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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