initial commit

1 files changed, 164 insertions, 0 deletions

diff --git a/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos-irc.org b/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos-irc.org
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..eca881e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos-irc.org
@@ -0,0 +1,164 @@
++++
+date = 2023-06-23T20:50:00
+title = "Self-Hosting Convos IRC Web Client"
+description = ""
++++
+
+## Convos
+
+[Convos](https://convos.chat/) is an always-online web client for IRC. It 
+has a few features that made it attractive to me as a self-hosted option:
+
+- Extremely simple Docker Compose installation method.
+- Runs in the background and monitors chats even while you're not logged in.
+- Neatly organized sidebar for conversation and client settings.
+- Ability to connect to different hosts and create profiles for hosts.
+- By default, registration is closed to the public. You can enable public 
+  registration on the Settings page or generate invitation links on the 
+  Users page.
+- Customization of the client theme, organization name and URL, admin email, 
+  and video service.
+
+## Docker Installation
+
+To install Convos, simply create a directory and a `docker-compose.yml` file:
+
+```sh
+mkdir ~/convos && cd ~/convos
+nano docker-compose.yml
+```
+
+With the `docker-compose.yml` file open, paste the configuration below into 
+the file.
+You can customize the host port to be something unique, such as `21897:3000`.
+You can also change the `data` folder to be a docker volume instead, if you 
+prefer.
+
+```config
+version: '3'
+
+services:
+  convos:
+    image: 'convos/convos:stable'
+    ports:
+      - '3000:3000'
+    volumes:
+      - './data:/data'
+    environment:
+      - CONVOS_REVERSE_PROXY=1
+    restart: always
+```
+
+Save the `docker-compose.yml` file and bring the container up:
+
+```sh
+sudo docker-compose up -d
+```
+
+At this point, Convos is available at `<server_ip>:3000` but not available 
+to the public.
+
+## Nginx Reverse Proxy
+
+If you're using Nginx, you can create a configuration file for the convos 
+application.
+Start by opening the file:
+
+```sh
+nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/convos
+```
+
+Within the nginx configuration file, paste the following content and be sure 
+to update `convos.example.com` to match your domain and `127.0.0.1:3000` to 
+match the port you opened in the `docker-compose.yml` file.
+
+```config
+# Host and port where convos is running
+upstream convos_upstream { server 127.0.0.1:3000; }
+
+server {
+	if ($host ~ ^[^.]+\.example\.com$) {
+		return 301 https://$host$request_uri;
+	}
+
+	listen [::]:80;
+	listen 80;
+	server_name convos.example.com;
+	return 404;
+}
+
+server {
+	listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
+	listen 443 ssl http2;
+	server_name convos.example.com;
+	access_log  /var/log/nginx/convos.access.log;
+	error_log   /var/log/nginx/convos.error.log;
+
+	location / {
+		proxy_pass http://convos_upstream;
+		proxy_http_version 1.1;
+		proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
+		proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
+		client_max_body_size 0;
+		proxy_set_header Host $host;
+		proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
+		proxy_set_header X-Request-Base "$scheme://$host/";
+	}
+
+	ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem;
+	ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem;
+	include /etc/letsencrypt/options-ssl-nginx.conf;
+	ssl_dhparam /etc/letsencrypt/ssl-dhparams.pem;
+}
+```
+
+Once the file is saved, link it to the `sites-enabled` directory and restart 
+Nginx.
+
+```sh
+sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/convos /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/convos
+sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
+```
+
+## Screenshots
+
+See the screenshots below for an example of the Convos homepage and an 
+excerpt of the chat screen.
+
+There are numerous themes to choose from; the theme shown in the images 
+below is Dracula.
+
+![Convos Home](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20230623-convos/convos_home.png 
+"Convos Home")
+
+![Convos Chat](https://img.0x4b1d.org/blog/20230623-convos/convos_chat.png 
+"Convos Chat")
+
+## Registering a Nickname
+
+Hop into the server channel so that you can message NickServ. In the case of 
+Convos, the default sever is libera.chat.
+Simply click the `libera` conversation at the top of the sidebar to open it.
+Once the chat is open, you can claim a nickname by typing:
+
+```txt
+/nick <nick>
+```
+
+If the nickname is available, and you'd like to register the nickname to 
+yourself, you'll need to type another command:
+
+```txt
+/msg NickServ REGISTER 
+<password> <email>
+```
+
+On libera.chat, the server will send a confirmation email with a command 
+that you must message in IRC to verify registration of the nickname:
+
+```txt
+/msg NickServ VERIFY REGISTER <nick> <verification_code>
+```
+
+Once entered, the server should confirm registration of the nickname to the 
+supplied email with the password specified.