Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7

[scottalanmiller]

Wiki.js is a NodeBB based modern wiki that can be installed on nearly any OS. We will run through a simple install on CentOS 7.

First we will need to find a way to upgrade to the latest version of the GIT libraries as CentOS 7 itself does not have a version recent enough for wiki.js.

yum install https://centos7.iuscommunity.org/ius-release.rpm
yum install git

Next we need to install our prerequisites.

Coming--- prerequisites

Now we can install wiki.js itself.

cd /opt
mkdir wiki
useradd wiki
chown wiki:wiki wiki
su - wiki
cd /opt/wiki
curl -sSo- https://wiki.js.org/install.sh | bash
firewall-cmd --zone=public --add-port=4573/tcp
node wiki configure 4573

At this point we have our wiki running and we can continue to configure it via the web interface.

[scottalanmiller]

Now we can configure our wiki.js instance through the web GUI.

[scottalanmiller]

At this point the wiki will restart and attempt to run itself in the normal mode rather than in configuration mode. For normal use cases, you will generally want to have a reverse proxy in front of your wiki.js instance. I won't cover how to configure Nginx here, but typically you will put Nginx in front of your Node instance running wiki.js. Because of this, wiki.js will be on a high range port, as used in the example, and Nginx will consume that port and will present wiki.js with SSL on port 443. The Node install with wiki.js does not itself handle SSL so having a reverse proxy is very important.

[JaredBusch]

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

[scottalanmiller]

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

[JaredBusch]

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

[zachary715]

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

[stacksofplates]

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

That was me. Its political reasons, nothing else.

[scottalanmiller]

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

[zachary715]

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

Wiki.js runs on pretty much any platform that supports the requirements below. However, the following environments are recommended and more thoroughly tested:

Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Windows Server 2012 R2

I did not interpret that to mean that the OS itself was more tested, but rather that had tested Wiki.js on these OSes more so than others. They make it clear it can run on any system though. I just chose to go with what they had claimed to have tested for and it's worked out for me thus far.

[zachary715]

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Wiki.js is a NodeBB based modern wiki that can be installed on nearly any OS. We will run through a simple install on CentOS 7.

I think you meant NodeJS here...

[scottalanmiller]

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Wiki.js is a NodeBB based modern wiki that can be installed on nearly any OS. We will run through a simple install on CentOS 7.

I think you meant NodeJS here...

Whoops, yes.

[Obsolesce]

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

Wiki.js runs on pretty much any platform that supports the requirements below. However, the following environments are recommended and more thoroughly tested:

Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Windows Server 2012 R2

I did not interpret that to mean that the OS itself was more tested, but rather that had tested Wiki.js on these OSes more so than others. They make it clear it can run on any system though. I just chose to go with what they had claimed to have tested for and it's worked out for me thus far.

To me, it seems better to stay away from Wiki.js until they take it more seriously.

I don't really see any additional benefits to using it versus other solutions that seem to work better and offer more.

[wirestyle22]

@tim_g said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

Wiki.js runs on pretty much any platform that supports the requirements below. However, the following environments are recommended and more thoroughly tested:

Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Windows Server 2012 R2

I did not interpret that to mean that the OS itself was more tested, but rather that had tested Wiki.js on these OSes more so than others. They make it clear it can run on any system though. I just chose to go with what they had claimed to have tested for and it's worked out for me thus far.

To me, it seems better to stay away from Wiki.js until they take it more seriously.

I don't really see any additional benefits to using it versus other solutions that seem to work better and offer more.

It does seem like they are lax on testing

[stacksofplates]

@wirestyle22 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@tim_g said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

Wiki.js runs on pretty much any platform that supports the requirements below. However, the following environments are recommended and more thoroughly tested:

Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Windows Server 2012 R2

I did not interpret that to mean that the OS itself was more tested, but rather that had tested Wiki.js on these OSes more so than others. They make it clear it can run on any system though. I just chose to go with what they had claimed to have tested for and it's worked out for me thus far.

To me, it seems better to stay away from Wiki.js until they take it more seriously.

I don't really see any additional benefits to using it versus other solutions that seem to work better and offer more.

It does seem like they are lax on testing

It's node so I don't think you will see much changing between platforms. VMware is running it on PhotonOS. I've run it on CentOS and Fedora and haven't had any issues. Small projects like this usually don't have time to test on a bunch of platforms. But again, since it's Node it should be fine on anything.

[wirestyle22]

@stacksofplates said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@wirestyle22 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@tim_g said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@zachary715 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@jaredbusch said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

Why are people using CentOS for This? Nothing on their website says it has to be on this.

Anyone using CentOS other than me? I'm using it because it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments and we aren't moving from it anytime soon. I was asked to document my process, so I did. It should be even simpler to do it on Fedora, that's just not where I'm deploying right now.

Yes, one other in another thread was talking about CentOS for some reason. While someone else said they used Ubuntu I believe.

I used Ubuntu because it's what their documentation recommended.

Sort of, @wirestyle22 and I dug into that and while the docs say that, it's also pretty clear that they just don't update the docs, sadly. And they only document an install of Debian. They are all over the place. They don't exactly recommend old OSes like Ubuntu 16.04 and Windows 2012 R2, but point out that they are "more tested", which should be obvious since they are old. But that's not the same as recommended.

"More tested" doesn't mean "more stable", already broken down old things are often better tested than new, reliable ones. A barely functional 1975 Pinto is "better tested" than a brand new BMW 335i, but the new BMW is probably less likely to leave you stranded.

They word things a bit funny there and between that and not updating well, it can lead you in some weird directions. Not that Ubuntu is bad, but I don't think that they intend to recommend it in any way.

Wiki.js runs on pretty much any platform that supports the requirements below. However, the following environments are recommended and more thoroughly tested:

Ubuntu Server 16.04 LTS
Windows Server 2012 R2

I did not interpret that to mean that the OS itself was more tested, but rather that had tested Wiki.js on these OSes more so than others. They make it clear it can run on any system though. I just chose to go with what they had claimed to have tested for and it's worked out for me thus far.

To me, it seems better to stay away from Wiki.js until they take it more seriously.

I don't really see any additional benefits to using it versus other solutions that seem to work better and offer more.

It does seem like they are lax on testing

It's node so I don't think you will see much changing between platforms. VMware is running it on PhotonOS. I've run it on CentOS and Fedora and haven't had any issues.

@scottalanmiller has similar things to say about it. I'm definitely going to give it a whirl

[stacksofplates]

But if there are concerns about the platform, just run it in either Docker or LXC/LXD. Then it makes no difference at all.

[AdamF]

@scottalanmiller Thanks for documenting this. Going to install again tomorrow on either Cent or fedora

[JaredBusch]

@fuznutz04 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller Thanks for documenting this. Going to install again tomorrow on either Cent or fedora

Fedora is a snap.

[wirestyle22]

@fuznutz04 said in Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7:

@scottalanmiller Thanks for documenting this. Going to install again tomorrow on either Cent or fedora

Yeah @scottalanmiller himself would tell you to install it on Fedora. He's just using CentOS because "it is our existing standard platform for NodeJS deployments" as he said.