Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing any new software, it’s important to update your system. Run the following commands to ensure your Ubuntu 22.04 system is up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade

This step ensures that your system has the latest software updates and security patches. Keeping your system updated is important whether you’re hosting locally or on a UK Windows VPS.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

NetBox requires several dependencies, including PostgreSQL, Redis, and Python packages. To install these dependencies, run the following command:

sudo apt install -y python3 python3-pip python3-venv libpq-dev postgresql postgresql-contrib redis-server nginx
            

These dependencies are necessary to run NetBox, whether you’re deploying it locally or on a Windows Virtual Private Server hosting environment.

Step 3: Configure PostgreSQL

After installing PostgreSQL, you need to create a database and user for NetBox. Log in to the PostgreSQL shell with the following command:

sudo -u postgres psql

Create a new database and user for NetBox:

CREATE DATABASE netbox;
CREATE USER netbox WITH PASSWORD 'yourpassword';
ALTER ROLE netbox SET client_encoding TO 'utf8';
ALTER ROLE netbox SET default_transaction_isolation TO 'read committed';
ALTER ROLE netbox SET timezone TO 'UTC';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE netbox TO netbox;
\q
            

This creates a database and user for NetBox and assigns the necessary privileges. This setup will work whether you're using a local server or deploying on a Windows VPS hosting UK.

Step 4: Download and Set Up NetBox

Now, download the latest stable version of NetBox. Navigate to the /opt directory:

cd /opt

Clone the NetBox repository from GitHub:

sudo git clone -b master https://github.com/netbox-community/netbox.git

Once the repository is cloned, navigate into the NetBox directory:

cd netbox

Create a Python virtual environment for NetBox and activate it:

sudo python3 -m venv /opt/netbox/venv
source /opt/netbox/venv/bin/activate
            

Install the required Python dependencies:

pip install -r requirements.txt

Step 5: Configure NetBox

Copy the example configuration file and open it for editing:

sudo cp /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/configuration_example.py /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/configuration.py
sudo nano /opt/netbox/netbox/netbox/configuration.py
            

Update the ALLOWED_HOSTS setting with your server’s IP address or domain name:

ALLOWED_HOSTS = ['your-server-ip', 'your-domain.com']

Next, configure the database settings with the PostgreSQL credentials you created earlier:

DATABASE = {
    'NAME': 'netbox',
    'USER': 'netbox',
    'PASSWORD': 'yourpassword',
    'HOST': 'localhost',
    'PORT': '',
}
            

Save and exit the file. This configuration works for both local and cloud-based environments such as Windows VPS Italy.

Step 6: Initialize NetBox

Run the following command to apply database migrations and create a superuser for NetBox:

cd /opt/netbox/netbox/
python3 manage.py migrate
python3 manage.py createsuperuser
python3 manage.py collectstatic
            

During the createsuperuser process, you will be prompted to enter a username, email, and password for the superuser account.

Step 7: Set Up Gunicorn and Nginx

To run NetBox in production, you’ll need to configure Gunicorn and Nginx. Create a systemd service file for Gunicorn:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/netbox.service

Add the following configuration:

[Unit]
Description=NetBox WSGI Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
Group=root
WorkingDirectory=/opt/netbox/netbox/
ExecStart=/opt/netbox/venv/bin/gunicorn --workers 3 --bind 0.0.0.0:8001 netbox.wsgi

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
            

Save the file, reload systemd, and start the NetBox service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start netbox
sudo systemctl enable netbox
            

Now configure Nginx to act as a reverse proxy. Create a configuration file for NetBox:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-server-ip;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:8001;
        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 $scheme;
    }

    location /static/ {
        alias /opt/netbox/netbox/static/;
    }
}
            

Save the file, enable the site, and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/netbox /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx
            

This setup is ideal for both local servers and hosting on a Windows VPS hosting UK platform.

Step 8: Access NetBox

NetBox should now be accessible via your server’s IP address or domain name. Open a browser and navigate to http://your-server-ip/ to access the NetBox login page. Log in using the superuser credentials you created earlier.