How to Install Pydio on Debian 11

Pydio is a free, open-source, and cloud-based file-sharing application. It is written in the Golang language and used for sharing files with the client. It allows you to share and access various documents such as files, images, and videos from anywhere using a mobile app, desktop software, or a web browser. It has native clients for Linux, Windows, and macOS, and mobile clients for Android and iOS.

In this tutorial, I will show you how to install Pydio app on Debian 11.

Prerequisites

• A server running Debian 11.
• A root password is configured on the server.

Install and Configure MariaDB

Pydio uses MariaDB as a database backend, so you must install the MariaDB database server on your server. You can install it by running the following command:
dnf install mariadb-server -y

Once the MariaDB is installed, secure the MariaDB installation using the following command:

mysql_secure_installation

This script will set a root password, remove anonymous users, disallow root login remotely and remove the test database as shown below:
Set root password? [Y/n] n
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] y


Once MariaDB is secured, log in to the MariaDB shell:
mysql -u root -p

Once you are log in, create a database and user with the following command:
CREATE DATABASE pydiodb;
CREATE USER 'pydiodb'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Next, grant all the privileges to the Pydio with the following command:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON pydiodb.* to 'pydiouser'@'localhost';

Next, flush the privileges and exit from the MariaDB shell with the following command:
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Install Pydio Cells

By default, the Pydio package is not included in the Debian 11 repository. So you will need to download it from their official website.

You can download the latest version of Pydio cells using the following command:
distribId=cells wget -O /usr/bin/cells https://download.pydio.com/latest/${distribId}/release/{latest}/linux-amd64/${distribId}

Once the download is completed, set executable permission on the downlaoded file and bind it to the HTTP port using the following command:
chmod +x /usr/bin/cells
setcap 'cap_net_bind_service=+ep' /usr/bin/cells

Next, verify the Pydio cells version using the following command:
cells version

You will get the following output:
Warning: no private IP detected for binding broker. Will bind to 209.23.9.181, which may give public access to the broker.
Pydio Cells Home Edition
Version: 3.0.6
Built: 22 Mar 22 06:06 +0su - pydio
cells configure000
Git commit: 2165523347d2b9860d9c86236b7a518456d9cef3
OS/Arch: linux/amd64
Go version: go1.15.14


Configure Pydio Cells

Next, you will need to configure the Pydio Cells. You can configure it with the following command:
cells configure

You will be asked to choose between the browser-based and command-line installation modes.
Welcome to Pydio Cells Home Edition installation
Pydio Cells Home Edition (v3.0.3) will be configured to run on this machine.
Make sure to prepare access and credentials to a MySQL 5.6+ (or MariaDB equivalent) server.
Pick your installation mode when you are ready.


Select the browser-based installation and press the Enter key. Once the Pydio Cells is configured, you will get the following output:
Use the arrow keys to navigate: ↓ ↑ → ←
? Installation mode:
? Browser-based (requires a browser access)
Command line (performed in this terminal)

Opening URL https://0.0.0.0:8080 in your browser. Please copy/paste it if the browser is not on the same machine.


Access Pydio Cells Web Installation Wizard

At this point, the Pydio Cells is started and listening on port 8080. You can access it using the URL https://your-server-ip:8080. You should see the Pydio Cells License agreement page:

Agree to the License agreement and click on the NEXT button. You should see the database configuration page.

Provide your database configuration and click on the NEXT button. You should see the admin user creation page:

Provide your admin username, password, and click on the NEXT button. You should see the following page:

Now, click on the INSTALL NOW button. You should see the Pydio Cells login page:

Provide your admin username, password, and click on the ENTER button. You should see the Pydio dashboard on the following page:

Create Systemd Service Fiel for Pydio Cells

Next, you will need to create a systemd service file to manage the Pydio service. First, press the CTRL+C to stop the Pydio service then create a systemd service file with the following command:
nano /etc/systemd/system/cells.service

Add the following lines:
[Unit] Description=Pydio Cells
Documentation=https://pydio.com
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target
AssertFileIsExecutable=/usr/bin/cells

Save and close the file then reload the systemd daemon to apply the changes:
systemctl daemon-reload

Next, start and enable the Pydio service with the following command:
systemctl enable cells
systemctl start cells

You can also check the Pydio status with the following command:
systemctl status cells

You will get the following output:
? cells.service - Pydio Cells
Loaded: loaded (/etc/systemd/system/cells.service; disabled; vendor preset: enabled)
Active: active (running) since Sat 2022-04-02 11:34:24 UTC; 6s ago
Docs: https://pydio.com
Main PID: 25764 (cells)
Tasks: 119 (limit: 2341)
Memory: 421.6M
CPU: 4.114s
CGroup: /system.slice/cells.service
??25764 /usr/bin/cells start
??25769 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.jobs$
??25775 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.search$
??25781 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.gateway.websocket$
??25783 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.sync.pydiods1$
??25787 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.sync.personal$
??25790 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.sync.cellsdata$
??25802 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.sync.versions$
??25805 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.sync.thumbnail>
??25816 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.tasks$
??25819 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.objects.local1$
??25847 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.index.pydiods1$
??25848 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.index.personal$
??25849 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.index.cellsdat>
??25850 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.index.versions$
??25851 /usr/bin/cells start --fork --config local --registry grpc://:8000 --broker grpc://:8003 ^pydio.grpc.data.index.thumbnai>

Apr 02 11:34:29 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:29.294Z INFO pydio.test.objects Started
Apr 02 11:34:29 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:29.307Z INFO pydio.gateway.grpc Activating self-signed configura>
Apr 02 11:34:29 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:29.308Z INFO pydio.gateway.grpc Started
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.191Z INFO pydio.grpc.data.index.pydiods1 Warning: no private >
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.194Z INFO pydio.grpc.data.index.personal Warning: no private >
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.195Z INFO pydio.grpc.data.index.cellsdata Warning: no private>
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.204Z INFO pydio.grpc.data.index.thumbnails Warning: no privat>
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.212Z INFO pydio.grpc.data.index.versions Warning: no private >
Apr 02 11:34:30 debian11 cells[25764]: 2022-04-02T11:34:30.326Z INFO pydio.gateway.proxy Restarting proxy {"caddy>


Conclusion

Congratulations! you have successfully installed and configured Pydio Cells on Debian 11. You can now upload your files, documents, and images from the Pydio dashboard and access it from any mobile or web browser. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.