/admin/index.php";
           SCRIPT_NAME = "/baikal/Core/admin/index.php";
           DOCUMENT_ROOT = "/home/baikal/baikal";
         };
         errorPage404 = "/baikal/Core/admin/index.php";
       };
     };
   };
   

   Replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name or IP address.

   Save the file and use the following command to reload the configuration:

   sudo nixos-rebuild switch
   

   This will install the Nginx service with the recommended TLS settings, add a virtual host for your domain, and configure the Baïkal location.

7. Start the PHP service

   Use the following command to start the PHP FastCGI Process Manager (PHP-FPM) service:

   sudo systemctl start php-fpm
   sudo systemctl enable php-fpm
   

8. Start the Baïkal server

   Use the following command to start the Baïkal server:

   cd ~/baikal
   php Core/bin/cal.php
   

   You should see the following output:

   Starting caldav system...
   The caldav system is now running.
   

   Note: If you want to stop the server, press Ctrl+C.

9. Open the Baïkal web interface

   Open your web browser and go to https://yourdomain.com/baikal/admin (replace yourdomain.com with your own domain name or IP address). You should see the Baïkal login page.

   Use the following default credentials to log in:

   • Username: admin
   • Password: admin

   Congratulations! You have successfully installed Baïkal on NixOS Latest.

Conclusion

Baïkal is a powerful server that provides CalDAV and CardDAV synchronization for your contacts and calendar. With this tutorial, you have learned how to install Baïkal on NixOS Latest by following a few simple steps. Enjoy using Baïkal!

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Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!