Customization & Installation

[maxbhenry]

Hello, is there anyone here who can help us to install it on a remote server and customize it?

[Sunil56224972]

Hey! Deploying this on a remote server (like an Ubuntu VPS) is actually pretty straightforward. Since the web version is essentially a React/Vite app, you just need to build the static files and serve them.
Here is the step-by-step guide to get it installed, customized, and running continuously:

1. Clone & Install Dependencies
   SSH into your server. Make sure you have Node.js and Git installed, then run:

git clone https://github.com/koala73/worldmonitor.git
cd worldmonitor
npm install

2. Configure & Customize

The Config: Copy the environment template so the app can read your API keys.
cp .env.example .env
Edit this .env file (e.g., nano .env) and add your OpenSky, FRED, and AI API keys.

The Customization: If you want to tweak the UI, change default widgets, or edit the theme, modify the code inside the /src folder before moving to the next step.

3. Build for Production
   You shouldn't use npm run dev on a production server. Instead, compile the app into highly optimized static files:

npm run build

4. Serve the App (The Easy Way)
   To serve the app and keep it running in the background even after you close your SSH terminal, use pm2 and serve:

Install pm2 and serve globally

npm install -g pm2 serve

Start the server on port 3000 (or whichever port you prefer)

pm2 start "serve -s dist -l 3000" --name "worldmonitor"

Save the pm2 process so it restarts if your server reboots

pm2 save

Next Steps for Public Access:
If your server has a firewall (like ufw), make sure port 3000 is open. If you want to attach a real domain name to it (with HTTPS), you will want to install Nginx, set it up as a reverse proxy pointing to localhost:3000, and run Certbot for the free SSL certificate.

Let me know if you hit any snags during the build process!