Installing Mattermost on Proxmox: prerequisites and methods

Installing Mattermost – Memo sheet

1. General principle

• Installation suited for an administrator comfortable with Linux (command line, services, reverse proxy). (source | source)
• Runs on a Linux server (VM, LXC, bare-metal, or via Docker containers). (source | source)

2. Recommended server type

• OS: 64-bit Linux (Ubuntu/Debian recommended). (source | source)
• Possible platforms:
  • VPS or dedicated server at a hosting provider. (source)
  • Self-hosted server (with port forwarding + DNS). (source)
  • Virtualized environment such as Proxmox (VM or LXC). (source)

3. Required software components

• System: Linux server distribution (Ubuntu 18.04+ or equivalent). (source)
• Database: PostgreSQL (recommended) or MySQL/MariaDB. (source | source | source)
• Web server / reverse proxy: Nginx or Apache. (source | source)
• TLS certificates: Let's Encrypt via Certbot or equivalent (for HTTPS). (source | source)
• System service: systemd unit or equivalent to start Mattermost at boot. (source | source)

4. Main steps for a "classic" installation (VM or LXC)

1. Update the system and install required packages (PostgreSQL/MySQL, Nginx/Apache, utilities). (source | source)
2. Create the database and dedicated SQL user for Mattermost. (source | source)
3. Download and extract the Mattermost archive to a directory (e.g. /opt/mattermost). (source | source)
4. Configure config.json (site URL, DB connection, ports, basic options). (source | source)
5. Create a dedicated system user and a systemd unit for the Mattermost service. (source | source)
6. Configure Nginx/Apache as a reverse proxy to Mattermost, enable HTTPS (Let's Encrypt). (source | source | source)

5. Using Proxmox

• Options:
  • Linux VM (Ubuntu/Debian) with classic installation. (source | source)
  • Linux LXC container with classic installation. (source)
  • VM or LXC "Docker host" on which Mattermost is deployed via Docker. (source | source)
• Scripts or LXC templates are available to deploy Mattermost directly in Proxmox (automated pre-configuration). (source)

6. Deployment with Docker

• Available images:
  • Mattermost server (dedicated image, often used with docker-compose). (source | source)
  • PostgreSQL (official postgres image). (source | source)
  • Nginx reverse proxy (official nginx image) or equivalents (Traefik, Nginx Proxy Manager). (source | source)
• Typical docker-compose setup:
  • mattermost-app service (application). (source | source)
  • db service (PostgreSQL). (source | source)
  • reverse-proxy service (Nginx/Traefik) exposed on 80/443. (source | source)

7. Complexity level

• Reasonable for an administrator comfortable with:
  • Service management (systemd). (source | source)
  • Database configuration. (source | source)
  • Reverse proxy and TLS certificates. (source | source)
• Simpler with:
  • A step-by-step tutorial adapted to the distribution. (source | source)
  • Pre-configured scripts or containers (Proxmox helper scripts, Docker stacks). (source | source)