How to Install Apache CouchDB on Ubuntu 24.04

Import and add CouchDB key and repository

Adding the CouchDB key and repository is the first step to install CouchDB Ubuntu 24.04. These commands tell your computer where to find the CouchDB software and ensure it’s safe to install. You’ll need to run a couple of commands to get these details set up before you can actually install the database.

To begin, please install the following packages to help you set up CouchDB.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install curl apt-transport-https gnupg

Next, import the repository GPG key.

curl https://couchdb.apache.org/repo/keys.asc | gpg --dearmor | sudo tee /usr/share/keyrings/couchdb-archive-keyring.gpg >/dev/null 2>&1
source /etc/os-release

Then, add the repository.

echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/couchdb-archive-keyring.gpg] https://apache.jfrog.io/artifactory/couchdb-deb/ noble main" 
    | sudo tee /etc/apt/sources.list.d/couchdb.list >/dev/null

Finally, update and install CouchDB.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install couchdb

The installer will prompt you to choose between installing CouchDB in clustered or standalone mode. Clustering involves multiple servers collaborating as a single, distributed data store.

We will install CouchDB in a standalone mode on a single server.

 ┌─────────┤ Configuring couchdb ├─────────┐
 │ General type of CouchDB configuration:  │ 
 │                                         │ 
 │               standalone                │ 
 │               clustered                 │ 
 │               none                      │ 
 │                                         │ 
 │                                         │ 
 │                 <Ok>                    │ 
 │                                         │ 
 └─────────────────────────────────────────┘  

Setting the admin password on the next screen secures CouchDB and exits the insecure "admin party" mode. This password protects your CouchDB installation.

Complete the installation.

Verify CouchDB installation

After you install CouchDB Ubuntu 24.04, checking that it’s running right is important. You can test the CouchDB installation by using a simple command called curl on your computer’s local address. If everything worked, you’ll see a message that says CouchDB is ready to go.

curl http://127.0.0.1:5984/

The command will output something similar to the one below.

{
  "couchdb":"Welcome",
  "version":"3.1.0",
  "git_sha":"ff0feea20",
  "uuid":"4589130c33b0dae4c166330463542ad4",
  "features":[
    "access-ready",
    "partitioned",
    "pluggable-storage-engines",
    "reshard",
    "scheduler"
  ],
  "vendor":{
    "name":"The Apache Software Foundation"
  }
}

To test in the GUI, you can access the CouchDB web-based interface using the server hostname or IP address.

http://127.0.0.1:5984/_utils/

Type in the admin username and password.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

Installing Apache CouchDB on Ubuntu 24.04 provides a robust and flexible NoSQL database solution suitable for various applications. Key takeaways include:

• User-Friendly: CouchDB’s schema-free JSON document format allows for easy data manipulation.
• Multi-Master Replication: Enhances data availability by allowing changes on any node in the system.
• Standalone Setup: Ideal for single server environments, providing a simple configuration process.
• Admin Security: Setting an admin password during installation is crucial to secure your CouchDB instance.
• Web Interface Access: Easy access to CouchDB management through the web-based interface for monitoring and administration.

Following the installation steps outlined above, you’ll have a functional CouchDB database ready to handle your flexible data storage needs.