diff options
Diffstat (limited to 'content/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos.md')
| -rw-r--r-- | content/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos.md | 169 |
1 files changed, 169 insertions, 0 deletions
diff --git a/content/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos.md b/content/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..d93f2c6 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/2023-06-23-self-hosting-convos.md @@ -0,0 +1,169 @@ ++++ +date = 2023-06-23 +title = "Self-Hosting Convos IRC Web Client" +description = "" +draft = false ++++ + +# 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. + + + + + +# 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. |