Single Binary

OpenPost can run as a single Go binary with the frontend embedded into the executable.

1. Download a release

Download the binary for your platform from GitHub Releases.

Expected release assets:

• Linux x86_64: openpost-server-linux-amd64
• macOS Apple Silicon: openpost-server-darwin-arm64

2. Create .env

Create a working directory and write a complete .env file:

OPENPOST_PORT=8080
OPENPOST_DATABASE_PATH=/var/lib/openpost/openpost.db
OPENPOST_MEDIA_PATH=/var/lib/openpost/media
OPENPOST_MEDIA_URL=https://social.example.com/media

OPENPOST_JWT_SECRET=replace-with-a-random-secret-at-least-32-characters-long
OPENPOST_ENCRYPTION_KEY=replace-with-a-random-secret-at-least-32-characters-long

# Optional but commonly useful
OPENPOST_DISABLE_REGISTRATIONS=false

# Example provider config
# X_CLIENT_ID=
# X_CLIENT_SECRET=
# MASTODON_SERVERS='[{"name":"Personal","client_id":"...","client_secret":"...","instance_url":"https://mastodon.social"}]'
# LINKEDIN_CLIENT_ID=
# LINKEDIN_CLIENT_SECRET=
# THREADS_CLIENT_ID=
# THREADS_CLIENT_SECRET=

3. Prepare production paths

sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/openpost/media
sudo chown -R $(whoami) /var/lib/openpost

Recommended production locations:

• Database: /var/lib/openpost/openpost.db
• Media: /var/lib/openpost/media

4. Make it executable

chmod +x ./openpost

5. Run it

./openpost

By default, OpenPost listens on http://localhost:8080.

6. Run it with systemd

Example unit:

[Unit]
Description=OpenPost
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=openpost
Group=openpost
WorkingDirectory=/opt/openpost
EnvironmentFile=/opt/openpost/.env
ExecStart=/opt/openpost/openpost
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Example install layout:

• Binary: /opt/openpost/openpost
• Environment file: /opt/openpost/.env
• Database: /var/lib/openpost/openpost.db
• Media: /var/lib/openpost/media

After creating the unit:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now openpost
sudo systemctl status openpost

7. Upgrade safely

1. Back up the database, media directory, and .env file first.
2. Stop the service: sudo systemctl stop openpost
3. Replace the binary with the new release asset.
4. Confirm ownership and execute permissions.
5. Start the service: sudo systemctl start openpost
6. Check logs and the health endpoint before considering the upgrade complete.

Backup reminder

Do not upgrade without a restorable backup. See Backups.

Notes

• Put the service behind HTTPS before enabling production OAuth callbacks.
• Protect the .env file because OPENPOST_ENCRYPTION_KEY is required to decrypt stored provider tokens.