How to Install CryptPad Office Suite on Ubuntu

This article explains how to install CryptPad Office Suite on Ubuntu Linux.

CryptPad is a privacy-focused, open-source, web-based office suite that enables collaborative real-time editing.

For several reasons, one might want to install CryptPad Office Suite on Ubuntu Linux. CryptPad is a privacy-focused, open-source, web-based office suite that enables collaborative real-time editing.

Secondly, by installing CryptPad on Ubuntu Linux, you can control your data and the software running on your server.

Additionally, Ubuntu is a popular and stable Linux distribution widely used in server environments, making it a reliable choice for hosting CryptPad.

Prerequisites

Before you start with the installation, ensure that you have the following:

A server running Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or later.
Root access or a user with sudo privileges.
Basic command-line knowledge.

Update System Packages

Updating your system packages to the latest version is always good practice. Open your terminal and execute the following commands:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

After that, run this command below to install some required packages.

sudo apt install curl git apt-transport-https

Install Node.js and npm

CryptPad requires Node.js to run. You can install Node.js and npm (Node.js package manager) using the nodesource repository. First, import the nodesource PPA:

curl -sL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x | sudo -E bash -

Then, install Node.js and npm:

sudo apt install -y nodejs

Verify the Node.js and npm installation:

node -v
npm -v

Install Dependencies

Install additional required dependencies for building CryptPad:

sudo apt install -y build-essential python3

Clone the CryptPad Repository

To get the latest version of CryptPad, clone the repository from GitHub:

git clone https://github.com/xwiki-labs/cryptpad.git

Then, navigate to the newly created directory:

cd cryptpad

Configure CryptPad

Inside the CryptPad directory, copy the sample configuration file and customize it according to your preferences:

cp config/config.example.js config/config.js
nano config/config.js

Make any necessary changes to the configuration, then save and close the file.

Install CryptPad

Now, install CryptPad using npm:

npm install

This might take a while as it installs all the necessary packages and compiles native addons.

Start CryptPad

Run the following command to start the CryptPad server:

npm start

CryptPad will now be running on your Ubuntu server. By default, it listens on port 3000.

Access CryptPad

Open your web browser and go to:

http://your_server_ip:3000

Replace your_server_ip with the actual IP address of your server.

You should now see the CryptPad interface, where you can create and collaborate on documents.

Set Up a Reverse Proxy (Optional)

For production environments, you might want to set up a reverse proxy with Nginx or Apache to enable HTTPS and allow access via standard HTTP ports.

In the case of Nginx, you would install Nginx:

sudo apt install nginx

And then create a new site configuration:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/cryptpad

In the file, you can add the following configuration to set up the reverse proxy:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name cryptpad.example.com;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://localhost:3000/;
        proxy_redirect off;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_buffering off;
    }
}

Make sure you replace example.com with your actual domain.

Enable the Site and Restart Nginx

Enable the newly created site and restart Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/cryptpad /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Don’t forget to set up a Let’s Encrypt certificate to secure your CryptPad instance with SSL/TLS.

Conclusion

CryptPad Office Suite has been successfully installed on your Ubuntu Linux server. It provides a secure and private platform for collaborative document editing.
You can confidently collaborate on documents while maintaining control over your data and the software running on your server.
For further customization, maintenance, and integration with other services, refer to the official CryptPad documentation at https://docs.cryptpad.fr.

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