Chatwoot/docs/deployment/production/linux-vm.md

path	title
/docs/deployment/deploy-chatwoot-in-linux-vm	Production deployment guide for Linux VM

Deploying to Linux VM

This guide will help you to install Chatwoot on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS / 20.04 LTS / 20.10. We have prepared a deployment script for you to run. Refer the script and feel free to make changes accordingly to OS if you are on a non-Ubuntu system.

For Ubuntu 18.04, use the following script

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/develop/deployment/setup_18.04.sh

For Ubuntu 20.04 or Ubuntu 20.10, use the following script.

https://raw.githubusercontent.com/chatwoot/chatwoot/develop/deployment/setup_20.04.sh

Steps to install

1. Create a setup.sh file and copy the content from the above link or use the following commands.

wget <link-to-script> -O setup.sh
chmod 755 setup.sh
./setup.sh

2. Execute the script and it will take care of the initial Chatwoot setup.

3. Chatwoot Installation will now be accessible at http://{your_ip_address}:3000

Configure Nginx and Let's Encrypt

1. Configure Nginx to serve as a frontend proxy.

cd /etc/nginx/sites-enabled
nano yourdomain.com.conf

2. Use the following Nginx config after replacing the yourdomain.com in server_name .

server {
  server_name <yourdomain.com>;

  # Point upstream to Chatwoot App Server
  set $upstream 127.0.0.1:3000;

  # Nginx strips out underscore in headers by default
  # Chatwoot relies on underscore in headers for API
  # Make sure that the config is turned on.
  underscores_in_headers on;
  location /.well-known {
    alias /var/www/ssl-proof/chatwoot/.well-known;
  }

  location / {
    proxy_pass_header Authorization;
    proxy_pass http://$upstream;
    proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
    proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Ssl on; # Optional

    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;

    proxy_http_version 1.1;
    proxy_set_header Connection “”;
    proxy_buffering off;

    client_max_body_size 0;
    proxy_read_timeout 36000s;
    proxy_redirect off;
  }
  listen 80;
}

3. Verify and reload your Nginx config by running following command.

nginx -t
systemctl reload nginx

4. Run Let's Encrypt and configure SSL certificate.

mkdir -p /var/www/ssl-proof/chatwoot/.well-known
certbot --webroot -w /var/www/ssl-proof/chatwoot/ -d yourdomain.com -i nginx

5. Your Chatwoot installation should be accessible from the https://yourdomain.com now.

Configure the required environment variables

For your Chatwoot installation to properly function you would need to configure some of the essential environment variables like FRONTEND_URL, Mailer and a cloud storage config. Refer Environment variables for the full list.

1. Login as Chatwoot and edit the .env file.

# Login as chatwoot user

sudo -i -u chatwoot
cd chatwoot
nano .env

2. Refer Environment variables and update the required variables. Save the .env file.

3. Restart the Chatwoot server and enjoy using your self hosted Chatwoot.

systemctl restart chatwoot.target

Upgrading to newer version of Chatwoot

Whenever a new version of Chatwoot is released, use the following steps to upgrade your instance.

Run the following steps on your VM. Make changes based o your OS if you are on a non-Ubuntu system.

# Login as Chatwoot user
sudo -i -u chatwoot

# Navigate to the Chatwoot directory
cd chatwoot

# Pull the latest version of the master branch
git checkout master && git pull

# Update dependencies
bundle
yarn

# Recompile the assets
rake assets:precompile RAILS_ENV=production

# Migrate the database schema
RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake db:migrate

# Restart the chatwoot server
systemctl restart chatwoot.target