discourse/docs/INSTALL-digital-ocean.md

**Set up Discourse on a cloud server in under 30 minutes** with zero knowledge of Ruby, Rails or Linux shell using our [Discourse Docker image][dd]. We prefer [Digital Ocean][do], although these steps may work on other cloud providers that also support Docker. Let's begin!

# Create New Digital Ocean Droplet

[Sign up for Digital Ocean][do], update billing info, then begin creating your new cloud server (Droplet).

Use the URL of your new site as the Droplet hostname, e.g. `discourse.example.com`. Discourse requires a minimum of **1 GB RAM** for small communities; we recommend 2 GB RAM for medium communities. 

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4425/0c25b42ee3d35636.png" width="670" height="489"> 

Install Discourse on Ubuntu 14.04 LTS x64. Always select [the latest LTS distribution][lts].

<img src="https://meta.discourse.org/uploads/default/4426/9f3bf74726a3384f.png" width="540" height="478"> 

You will receive a mail from Digital Ocean with the root password to your Droplet. (However, if you know [how to use SSH keys](https://www.google.com/search?q=digitalocean+ssh+keys), you may not need a password to log in.)

# Access Your Droplet

Connect to your Droplet via SSH, or use [Putty][put] on Windows:

    ssh root@192.168.1.1

Replace `192.168.1.1` with the IP address of your Droplet.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4442/ab4202454828b167.png" width="586" height="128"> 

You will be asked for permission to connect, type `yes`, then enter the root password from the email Digital Ocean sent you when the Droplet was set up.

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4443/48cc7135c89768bd.png" width="584" height="300"> 

# Set up Swap (if needed)

- If you're using the minimum 1 GB install, you *must* [set up a swap file](https://meta.discourse.org/t/create-a-swapfile-for-your-linux-server/13880).

- If you're using 2 GB+ memory, you can probably get by without a swap file.

# Install Git

    apt-get install git

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4444/fdddb36daf2e9b69.png" width="586" height="293"> 

# Install Docker

    wget -qO- https://get.docker.io/ | sh

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4445/35af9b94d045c691.png" width="586" height="452"> 

# Install Discourse

Create a `/var/docker` folder:

    mkdir /var/docker

Clone the [Official Discourse Docker Image][dd] into this `/var/docker` folder:

    git clone https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker.git /var/docker

Switch to your Docker folder:

    cd /var/docker

Copy the `samples/standalone.yml` file into the `containers` folder as `app.yml`, so the path becomes `containers/app.yml`:

    cp samples/standalone.yml containers/app.yml

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4446/5f28af7f5b345823.png" width="586" height="246"> 

# Edit Discourse Configuration

Edit the Discourse configuration at `app.yml`:

    nano containers/app.yml

We recommend Nano because it works like a typical GUI text editor, just use your arrow keys.

- Set `DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS` to your email address.
 
- Set `DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME` to `discourse.example.com`, this means you want your Discourse available at `http://discourse.example.com/`. You'll need to update the DNS A record for this domain with the IP address of your server.
 
- Place your mail credentials in `DISCOURSE_SMTP_ADDRESS`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_PORT`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_USER_NAME`, `DISCOURSE_SMTP_PASSWORD`. Be sure you remove the comment `#` character and space from the front of these lines as necessary.

- If you are using a 1 GB instance, set `UNICORN_WORKERS` to 2 so you have more memory room.

<img src="https://meta.discourse.org/uploads/default/4435/67807de39c6bbc61.png" width="578" height="407"> 

After completing your edits, press <kbd>Ctrl</kbd><kbd>O</kbd> then <kbd>Enter</kbd> to save and <kbd>Ctrl</kbd><kbd>X</kbd> to exit.

# Email

**Email is critical to notifications in Discourse. If you do not configure email before bootstrapping you will have a broken site!**

- Already have a mail server? Great. Use your existing mail server credentials.

- No existing mail server, or you don't know what it is? No problem, create a free account on [**Mandrill**][man] (or [Mailgun][gun], or [Mailjet][jet]), and use the credentials provided in the dashboard.

- For proper email deliverability, you must set the [SPF and DKIM records](http://help.mandrill.com/entries/21751322-What-are-SPF-and-DKIM-and-do-I-need-to-set-them-up-) in your DNS. In Mandrill, that's under Sending Domains, View DKIM/SPF setup instructions.

# Bootstrap Discourse

Be sure to save the `app.yml` file, and begin bootstrapping Discourse:

    ./launcher bootstrap app

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4447/b4ce4a481a3676ac.png" width="594" height="231"> 

This command can take up to 8 minutes. It is automagically configuring your Discourse environment.

After that completes, start Discourse:

    ./launcher start app

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/4448/55b88822f00fa505.png" width="593" height="229"> 

Congratulations! You now have your own instance of Discourse! 

<img src="https://meta-discourse.r.worldssl.net/uploads/default/_optimized/f77/1a4/68503db6d2_690x280.png" width="690" height="291">

It should be accessible via the domain name `discourse.example.com` you entered earlier, provided you configured DNS. If not, you can also access it by visiting the server IP directly, e.g. `http://192.168.1.1`.

# Log In and Become Admin

Sign into your Discourse instance. There is a reminder at the top about `DISCOURSE_DEVELOPER_EMAILS`; be sure you log in via one of those email addresses, and your account will automatically be made an Admin.

# Post-Install Maintenance

To **upgrade Discourse to the latest version**, visit `/admin/docker`, refresh the page a few times (yes, seriously) and then press the Upgrade button at the top. View the live output at the bottom of your browser to see when things are complete. You should see:


    Killed sidekiq
    Restarting unicorn pid: 37


Then you know it's complete. (Yes, we will be improving this process soon!)

The `launcher` command in the `/var/docker` folder can be used for various kinds of maintenance:

```
Usage: launcher COMMAND CONFIG
Commands:
    start:      Start/initialize a container
    stop:       Stop a running container
    restart:    Restart a container
    destroy:    Stop and remove a container
    ssh:        Start a bash shell in a running container
    logs:       Docker logs for container
    bootstrap:  Bootstrap a container for the config based on a template
    rebuild:    Rebuild a container (destroy old, bootstrap, start new)
```

# Other Awesome Stuff

Do you want...

- Users to log in via Facebook? [Configure Facebook logins](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configuring-facebook-login-for-discourse/13394).

- Users to log in via Twitter? [Configure Twitter logins](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configuring-twitter-login-for-discourse/13395/last).

- Users to post reples via email? [Configure reply via email](https://meta.discourse.org/t/set-up-reply-via-email-support/14003).

- Automatic daily backups? [Configure backups](https://meta.discourse.org/t/configure-automatic-backups-for-discourse/14855).
 
- HTTPS / SSL support? [Configure SSL](https://meta.discourse.org/t/allowing-ssl-for-your-discourse-docker-setup/13847).
 
- Host multiple Discourse sites on the same server? [Configure multisite](https://meta.discourse.org/t/multisite-configuration-with-docker/14084).
 
- Use a CDN to speed up worldwide access? [Configure a CDN](https://meta.discourse.org/t/enable-a-cdn-for-your-discourse/14857).

If anything needs to be improved in this guide, feel free to ask on [meta.discourse.org][meta], or even better, submit a pull request.

   [dd]: https://github.com/discourse/discourse_docker
  [man]: https://mandrillapp.com
  [ssh]: https://help.github.com/articles/generating-ssh-keys
 [meta]: https://meta.discourse.org/t/beginners-guide-to-deploy-discourse-on-digital-ocean-using-docker/12156
   [do]: https://www.digitalocean.com/?refcode=5fa48ac82415
  [lts]: https://wiki.ubuntu.com/LTS
  [jet]: http://www.mailjet.com/pricing
  [gun]: http://www.mailgun.com/
  [put]: http://www.chiark.greenend.org.uk/~sgtatham/putty/download.html