Deploy with Ubuntu

Rocket.Chat offers several deployment options, one of which is on Ubuntu. Whether you’re new to server administration or an experienced professional, this document will provide a step-by-step walkthrough to set up a secure and efficient Rocket.Chat environment on Ubuntu.

Prerequisites

For any Rocket.Chat version you want to install, check the release notes to see the supported engine versions for MongoDB and NodeJs, and install as recommended.

Install Node.js

Follow the official guide to install NodeJS on Ubuntu, or use third-party tools like nvm or n for easier version management.

Install Deno

Deploying Rocket.Chat requires Deno.  

Only Deno versions >=1.37.1 and <2.0.0 are supported.

Follow the official Deno installation guide to install the correct version.

Set up MongoDB

When deploying MongoDB, it is crucial to secure MongoDB instances by restricting public access to all MongoDB ports. Unsecured instances can create serious security vulnerabilities, so taking these precautions is critical to ensuring the integrity and safety of your systems.

1. Start by installing MongoDB on Ubuntu. Refer to the official MongoDB documentation for the latest installation instructions

2. Once MongoDB is installed, open the MongoDB configuration file (/etc/mongod.conf) by running:

   nano /etc/mongod.conf

3. In this file, enable replication and specify the replica set name as rs01

   The MongoDB replica set is mandatory for Rocket.Chat > 1.0.0.

   Your MongoDB configuration file should look something like the below:

   # mongod.conf
   
   # Where and how to store data.
   storage:
     dbPath: /var/lib/mongodb
   
   # where to write logging data.
   systemLog:
     destination: file
     logAppend: true
     path: /var/log/mongodb/mongod.log
   
   # network interfaces
   net:
     port: 27017
     bindIp: <bind-ip> # Replace with your IP address
   
   
   # how the process runs
   processManagement:
     timeZoneInfo: /usr/share/zoneinfo
   
   # Replication settings
   replication:
     replSetName: rs01

   Refer to the official MongoDB configuration documentation for additional configuration options.

4. Start MongoDB with this command:

   sudo systemctl enable --now mongod

5. Next, initialize the replica set:

   mongosh --eval "printjson(rs.initiate())"

6. To ensure MongoDB is running successfully, run this:

   sudo systemctl status mongod

With all the prerequisites in place, you're ready to install Rocket.Chat.

Step 1: Install Rocket.Chat on Ubuntu

1. Install the required packages and dependencies

   sudo apt install -y curl build-essential graphicsmagick

2. Check the Rocket.Chat release document to choose the version you need. For stability and compatibility, we recommend downloading a specific version. For example, to download version 6.13.0, run this command:

   curl -L https://releases.rocket.chat/6.13.0/download -o /tmp/rocket.chat.tgz

   Alternatively, if you prefer to download the latest version, you can use the following command:

   curl -L https://releases.rocket.chat/latest/download -o /tmp/rocket.chat.tgz

3. Extract the Rocket.Chat server files using this command:

   tar -xzf /tmp/rocket.chat.tgz -C /tmp

   This command extracts the contents of the downloaded “rocket.chat.tgz” compressed tar archive located in the /tmp directory and places the extracted files into the same /tmp directory.

4. Next, run the command below to change the current directory and install the necessary production dependencies.

   cd /tmp/bundle/programs/server && npm install --production

   When executing npm install, it is recommended to operate using a non-root account. Alternatively, you can utilize the npm install --unsafe-perm --production command. This approach eliminates the necessity for building libc or upgrading the host system.

5. Move the extracted files to the /opt directory.

   sudo mv /tmp/bundle /opt/Rocket.Chat

   This guide uses the /opt directory. However, you can choose your preferred directory.

Step 2: Configure the Rocket.Chat service

1. Start by adding the Rocketchat user and setting the right permissions on the Rocket.Chat folder.

   sudo useradd -M rocketchat && sudo usermod -L rocketchat

   sudo chown -R rocketchat:rocketchat /opt/Rocket.Chat

2. Depending on how you install NodeJS, the binary path may be different. Save the path to a variable.

   NODE_PATH=$(which node)

3. Now, save the systemd service file.

   cat << EOF |sudo tee -a /lib/systemd/system/rocketchat.service
   [Unit]
   Description=The Rocket.Chat server
   After=network.target remote-fs.target nss-lookup.target nginx.service mongod.service
   [Service]
   ExecStart=$NODE_PATH /opt/Rocket.Chat/main.js
   StandardOutput=journal
   StandardError=journal
   SyslogIdentifier=rocketchat
   User=rocketchat
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   EOF

   The command above will create a barebone service file, which the system will use to start your Rocket.Chat daemon/process.

Step 3: Passing environment variables

Running the Rocket.Chat daemon requires passing some environment variables. See Rocket.Chat environmental variables for more details.

• Update the Rocket.Chat file by running:

  sudo systemctl edit rocketchat

• Next, update the file with the information below and save it.

  [Service]
  Environment=ROOT_URL=http://localhost:3000
  Environment=PORT=3000
  Environment=MONGO_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/rocketchat?replicaSet=rs01
  Environment=MONGO_OPLOG_URL=mongodb://localhost:27017/local?replicaSet=rs01

Additional steps for installing 6.10 release

If you’re installing version 6.10, run these additional commands:

mkdir -p /home/rocketchat/.cache

cd PATH_TO_ROCKETCHAT_INSTALLATION/programs/server/npm/node_modules/@rocket.chat/apps-engine

export DENO_DIR=/home/rocketchat/.cache/deno

npm install --production

npm run postinstall

chown -R rocketchat:rocketchat /home/rocketchat

• Now, start your Rocket.Chat workspace using this command:

  sudo systemctl enable --now rocketchat

  If you edit your Rocket.Chat configuration file, make sure to reload the daemon and restart the Rocket.Chat process by running the following commands:

  sudo systemctl daemon-reload
  sudo systemctl restart rocketchat

  You can also check the status of the Rocket.Chat process with this command:

  sudo systemctl status rocketchat

Step 4: Configure your Rocket.Chat server

• To access your Rocket.Chat workspace, open a web browser, and navigate to the "ROOT URL" you specified in the Rocket.Chat configuration file. This is typically accessible at http://your-host-name.com:3000.

• Follow the on-screen prompts to configure your workspace.

Optional configurations

Apply the following optional configurations to your Rocket.Chat setup enhanced security and performance:

• Configure firewall rule

• Configure an HTTP reverse proxy to access Rocket.Chat server