Introduction
Mastodon is a free and open-source self-hosted social networking platform. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing Mastodon on Debian 12.
Prerequisites
Before you begin, ensure you have:
- A Debian 12 server or virtual machine
- SSH access to the server
- Root or sudo privileges
- A domain name pointed to your server's IP address (optional)
Step 1: Update System
Before installing any new software, it's always a good idea to update the package repository and installed packages:
sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2: Install Dependencies
Install the required dependencies for Mastodon:
sudo apt install -y imagemagick ffmpeg libpq-dev libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev file git curl g++ libprotobuf-dev protobuf-compiler pkg-config nodejs gcc autoconf bison build-essential libssl-dev libyaml-dev libreadline-dev zlib1g-dev libncurses5-dev libffi-dev libgdbm6 libgdbm-dev nginx redis redis-server postgresql postgresql-contrib letsencrypt yarn
Step 3: Set Up PostgreSQL
Create a PostgreSQL user and database for Mastodon:
sudo -u postgres createuser -s mastodon
sudo -u postgres psql -c "ALTER USER mastodon WITH PASSWORD 'your_password';"
sudo -u postgres createdb -O mastodon mastodon_production
Step 4: Install Ruby
Install Ruby using rbenv:
git clone https://github.com/rbenv/rbenv.git ~/.rbenv
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
echo 'eval "$(rbenv init -)"' >> ~/.bashrc
exec $SHELL
git clone https://github.com/rbenv/ruby-build.git ~/.rbenv/plugins/ruby-build
echo 'export PATH="$HOME/.rbenv/plugins/ruby-build/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
exec $SHELL
rbenv install 3.0.2
rbenv global 3.0.2
ruby -v
Step 5: Install Mastodon
Clone the Mastodon repository:
git clone https://github.com/tootsuite/mastodon.git ~/live
cd ~/live
Install Mastodon dependencies:
bundle install -j$(getconf _NPROCESSORS_ONLN) --deployment --without development test
yarn install --pure-lockfile
Step 6: Configure Mastodon
Generate Mastodon configuration files:
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake mastodon:setup
Follow the on-screen prompts to configure Mastodon. Make sure to enter your domain name when prompted.
Step 7: Precompile Assets
Precompile Mastodon assets:
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rails assets:precompile
Step 8: Set Up Nginx
Set up Nginx configuration for Mastodon:
sudo cp ~/live/dist/nginx.conf /etc/nginx/sites-available/mastodon
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/mastodon /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/mastodon
Open the Nginx configuration file and replace example.com with your domain name:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/mastodon
Restart Nginx to apply the changes:
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Step 9: Start Mastodon Services
Start Mastodon services:
cd ~/live
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec sidekiq -c 5 -q default -q mailers -q pull -q push
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec puma -C config/puma.rb
Step 10: Set Up Let's Encrypt SSL
Install Certbot for Let's Encrypt:
sudo apt install certbot
Obtain SSL certificate for your domain:
sudo certbot --nginx -d your_domain_name
Follow the on-screen prompts to obtain and install the SSL certificate.
Step 11: Access Mastodon
Open a web browser and navigate to your Mastodon instance using your domain name:
https://your_domain_name
Follow the on-screen instructions to set up your Mastodon instance and create an administrator account.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Mastodon Social Network on Debian 12. You can now customize your Mastodon instance and start connecting with others in the Fediverse.
