NodeBB is an open-source and powerful forum software based on Node.js. It is a very easy-to-use, responsive forum script that utilizes web sockets for instant interactions and real-time notifications. In addition, it supports social network integration and discussion streamings out of the box.
Following are the step-by-step instructions to install NodeBB on a CentOS VPS -
1. Before installing NodeBB, apply the following command to check if all your OS packages are up to date –
yum -y update
2. The next step is to install the epel release by following this command –
yum -y install epel-release
3. The OS package update may take some time.
Once updates are complete, install the base software stack.
Note that Development tools are a Yum group of the predefined bundle of software installed at once. Typically, these tools allow a user to build and compile software from source code.
yum groupinstall "Development Tools"
4. In the next step, install Node.js and other required packages for NodeBB
yum install nodejs git ImageMagick redis npm
5. Next, clone the NodeBB repository.
Don't forget to replace v1.0.0 with the latest stable version of NodeBB.
cd /path/to/nodebb/install/location
git clone -b v1.0.0 https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB nodebb
6. Once your repository is cloned, obtain all of the dependencies required by NodeBB.
cd nodebb
npm install
7. Start the Redis service by issuing the following command –
service redis start
8. Now, initiate the setup script by running the NodeBB with the setup flag as follows –
./nodebb setup
9. The system will detect your setup as a new installation, so you'll be asked a few questions about your environment, like listening port number, hostname, etc.
10. Once NodeBB setup is configured, start it up.
./nodebb start
Now, you should be able to access the NodeBB either through the default URL http://localhost:4567 or the configuration you set up in the previous step.
