How to Install Locomotive on Red Hat

Locomotive CMS is an open source platform designed for developers who want complete control over their website building process. It offers flexibility, ease of use, and a robust API, making it a popular choice for creating and managing web applications. Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) provides a secure, stable environment, making it ideal for deploying Locomotive CMS. If you’re looking to install Locomotive on Red Hat, this guide has you covered.

What Is Locomotive CMS?

Locomotive CMS is a developer focused content management system (CMS) that prioritizes flexibility and customizability. It uses Ruby on Rails which makes it a great choice for those familiar with this framework. Locomotive stands out because of its API-driven approach empowering developers to create dynamic content structures effortlessly.

Key Features of Locomotive CMS:

• API-Driven Design: Ideal for headless CMS projects.
• Multi-Site Support: Manage multiple websites from one instance.
• Content Flexibility: Easily create custom content types.
• Developer-Centric: Full control through code for a tailored experience.

By pairing Locomotive CMS with Red Hat, users benefit from enterprise-grade security, scalability, and stability making this combination a powerhouse for modern web applications.

Pre-Installation Requirements

Before diving into the installation process ensure your system meets the necessary requirements.

System Prerequisites

Component	Requirement
Operating System	Red Hat Enterprise Linux (RHEL) 7 or later
CPU	2-core processor or higher
RAM	4GB minimum
Disk Space	At least 20GB available

Software Dependencies

To install locmotive on red hat, you’ll need:

1. Ruby (compatible version, e.g., Ruby 2.7 or newer)
2. Node.js and Yarn for asset management
3. PostgreSQL as the database
4. ImageMagick for image processing

Preparing the Environment

• Update your Red Hat system:bashCopy codesudo yum update -y
• Install EPEL (Extra Packages for Enterprise Linux) for additional software:bashCopy codesudo yum install epel-release -y

Installing Locomotive on Red Hat

Follow these steps to install Locomotive CMS on your Red Hat system.

Install Ruby

Ruby is the backbone of Locomotive CMS. Here’s how to install it:

1. Add the Ruby repository:bashCopy codesudo yum install ruby -y
2. Verify the Ruby installation:bashCopy coderuby -v You should see the installed version, confirming Ruby is ready.

Install PostgreSQL

Locomotive CMS requires PostgreSQL for managing data.

1. Add the PostgreSQL repository:bashCopy codesudo yum install postgresql-server postgresql-contrib -y
2. Initialize the database:bashCopy codesudo postgresql-setup initdb
3. Start and enable PostgreSQL:bashCopy codesudo systemctl start postgresql sudo systemctl enable postgresql
4. Create a database and user:bashCopy codesudo -u postgres psql CREATE USER locomotive_user WITH PASSWORD 'securepassword'; CREATE DATABASE locomotive_db OWNER locomotive_user;

Install Node.js and Yarn

These tools manage front-end assets for Locomotive CMS.

1. Add the Node.js repository:bashCopy codecurl -sL https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_16.x | sudo bash - sudo yum install nodejs -y
2. Install Yarn:bashCopy codenpm install --global yarn

Install ImageMagick

ImageMagick handles image processing for Locomotive.

bashCopy codesudo yum install ImageMagick -y

Install Locomotive CMS

1. Use the gem command to install Locomotive:bashCopy codegem install locomotivecms
2. Initialize a new Locomotive project:bashCopy codelocomotive new my_site
3. Navigate to your project folder:bashCopy codecd my_site
4. Install dependencies:bashCopy codebundle install yarn install

Configuring Locomotive CMS

Database Configuration

Edit the config/database.yml file to connect Locomotive CMS to your PostgreSQL database:

yamlCopy codeproduction:
  adapter: postgresql
  encoding: unicode
  database: locomotive_db
  username: locomotive_user
  password: securepassword
  host: localhost

Environment Variables

Set up critical variables for production:

bashCopy codeexport SECRET_KEY_BASE=$(rake secret)
export RAILS_ENV=production

Testing Your Installation

Run the Locomotive server locally to confirm:

bashCopy coderails server

Access it at http://localhost:3000.

Setting Up a Production Environment

To host Locomotive CMS on a live server, you’ll need to configure additional tools.

Web Server Configuration

Locomotive CMS works well with Nginx or Apache. Here’s a simple Nginx configuration:

nginxCopy codeserver {
  listen 80;
  server_name yourdomain.com;

  root /path/to/my_site/public;

  location / {
    proxy_pass http://localhost:3000;
    proxy_set_header Host $host;
    proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
  }
}

Restart Nginx:

bashCopy codesudo systemctl restart nginx

SSL/TLS Certificates

Secure your website with Let’s Encrypt:

bashCopy codesudo yum install certbot
sudo certbot --nginx

Dockerized Deployment

For streamlined deployment, use RHEL Docker Containers. Install Docker on RHEL 7 or 6:

bashCopy codesudo yum install docker
sudo systemctl start docker
sudo systemctl enable docker

Build a Docker container for Locomotive:

dockerfileCopy codeFROM ruby:2.7
WORKDIR /app
COPY . .
RUN bundle install
CMD ["rails", "server", "-b", "0.0.0.0"]

Launch your app in a container:

bashCopy codedocker build -t locomotive_app .
docker run -d -p 3000:3000 locomotive_app

Troubleshooting Common Issues

Dependency Conflicts

Ensure all required versions of Ruby, Node.js and PostgreSQL are installed.

Database Connection Errors

Double-check config/database.yml and ensure PostgreSQL is running:

bashCopy codesudo systemctl status postgresql

Web Server Errors

Inspect the Nginx logs:

bashCopy codesudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

Best Practices for Managing Locomotive on Red Hat

Regular Updates: Keep Ruby, PostgreSQL and Locomotive CMS up to date.
Automated Backups: Use cron jobs to back up your database:bashCopy codepg_dump -U locomotive_user locomotive_db > backup.sql
Security Enhancements: Enable firewalls and SELinux for additional protection.

Conclusion

Installing Locomotive CMS on Red Hat may seem daunting, but by following these steps, you can set up a robust and scalable CMS tailored to your needs. Whether you’re deploying locally using RHEL Docker Containers or securing your setup with SSL, Red Hat provides the flexibility and reliability needed for modern web applications. Start your Locomotive CMS journey today and enjoy seamless content management.