Tutorial: How to Install Koha on NixOS Latest

Koha is an open-source integrated library system for managing libraries. NixOS is a Linux distribution that is built around the Nix package manager. In this tutorial, we will learn how to install Koha on the latest version of NixOS.

Prerequisites

• A server or computer running the latest version of NixOS.
• A user with sudo privileges.
• An internet connection.

Step 1: Update the System

Before we start installing Koha, let's update the system to ensure that we have the latest package definitions and security patches.

sudo nix-channel --update
sudo nixos-rebuild switch

Step 2: Install PostgreSQL

Koha requires a database to store its data. We will use PostgreSQL, a free and open-source relational database management system. We can install PostgreSQL using the Nix package manager with the following command:

sudo nix-env -iA nixos.postgresql

Step 3: Create a Koha User and Database

Next, let's create a user and database for Koha. We will call the user kohaadmin.

sudo su postgres
createuser -U postgres -d -e -E -l -P kohaadmin
createdb -U postgres -O kohaadmin kohadata
psql -U postgres -c "ALTER USER kohaadmin SET search_path = opac, public, koha_library;"
exit

Step 4: Install Koha

We can now install Koha using the Nix package manager. We will use the package from the Koha community website.

sudo nix-env -iA nixos.koha

Step 5: Configure Koha

Now that we have installed Koha, we need to configure it to use the PostgreSQL database that we created earlier. Let's open the koha-conf.xml file with an editor.

sudo vi /etc/koha/koha-conf.xml

Find the <database> section and edit it to look like this:

<database name="kohadata">
  <driver>DBI:Pg:dbname=kohadata;host=localhost</driver>
  <user>kohaadmin</user>
  <pass>password</pass>
</database>

Replace password with the password that you set for kohaadmin.

Save the changes and exit the editor.

Step 6: Start Koha

We are now ready to start Koha.

sudo koha-start-zebra
sudo koha-start-zebra-queue
sudo koha-start-all

Step 7: Access Koha

Koha should now be running and accessible on port 8080. Open a web browser and go to http://localhost:8080/.

Conclusion

In this tutorial, we learned how to install and configure Koha on the latest version of NixOS. We hope that this tutorial was helpful and that you can now start managing your library with Koha.

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!