Etherpad is a real-time collaborative text editor that allows multiple users to edit documents simultaneously. In this guide, we will walk through the steps to install Etherpad on Debian 11 with Nginx as a reverse proxy and secure it with SSL.
Step 1: Update Your System
Start by ensuring your system is up to date:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
Step 2: Install Required Dependencies
Install the necessary packages, including git
and Node.js
:
sudo apt install -y git curl build-essential
Install Node.js and npm from the NodeSource repository:
curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_14.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs
Step 3: Install Etherpad
Clone the Etherpad repository:
git clone https://github.com/ether/etherpad-lite.git /opt/etherpad
Navigate to the Etherpad directory:
cd /opt/etherpad
Install the necessary Node.js dependencies:
npm install
Step 4: Configure Etherpad
Copy the default configuration file:
cp settings.json.default settings.json
Edit the settings file to configure Etherpad:
nano settings.json
Set the following options in settings.json
:
"ip": "0.0.0.0",
"port": 9001,
Step 5: Start Etherpad
You can start Etherpad using the following command:
npm start
Etherpad should now be running on port 9001. You can check by accessing http://your_server_ip:9001
in your browser.
Step 6: Install and Configure Nginx
Install Nginx:
sudo apt install -y nginx
Create a new Nginx configuration file for Etherpad:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/etherpad
Add the following configuration:
server {
listen 80;
server_name your_domain_or_ip;
location / {
proxy_pass http://localhost:9001;
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;
}
}
Replace your_domain_or_ip
with your actual domain name or IP address.
Step 7: Enable Nginx Configuration
Enable the new site configuration and restart Nginx:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/etherpad /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx
Step 8: Secure Nginx with SSL
To secure your Etherpad installation, it's recommended to use SSL. You can obtain a free SSL certificate using Certbot:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
Run Certbot to obtain and install the SSL certificate:
sudo certbot --nginx -d your_domain
Follow the prompts to complete the installation. Certbot will automatically configure Nginx to use SSL.
Step 9: Access Etherpad
You can now access Etherpad securely by navigating to:
https://your_domain
You should see the Etherpad interface, ready for collaborative editing.
Conclusion
You have successfully installed Etherpad with Nginx and SSL on Debian 11. This powerful collaborative tool will enhance productivity for your team.
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