In this tutorial, we will install a diaspora* pod on a Debian/Ubuntu server. I use the official Debian 8 guide as a base, and I used it myself on Debian 9 for dspr.io, but it should work on most recent Debian and Ubuntu versions.

Our setup will use Nginx, PostgreSQL and Systemd.

Table of content

• Hardware requirements
• Installation
  • Dependencies
  • PostgreSQL
  • Creating the diaspora user
  • Ruby installation
  • Install exim4
  • Download diaspora*
  • Configure diaspora*
  • Install bundle and the gems
  • Setup the database
  • Precompile assets
  • Systemd services
  • Nginx reverse proxy
  • Logrotate
  • Admin stuff
• Update diaspora*
• Backup
• Enjoy!

Hardware requirements

Obviously, they depend on the size of your instance and the activity of the users.

Setting up a MOTD on your server adds a nice touch that welcomes you warmly every time you connect to it.

I used to make my own MOTD in ASCII text, but I’ve been using dynamic-motd by ldidry for a few years.

It’s simple Bash and Python scripts that are executed in place of the MOTD. It seems they are only compatible with Debian-based distributions, though.

It’s very easy to setup.

Have you ever wanted to make a speedtest from your terminal, and not from these heavy websites stuffed with ads? How about from a headless machine like a server?