Mastodon is a free, open-source, decentralized microblogging platform that allows users to create and join communities, share their thoughts, and connect with others. If you're looking to set up your own Mastodon instance, this article will guide you through the process step-by-step.
Before we begin, you'll need to have some basic knowledge of the following:
Additionally, you'll need the following resources:
To prepare your server, you'll need to install the following:
The exact steps to install these dependencies will depend on the operating system you are using. You can refer to the Mastodon documentation for specific instructions.
Once you have installed the dependencies, you can now proceed to install Mastodon. This involves cloning the Mastodon repository from Github and running the setup script.
To clone the Mastodon repository, use the following command:
git clone https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon.git
After cloning the repository, navigate to the mastodon directory and run the setup script:
cd mastodon
./script/setup
This script will guide you through the process of setting up the Mastodon application and its dependencies.
After installing Mastodon, you'll need to configure Nginx to act as a reverse proxy for your Mastodon instance. Nginx will handle incoming HTTP requests and pass them to the Mastodon application for processing.
To configure Nginx, create a new server block in your Nginx configuration file. Here's an example of what it might look like:
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
server_name mastodon.example.com;
return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
}
server {
listen 443 ssl;
listen [::]:443 ssl;
server_name mastodon.example.com;
ssl_certificate /path/to/cert.pem;
ssl_certificate_key /path/to/key.pem;
location / {
proxy_set_header Host $host;
proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto https;
proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
proxy_redirect off;
}
}
Replace "mastodon.example.com" with the domain name you have chosen for your Mastodon instance.
With Nginx configured, it's time to launch your Mastodon instance. To do so, run the following command in your terminal:
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rails s -b 0.0.0.0
This will start the Mastodon server and bind it to all available network interfaces, allowing it to receive incoming connections.
Note that the first time you run this command, Mastodon will spend some time setting up its internal database and initializing various components. This process can take several minutes, so be patient.
Once Mastodon is up and running, you should be able to access it from your web browser at http://<your server's IP address>:3000. At this point, you should see the Mastodon registration page. Follow the on-screen instructions to create your first account, which will be the administrator account for your instance.
That's it! With these simple steps, you now have a fully functional Mastodon instance running on your server. Congratulations!
It's important to keep your Mastodon instance up-to-date with the latest security patches and bug fixes. To do this, simply run the following command:
RAILS_ENV=production git pull
RAILS_ENV=production bundle install
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rails db:migrate
RAILS_ENV=production restart
This will pull down the latest changes from the Mastodon GitHub repository, install any necessary dependencies, and apply any database migrations that are required to bring your instance up-to-date.
With these steps, you'll be able to keep your Mastodon instance secure and functional. Happy tweeting!