Ubuntu¶

The following installation guide is optimised for Ubuntu LTS versions, and will install NodeBB with MongoDB as the data store. Currently at the time of writing, the latest available Ubuntu LTS version is 14.04.

First, install the LTS version of Node.js (v4.2 Argon):

$ curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_4.x | sudo -E bash -

Next, we’ll install the dependencies required by NodeBB

$ sudo apt-get install -y git nodejs mongodb build-essential

If you want to use Redis or another database instead of MongoDB please look at the Configuring Databases section.

Next, clone NodeBB into your desired location. If you don’t know where, your home directory is acceptable:

$ cd ~   # Optional
$ git clone -b v0.9.x https://github.com/NodeBB/NodeBB.git nodebb

Obtain all of the dependencies required by NodeBB:

$ cd nodebb
$ npm install --production

Start the NodeBB Web Installer, and continue setup at http://127.0.0.1:4567, and select “MongoDB” as your database type.

$ npm start

Alternatively: Initiate the setup script by running the app with the setup flag:

$ ./nodebb setup

The default settings are for a local server running on the default port, with a redis store on the same machine/port.

Lastly, we run the forum.

$ ./nodebb start

NodeBB can also be started with helper programs, such as forever. Take a look at the options here.

If you receive an error stating Error: Cannot find module '../build/Release/magic', run npm i mmmagic and continue as before.