Multi-tenant Rails 3 Server (Ubuntu, Postfix, MySQL, RVM, Phusion Passenger, Nginx, Ruby 1.9.2, and github)

Here's how I setup an Ubuntu 11.04 server to host multiple light-weight and starter rails projects. This setups gives you an easy way to deploy projects quickly. One less excuse to get that next project on the Internet for people to use.

System Setup and Software

From a fresh install you ought to begin by updating your system installed software.

server$ apt-get update && apt-get upgrade && apt-get dist-upgrade && reboot

Install Dependencies

RVM dependencies

server$ sudo apt-get install ruby ruby1.8 ruby-dev libruby1.8 zlib1g-dev libssl-dev libreadline5-dev libncurses5-dev build-essential curl git-core libxml2 libxml2-dev libxslt1-dev bison autoconf

ruby dependencies

server$ sudo apt-get install build-essential bison openssl libreadline6 libreadline6-dev curl git-core zlib1g zlib1g-dev libssl-dev libyaml-dev libsqlite3-0 libsqlite3-dev sqlite3 libxml2-dev libxslt-dev autoconf libc6-dev ncurses-dev automake

nginx dependencies

server$ sudo apt-get install libcurl4-openssl-dev

Install postfix

server$ sudo apt-get install postfix

You'll be asked several questions when installing postfix. Here are the answers:

• Internet Site
• Your default.com site

Configure any email aliases you like by adding them to /etc/aliases and running this command.

server$ sudo newaliases

Install mysql

sudo apt-get install mysql-server mysql-client libmysqlclient-dev

You'll be asked to fill in the MySQL root user password. Decide how you like.

Setup Your Deployment User

Create a new user that will manage and run your applications.

server$ sudo adduser deploy
server$ sudo adduser deploy sudo

You'll supply a password for the deploy user, but use it just once to install your ssh key. On your development machine you should already have an ssh key. If you don't know, stop and follow github's guide to setting up git.

Now you can use SSH to upload your key to the new deploy user's authorized_keys.

dev$ cat ~/.ssh/id_[dr]sa.pub  | ssh [email protected] "mkdir -p .ssh && cat >> .ssh/authorized_keys && chmod 700 .ssh && chmod 600 .ssh/authorized_keys"

Install RVM

server$ bash < <(curl -s https://rvm.beginrescueend.com/install/rvm)
server$ source ~/.bashrc
server$ echo 'export rvm_trust_rvmrcs_flag=1' >> $HOME/.rvmrc && rvm reload
server$ echo 'export rvm_project_rvmrc=1' >> $HOME/.rvmrc && rvm reload
server$ mkdir /home/deploy/sites

Install ruby 1.9.2 with RVM

server$ rvm install 1.9.2
server$ rvm --default 1.9.2

Install passenger and nginx

server$ gem install passenger
server$ rvmsudo passenger-install-nginx-module

Select option 1 for simplicity.

server$ sudo vim /etc/init/nginx

Here is the contents of that file:

description "Nginx HTTP Server"

start on filesystem
stop on runlevel [!2345]

respawn

exec /opt/nginx/sbin/nginx -g "daemon off;"

Change the user for nginx to deploy.

server$ sudo vim /opt/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

Add this line:

user deploy;

Creating your Virtual Host Setup

Edit your nginx.conf and add an include in your http section.

server$ sudo vim /opt/nginx/conf/nginx.conf

Add this line:

http {
  # ...

  include /home/deploy/sites/*/current/config/nginx.conf;
}

Setup Your Application

$dev rvm use --create 1.9.2@example-geeknest-com
$dev gem install rails --pre
$dev rails new example-geeknest-com -d mysql
$dev cd example-geeknest-com
$dev rvm use 1.9.2@example-geeknest-com --rvmrc --create

Uncomment the use of the capistrano gem in your Gemfile:

gem 'capistrano'

Also, to deploy a Rails 3.1 application you must have a JavaScript Runtime for CoffeeScript. I recommend therubyracer, which you can also add to your Gemfile:

gem 'therubyracer'

Run bundler.

dev$ bundle

In your Rails project create a new file, config/nginx.conf with the following contents:

server {
  listen 80;
  server_name example.geeknest.com example.geeknest.caseywest.com;
  root /home/deploy/sites/example.geeknest.com/current/public;
  passenger_enabled on;
}

In your Rails project create a new file, config/setup_load_paths.rb with the following contents:

if ENV['MY_RUBY_HOME'] && ENV['MY_RUBY_HOME'].include?('rvm')
  begin
    rvm_path     = File.dirname(File.dirname(ENV['MY_RUBY_HOME']))
    rvm_lib_path = File.join(rvm_path, 'lib')
    $LOAD_PATH.unshift rvm_lib_path
    require 'rvm'
    RVM.use_from_path! File.dirname(File.dirname(__FILE__))
  rescue LoadError
    # RVM is unavailable at this point.
    raise "RVM ruby lib is currently unavailable."
  end
end

# Select the correct item for which you use below.
# If you're not using bundler, remove it completely.

# If we're using a Bundler 1.0 beta
ENV['BUNDLE_GEMFILE'] = File.expand_path('../Gemfile', File.dirname(__FILE__))
require 'bundler/setup'

# Or Bundler 0.9...
if File.exist?(".bundle/environment.rb")
  require '.bundle/environment'
else
  require 'rubygems'
  require 'bundler'
  Bundler.setup
end

Setup capistrano. First run capify.

def$ capify .

Replace the contents of config/deploy.rb with the following:

# RVM bootstrap
$:.unshift(File.expand_path('./lib', ENV['rvm_path']))
require "rvm/capistrano"
set :rvm_ruby_string, '1.9.2@example-geeknest-com'
set :rvm_type, :user

# bundler bootstrap
require 'bundler/capistrano'

set :application, "example.geeknest.caseywest.com"
set :repository,  "http://github.com/geeknest/example-geeknest-com"

ssh_options[:forward_agent] = true
default_run_options[:pty] = true
set :deploy_to, "/home/deploy/sites/example.geeknest.com"
set :deploy_via, :remote_cache
set :repository, "[email protected]:geeknest/example-geeknest-com.git"
set :scm, :git
set :user, :deploy
set :use_sudo, false

role :web, "example.geeknest.caseywest.com"                          # Your HTTP server, Apache/etc
role :app, "example.geeknest.caseywest.com"                          # This may be the same as your `Web` server
role :db,  "example.geeknest.caseywest.com", :primary => true # This is where Rails migrations will run

namespace :deploy do
  task :start do ; end
  task :stop do ; end
  task :restart, :roles => :app, :except => { :no_release => true } do
    run "#{try_sudo} touch #{File.join(current_path,'tmp','restart.txt')}"
  end

  namespace :db do
    desc "Create Production Database"
    task :create do
      puts "\n\n=== Creating the Production Database! ===\n\n"
      run "cd #{current_path}; rake db:create RAILS_ENV=production"
    end
  end
end

namespace :bundler do
  task :create_symlink, :roles => :app do
    shared_dir = File.join(shared_path, 'bundle')
    release_dir = File.join(current_release, '.bundle')
    run("mkdir -p #{shared_dir} && ln -s #{shared_dir} #{release_dir}")
  end

  task :bundle_new_release, :roles => :app do
    bundler.create_symlink
    run "cd #{release_path} && bundle install --without test"
  end

  task :lock, :roles => :app do
    run "cd #{current_release} && bundle lock;"
  end

  task :unlock, :roles => :app do
    run "cd #{current_release} && bundle unlock;"
  end
end

# HOOKS
after "deploy:update_code" do
  bundler.bundle_new_release
  # ...
end

Adjust your mysql.sock expected location in config/database.yml:

production:
  adapter: mysql2
  ...
  socket: /var/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock

Push your repository to github. You may first need to create the repository on github using XXXthese instructionsXXX.

dev$ git push origin master

First, create the gemset for your application on the server if you haven't already.

server$ rvm use --create 1.9.2@example-geeknest-com
server$ gem install bundler

Now deploy via Capistrano:

dev$ cap deploy:setup
dev$ cap deploy
dev$ cap deploy:db:create

Start nginx on the server.

server$ sudo service nginx start

Open your website and see.