Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Focalboard, ensure your system is up to date. Run the following commands:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance, whether you're setting it up locally or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Focalboard requires Node.js and PostgreSQL. Install these packages using:

sudo apt install -y curl wget postgresql postgresql-contrib
            

Step 3: Install Node.js

To install Node.js, add the NodeSource repository:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
            

Now install Node.js:

sudo apt install -y nodejs

Step 4: Download and Install Focalboard

Download the latest version of Focalboard from the official GitHub repository:

wget https://github.com/mattermost/focalboard/releases/latest/download/focalboard-linux-amd64.tar.gz
            

Extract the downloaded file:

tar -xvzf focalboard-linux-amd64.tar.gz

Move the extracted folder to a more appropriate location:

sudo mv focalboard /usr/local/bin

Step 5: Configure PostgreSQL Database

Switch to the PostgreSQL prompt:

sudo -u postgres psql

Create a database for Focalboard:

CREATE DATABASE focalboard;
CREATE USER focalboard_user WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE focalboard TO focalboard_user;
\q
            

Replace your_password with a strong password of your choice.

Step 6: Start Focalboard

Navigate to the Focalboard directory and start the application:

cd /usr/local/bin/focalboard
./focalboard server
            

By default, Focalboard will run on port 8000. You can access it through your web browser at:

http://your_server_ip:8000

Step 7: Enable Focalboard to Start on Boot

To ensure Focalboard starts on boot, you can create a systemd service file. Create the file:

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

Add the following content to the file:

[Unit]
Description=Focalboard Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=your_user
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/focalboard/focalboard server
Restart=on-failure

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
            

Replace your_user with your actual username. Save and exit the file.

Now enable and start the service:

sudo systemctl enable focalboard
sudo systemctl start focalboard