Let’s Chat is a free, persistent messaging application that runs on Node.js and MongoDB designed for small teams and comes with killer features such as LDAP/Kerberos authentication, a REST-like API, and XMPP support. If you are looking for a self-hosted chat platform for your project and people, Let’s Chat should come in pretty handy. To install Let’s Chat, you will need these packages on your machine which is pretty popular.
Node.js 0.11+ MongoDB 2.6+ Python 2.7
How to install Let’s Chat on Ubuntu Linux
As mentioned above, Let’s Chat is a free and persistent messaging application that runs on Node.js and MongoDB designed for small teams, and comes with killer features such as LDAP/Kerberos authentication, a REST-like API, and XMPP support. Below is how to install it in Ubuntu Linux.
Install Node.js
First, you’ll need Node.js installed on your system. Below is a post that shows you how to install and configure Node.js on Ubuntu Linux. How to install Node.js on Ubuntu Linux
Install MongoDB
Second, you’ll need MongoDB installed on your system. Below is a post that shows you how to install MongoDB on Ubuntu Linux. How to install MongoDB on Ubuntu Linux
Install Python
Third, you’ll need Python installed on your system to run Let’s Chat. Below is a post that shows you how to install and configure Python on Ubuntu Linux. How to install Python on Ubuntu Linux
Download and install Let’s Chat
Now that you have met all the requirements, you can continue with installing Let’s Chat. Run the commands below to download the Let’s Chat package via git. If you don’t have git installed, run the sudo apt install git command. Next, change the directory (cd) into the Let’s Chat folder and run the commands below. Next, copy the sample configuration file and start the Let’s Chat server using the commands below. Let’s Chat should be started, and you should be able to access its portal using the server hostname or IP address followed by port number 5000. However, if you want to use a domain or user-friendly name or improve performance, you may have to set up a proxy server.
Create a reverse proxy server with Let’s Chat
Below are two posts that show you how to set up a reverse proxy server:
How to set up a proxy server with Nginx How to set a proxy server with Apache
You can choose either setup above, however, Nginx provides a better option with Let’s Chat. If you select Nginx reverse proxy, then install and create an Nginx server block file. Use the below configurations in your proxy to support Let’s Chat. Save the file and exit.
Create Let’s Chat systemd file
To be able to easily stop and start the Let’s Chat service, go and create a systemd service. You can do that by running the commands below: Then copy and paste the content below into the file and exit. Reload the systemd daemon, then start the Let’s Chat service.
Access Let’s Chat portal
Restart Nginx and use the domain name to access Let’s Chat portal. Create an account, log in and start using Let’s Chat. That should do it! Conclusion: This post showed you how to install and use Let’s Chat in Ubuntu Linux. If you find any error above or have something to add, please use the comment form below.
