Zulip is a free and open-source chat application used for sharing private and public messages. It is very similar to Slack, written in Python, and uses the Django framework. Zulip is a cross-platform software tool able to handle thousands of concurrent chat sessions. It can be integrated with GitHub, Jira, Stripe, Sentry, and more using third-party plugins. Zulip offers a rich set of features including private messaging, group chats, drag-and-drop file uploads, Emoji, audible notifications, missed-message emails, and more.
In this tutorial, we will show you how to install a Zulip chat server on Ubuntu 20.04.
Prerequisites
- A fresh Ubuntu 20.04 VPS on the Atlantic.Net Cloud Platform
- A valid domain pointed to your server IP
- A root password configured on your server
Step 1 – Create an Atlantic.Net Cloud Server
First, log in to your Atlantic.Net Cloud Server. Create a new server, choosing Ubuntu 20.04 as the operating system with at least 2GB RAM. Connect to your Cloud Server via SSH and log in using the credentials highlighted at the top of the page.
Once you are logged in to your Ubuntu 20.04 server, run the following command to update your base system with the latest available packages.
apt-get update -y
Step 2 – Download Zulip
First, you will need to download the latest version of Zulip from its official website. You can download it with the following command:
wget https://www.zulip.org/dist/releases/zulip-server-latest.tar.gz
Once the download is completed, extract the downloaded file with the following command:
tar -xvzf zulip-server-latest.tar.gz
Once the downloaded file is extracted, you can proceed to the next step.
Step 3 – Install Zulip Server
You can start the Zulip installation by specifying your valid email address and an FQDN as shown below:
./zulip-server-3.1/scripts/setup/install --certbot [email protected] -- hostname=zulip.example.com
Once the Zulip server is installed successfully, you should get the following output along with Zulip URL:
+ '[' -e /var/run/supervisor.sock ']' + supervisorctl restart all zulip-django: started zulip-tornado: started process-fts-updates: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_deferred_work: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_digest_emails: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_email_mirror: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_embed_links: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_embedded_bots: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_error_reports: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_invites: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_email_senders: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_missedmessage_emails: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_missedmessage_mobile_notifications: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_outgoing_webhooks: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_signups: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_user_activity: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_user_activity_interval: started zulip-workers:zulip_events_user_presence: started zulip-workers:zulip_deliver_enqueued_emails: started zulip-workers:zulip_deliver_scheduled_messages: started + set +x + su zulip -c '/home/zulip/deployments/current/manage.py generate_realm_creation_link' Please visit the following secure single-use link to register your new Zulip organization: https://zulip.example.com/new/mmlbpkhig2hnl5kpkzz6hot1
Step 4 – Access Zulip Web Interface
Now, open your web browser and type the URL from the above output https://zulip.example.com/new/mmlbpkhig2hnl5kpkzz6hot1. You should see the following page:
Provide your email address and click on the Create organization button. You should see the following page:
Provide your Organization name, URL, admin username, and password and click on the Login button. You will be redirected to the Zulip dashboard as shown below:
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully installed Zulip chat server with Let’s Encrypt SSL on Ubuntu 20.04. If you’re looking for a simple and cost-effective replacement for Slack or Microsoft Teams then the Zulip chat server is the right choice for you – get started with Zulip on VPS hosting from Atlantic.Net!
