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|
+++
date = 2021-03-28
title = "Launching a Gemini Capsule"
description = ""
draft = false
+++
# What is Gemini?
[Gemini](https://gemini.circumlunar.space/) is an internet protocol introduced
in June 2019 as an alternative to HTTP(S) or Gopher. In layman's terms, it's
an alternative way to browse sites (called capsules) that requires a special
browser. Since Gemini is not standardized as an internet standard, normal web
browsers won't be able to load a Gemini capsule. Instead, you'll need to use
[a Gemini-specific browser](https://gemini.%20circumlunar.space/clients.html).
The content found within a Gemini page is called
[Gemtext](https://gemini.circumlunar.space/docs/cheatsheet.gmi) and is
*extremely* basic (on purpose). Gemini only processes the text, no media content
like images. However, you're able to style 3 levels of headings, regular text,
links (which will display on their own line), quotes, and an unordered list.
Here's a complete listing of valid Gemtext:
``` txt
# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
Regular text! Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet.
=> https://example.com My Website
=> gemini://example.com My Gemini Capsule
> "If life were predictable it would cease to be life, and be without flavor." - Eleanor Roosevelt
My List:
** Item
** Item
```Anything between three backticks will be rendered as code.```
```
### Free Option
There are probably numerous websites that allow you to create your personal
Gemini capsule, but I'm going to focus on the two sites that I have personally
tested. The first option below, Midnight Pub, allows you to create/edit any
Gemini files you want in your account. This is essentially a GUI option with a
built-in text box for editing. The second option below, Sourcehut, allows you to
use a Git repository and automatic build process to deploy your personal Gemini
capsule every time you push a commit.
## Midnight Pub - Beginner Friendly
[Midnight Pub](https://midnight.pub/) is a small, virtual community meant to
reflect the atmosphere of wandering into a small alley pub. The site is built in
Gemtext and has a server-side process to convert Gemtext to HTML if someone
loads the site in an HTTP(S) browser.
To create an account, you'll need to email the owner of the website to obtain a
key. You can find their email on the Midnight Pub homepage. Once registered,
head to [your account](https://midnight.pub/account) and select [manage
site](https://midnight.pub/site). This is the screen where you can upload or
create any files to be displayed on the internet.
For example, I've created both an HTML file and a Gemini file. Remember that
Gemini is automatically converted to HTML on the Pub, so you don't need an HTML
version. For example, I created an HTML version to add in some extra styling.
All you need to do is create a page like `index.gmi` and use your Gemini browser
to head over to your-username.midnight.pub to see the result.
That's all there is to it! Easy enough, right? Let's check out a more advanced
version in the next section.
# Paid Option
As of 2021, Sourcehut has decided to require users to have a paid account in
order to utilize their automated build system. For now, paid accounts can be as
low as $2/month.
## Sourcehut
[Sourcehut](https://sourcehut.org/) is a collection of software development
tools, but mostly surrounds their hosted Git repository service. Simply put,
it's a minimal and more private alternative to services like GitHub.
This walkthrough is more advanced and involves things like Git, SSH, the command
line. If you don't think you know enough to do this, check out my walkthrough
on creating a Gemini capsule for the Midnight Pub instead.
The first thing you'll need to do is create an SSH key pair, if you don't
already have one on your system. Once created, grab the contents of `id_rsa.pub`
and add it to your Sourcehut account settings - this will allow you to push and
pull code changes without using a username/password.
```sh
ssh keygen
```
Next up, let's create a repository with the proper name so that the Sourcehut
build system will know we want them to host a website for us. Use the following
format exactly:
```sh
mkdir your-username.srht.site && cd your-username.srht.site
```
Now that we've created the repo, let's initialize Git and add the proper
remote URL.
```sh
git init
```
```sh
git remote add origin git@git.sr.ht:~your-username/your-username.srht.site
```
Now that our repository is set up and configured, we will need to create at
least two files:
- `index.gmi`
- `.build.yml`
For your `.build.yml` file, use the following content and be sure to update the
`site` line with your username!
``` yaml
image: alpine/latest
oauth: pages.sr.ht/PAGES:RW
environment:
site: your-username.srht.site
tasks:
- package: |
cd $site
tar -cvz . > ../site.tar.gz
- upload: |
acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz -Fprotocol=GEMINI
```
For the `index.gmi` file, put whatever you want in there and save it. You could
even just copy and paste the Gemtext cheatsheet.
If you want to serve both HTML and Gemini files from this repository, just add a
second command to the `upload` section:
``` yaml
- upload: |
acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz -Fprotocol=GEMINI
acurl -f https://pages.sr.ht/publish/$site -Fcontent=@site.tar.gz
```
Lastly, commit your changes and push them to the remote repo.
```sh
git add .; git commit -m "initial commit"; git push --set-upstream origin HEAD
```
If you've successfully created the files with the proper format, you'll see
the terminal print a message that lets you know where the automatic build is
taking place. For example, here's what the terminal tells me:
```sh
remote: Build started:
remote: https://builds.sr.ht/~user/job/689803 [.build.yml]
```
Now that you've properly built your Sourcehut page, you can browse to
your-username.srht.site in a Gemini browser and view the final results. Take a
look at the image below for my Sourcehut Gemini capsule.
|
