# Installation Ensure you have an Ubuntu system that satisfies [the installation requirements](prod-requirements.html). In short, you should have an Ubuntu 14.04 Trusty or Ubuntu 16.04 Xenial 64-bit server instance, with at least 4GB RAM, 2 CPUs, and 10 GB disk space. You should also have a domain name available and have updated its DNS record to point to the server. ## Step 0: Subscribe Please subscribe to low-traffic [the Zulip announcements Google Group](https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/zulip-announce) to get announcements about new releases, security issues, etc. ## Step 1: Install SSL Certificates Zulip runs over https only and requires ssl certificates in order to work. It looks for the certificates in `/etc/ssl/private/zulip.key` and `/etc/ssl/certs/zulip.combined-chain.crt`. Note that Zulip uses `nginx` as its webserver and thus [expects a chained certificate bundle](http://nginx.org/en/docs/http/configuring_https_servers.html) If you need an SSL certificate, see [our SSL certificate documentation](ssl-certificates.html). If you already have an SSL certificate, just install (or symlink) them into place at the above paths, and move on to the next step. ## Step 2: Download and install latest release If you haven't already, download and unpack [the latest built server tarball](https://www.zulip.com/dist/releases/zulip-server-latest.tar.gz) with the following commands: ``` sudo -i # If not already root cd /root wget https://www.zulip.com/dist/releases/zulip-server-latest.tar.gz rm -rf /root/zulip && mkdir /root/zulip tar -xf zulip-server-latest.tar.gz --directory=/root/zulip --strip-components=1 ``` Then, run the Zulip install script: ``` /root/zulip/scripts/setup/install ``` This may take a while to run, since it will install a large number of dependencies. The Zulip install script is designed to be idempotent, so if it fails, you can just rerun it after correcting the issue that caused it to fail. Also note that it automatically logs a transcript to `/var/log/zulip/install.log`; please include a copy of that file in any bug reports. ## Step 3: Configure Zulip Configure the Zulip server instance by editing `/etc/zulip/settings.py` and providing values for the mandatory settings, which are all found under the heading `### MANDATORY SETTINGS`. These settings include: - `EXTERNAL_HOST`: the user-accessible Zulip domain name for your Zulip installation. This will be the domain for which you have DNS A records pointing to this server and for which you configured SSL certificates. - `ZULIP_ADMINISTRATOR`: the email address of the person or team maintaining this installation and who will get support emails. - `AUTHENTICATION_BACKENDS`: a list of enabled authentication mechanisms. You'll need to enable at least one authentication mechanism by uncommenting its corresponding line, and then also do any additional configuration required for that backend as documented in the `settings.py` file. See the [section on Authentication](prod-auth-first-login.html) for more detail on the available authentication backends and how to configure them. - `EMAIL_*`, `DEFAULT_FROM_EMAIL`, and `NOREPLY_EMAIL_ADDRESS`: Regardless of which authentication backends you enable, you must provide settings for an outgoing SMTP server so Zulip can send emails when needed (and don't forget to set `email_password` in the `zulip-secrets.conf` file). We highly recommend testing your configuration using `manage.py send_test_email` to confirm your outgoing email configuration is working correctly. - `ALLOWED_HOSTS`: Replace `*` with the fully qualified DNS name for your Zulip server here. ## Step 4: Initialize Zulip database At this point, you are done doing things as root. To initialize the Zulip database for your production install, run: ``` su zulip -c /home/zulip/deployments/current/scripts/setup/initialize-database ``` The `initialize-database` script will report an error if you did not fill in all the mandatory settings from `/etc/zulip/settings.py`. It is safe to rerun it after correcting the problem if that happens. This completes the process of installing Zulip on your server. However, in order to use Zulip, you'll need to create an organization in your Zulip installation. ## Step 5: Create a Zulip organization and login * If you haven't already, verify that your server can send email using `./manage.py send_test_email username@example.com`. You'll need working outgoing email to complete the setup process. * Run the organization (realm) creation [management command](prod-maintain-secure-upgrade.html#management-commands) : ``` su zulip # If you weren't already the zulip user cd /home/zulip/deployments/current ./manage.py generate_realm_creation_link ``` This will print out a secure 1-time use link that allows creation of a new Zulip organization on your server. For most servers, you will only ever do this once, but you can run `manage.py generate_realm_creation_link` again if you want to host another organization on your Zulip server. * Open the link generated with your web browser. You'll see the create organization page ([screenshot here](_images/zulip-create-realm.png)). Enter your email address and click *Create organization*. * Check your email to find the confirmation email and click the link. You'll be prompted to finish setting up your organization and initial administrator user ([screenshot here](_images/zulip-create-user-and-org.png)). Complete this form and log in! **Congratulations!** You are logged in as an organization administrator for your new Zulip organization. After getting oriented, we recommend visiting the special "Administration" tab linked to from the upper-right gear menu in the Zulip app to configure important policy settings like how users can join your new organization. By default, your organization will be configured as follows ([screenshot here](_images/zulip-admin-settings.png)): * `restricted_to_domain=True`: Only people with emails with the same ending as yours can join. * `invite_required=False`: An invitation is not required to join the realm. * `invite_by_admin_only=False`: You don't need to be an admin user to invite other users. Next, you'll likely want to do one of the following: * [Customize your Zulip organization](prod-customize.html). * [Learn about managing a production Zulip server](prod-maintain-secure-upgrade.html). ## Troubleshooting If you get an error after `scripts/setup/install` completes, check `/var/log/zulip/errors.log` for a traceback, and consult the [troubleshooting section](prod-troubleshooting.html) for advice on how to debug. If that doesn't help, please visit [the "installation help" stream in the Zulip developers' chat](https://zulip.tabbott.net/#narrow/stream/installation.20help) for realtime help or email zulip-help@googlegroups.com with the traceback and we'll try to help you out!