Linux

Install the collaboration server on Linux or a Raspberry Pi, and run it with systemd.

Any recent distribution, on a PC (linux-amd64) or 64-bit ARM such as a Raspberry Pi 4 or 5 (linux-arm64). Nothing to install besides the executable.

Install

On Debian 11, 12, or 13, one command downloads the executable and registers a systemd service:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/400Interactive/EditorCollaboration_Server/main/deploy/install-debian.sh | sudo bash

The script asks for the password. Or pass it up front: sudo COLLAB_PASSWORD='my-password' bash. Running it again updates the executable and keeps the existing password. sudo sh install-debian.sh --update only replaces the executable and restarts the service. sudo COLLAB_AUTO_UPDATE=1 sh install-debian.sh also checks GitHub once a day and installs a newer release. Omit the variable, or set it to 0, on a later run and that daily install is turned off. Options are listed by install-debian.sh --help.

The script expects the release assets collab-server-linux-amd64 and collab-server-linux-arm64. Until those assets are published, build the binary yourself and copy it, as below.

To install by hand, build on any machine with ./build.sh or ./build.ps1, then copy the executable:

scp dist/collab-server-linux-amd64 deploy/collab-server.service me@server:~
ssh me@server
sudo install -D -m 755 ~/collab-server-linux-amd64 /opt/editor-collab/collab-server

Use collab-server-linux-arm64 on a Raspberry Pi or another 64-bit ARM machine.

Try it

COLLAB_PASSWORD=my-password /opt/editor-collab/collab-server -data ~/editor-collab-data

Ctrl+C, or closing the terminal, stops the server. To keep it running after you log out of SSH, without systemd:

COLLAB_PASSWORD=my-password /opt/editor-collab/collab-server -detach -data ~/editor-collab-data
/opt/editor-collab/collab-server -stop -data ~/editor-collab-data

systemd

This is the setup to keep. The service starts with the machine, restarts after a crash, and runs as an unprivileged user created by systemd. Data goes to /var/lib/editor-collab.

sudo install -m 600 /dev/null /etc/editor-collab.env
echo 'COLLAB_PASSWORD=my-password' | sudo tee /etc/editor-collab.env > /dev/null
sudo cp ~/collab-server.service /etc/systemd/system/
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now collab-server

Action	Command
Status	`systemctl status collab-server`
Live logs	`journalctl -u collab-server -f`
Stop / start	`sudo systemctl stop collab-server` / `sudo systemctl start collab-server`
After changing the password	`sudo systemctl restart collab-server`

With systemd, do not pass -detach or -stop. systemctl stop already stops the server and flushes the database. Other options (COLLAB_PORT, COLLAB_MAX_ROOM_CLIENTS, and the rest) go in /etc/editor-collab.env.

Firewall

sudo ufw allow 7878/tcp
sudo iptables -I INPUT -p tcp --dport 7878 -j ACCEPT
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=7878/tcp && sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Use the line that matches the firewall you actually run: ufw on Debian and Ubuntu, iptables on Debian without ufw, firewalld on Fedora and RHEL.

install-debian.sh opens the port itself: ufw when that firewall is active, otherwise iptables and ip6tables. iptables rules are saved with netfilter-persistent when it is installed, otherwise with iptables-save, and restored on boot.

The address to give is from ip -4 addr, for example 192.168.1.20, so Server URL is ws://192.168.1.20:7878/ws.

On a machine reachable from the Internet, put HTTPS in front of it. See Internet.