How to host Snipe-IT on Contabo VM Instance - ServerAvatar

Snipe-IT is a flexible open-source tool designed for managing and organizing assets with ease. It enables users to store, categorize, and retrieve assets efficiently. When considering hosting Snipe-IT, deploying it on Contabo is a dependable choice due to its scalable infrastructure and user-friendly deployment solutions. ServerAvatar assists with Contabo VPS and simplifies the deployment of the Snipe-IT application on the Contabo platform through easy steps.

Create VM Instance in Contabo

What Is Contabo?

Contabo is a web hosting company that provides a variety of internet hosting services. Founded in Germany in 2003, Contabo offers services such as:

1. VPS Hosting: Virtual Private Servers with scalable resources for various needs, from small projects to larger applications.
2. Dedicated Servers: Physical servers dedicated to a single user, offering high performance and control.
3. Web Hosting: Shared hosting solutions for websites, which include storage, bandwidth, and various management tools.
4. Object Storage: Scalable storage solutions for managing large amounts of data.
5. Domain Registration: Services for registering and managing domain names.

Contabo is known for its competitive pricing, high-performance hardware, and customer service, making it a popular choice for both individual users and businesses looking for reliable hosting solutions.

To set up a server in Contabo, begin by logging into your Contabo account. Once logged in, proceed with the following steps.

Step 1: Create an account on Contabo

Login to your Contabo account, select "VPS" from the dropdown menu, and then click on "Cloud VPS".

Step 2: Select your Cloud VPS plan

Contabo offers a variety of Cloud VPS options. The minimum requirement for hosting Snipe-IT is 2GB of RAM, but 4GB or more is recommended for better performance, especially if handling high traffic volumes, and a minimum of 10GB of free disk space is recommended, but more may be needed depending on the size of your asset database and logs. The exact amount will depend on your usage and data storage needs.

Select the plan that best meets your requirements as shown in the below image.

Step 3: Select Region

• First, you need to select the term length (in months) according to your requirements.
• Next, you will need to select the location for your VPS. Contabo offers multiple options for selecting the location.
• It's recommended to select the region closest to your audience. This ensures that your sites load faster for the majority of your audience due to reduced latency.

Step 4: Select your Storage Type

Contabo provides different types of storage space, including both complimentary and paid options. Here, you should select the storage type based on your specific requirements. As shown in the image below.

Step 5: Select an Image or an OS

In this step, you need to select the Operating System for your cloud VPS. We recommend using Ubuntu 20.04 LTS x64 or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS x64. Ubuntu is known for its ease of configuration and management. If you are using ServerAvatar to manage your cloud VPS, these operating systems are recommended.

Step 6: Setting a Password

Here, it's recommended to create a strong password for your root user, as it holds all privileges on the Linux OS.

Step 7: Select Object Storage

Now, you need to select object storage space for backing up your VPS. You will find several options ranging from 250 GB to 1 TB. If you do not require object storage you can select the None option from the dropdown.

Step 8: Select Network

• In the Network section, you will find three options, You should select these according to your specific requirements:
  • Private Network
  • Bandwidth
  • IPv4

Step 9: Selecting Additional Options

• Backup Space: This option allows you to add additional storage space dedicated specifically for backups of your VPS data.
• Server Management: Contabo offers server management services where they handle the day-to-day operations of your VPS.
• Monitoring: This option provides monitoring services for your VPS. It includes monitoring server uptime, resource usage (CPU, RAM, disk), and network connectivity.
• SSL: SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates are crucial for securing communication between your website and its visitors.

After completing all the necessary steps, click on the "Next" button to proceed to the payment method where you can finalize your details.

Step 10: Finalize Details

In this step, you can review all your selections for your Cloud VPS, finalize your details, and proceed with the payment. In a few minutes, your Cloud VPS will be ready. Now, we need to perform the initial configuration to host PHP-based frameworks and software.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes the installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimization can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Install and Setup Snipe-IT on Cloud using ServerAvatar

Getting Started With Snipe-IT:

Snipe-IT is designed for IT asset management, offering a comprehensive solution for IT departments to track their assets efficiently. It allows teams to monitor which laptops are assigned to whom, record the purchase dates of these devices, and keep an updated inventory of software licenses and accessories. This centralized tracking system improves visibility and accountability, ensuring that all assets are properly managed. By using Snipe-IT, organizations can streamline their asset management processes, reduce the risk of asset loss or mismanagement, and enhance overall operational efficiency. The platform’s detailed tracking capabilities and user-friendly interface make Snipe-IT an invaluable tool for IT departments aiming to maintain an organized and well-managed asset portfolio.

Requirements:

If you want to host Snipe-IT yourself, you will need a server with:

• PHP 8.1 or newer
• HTTP server with PHP support (eg: Apache, Nginx)
• MySQL or MariaDB
• Composer

Install and Setup Snip-IT on Cloud using ServerAvatar:

Step 1: Create Snip-IT Database

• The Snip-IT installation process requires a database. To create a MySQL database for Snip-IT, navigate to the Database tab on the ServerAvatar server panel and create a new Database.

• To create a database, enter the necessary details, such as the database name, in the database creation form and click on the Create Database button as shown in the image below.

Step 2: Create a Custom Application

• To create a new Custom application for Snip-IT, navigate to the Applications tab on the server panel. Click on the Create button on the server panel to start the process of application creation.

• To create an application and proceed with the installation and deployment of Snip-IT, you need to complete the prerequisite setup.

  • Start by entering an application name of your choice. Then, input the domain name where you want to direct your URL. You can select between a test domain or a primary domain. If you want to host it on a test domain, you can use ServerAvatar’s test domain. This flexibility allows you to make the perfect selection for your project.
  • Note: If you want to host the Snip-IT application on your domain, then make sure to point your domain to the current IP address of your server.

• Next, clone Snipe-IT from the available repository on GitHub.
  • Select a method: Git
  • Select a Service Provider: GitHub
  • Select a Repository Type: Public
  • Clone HTTPS URL: https://github.com/snipe/snipe-it.git
  • Branch: master

• Let's move on to the next step in creating your application. Now, you need to set up deployment scripts. These are the manually entered commands that will run automatically after cloning the repository.
• Installing Snip-IT does not involve executing any manual scripts or commands during the deployment process. Therefore, you can simply leave this section blank.
  • Deployment Scripts: (Leave it blank)
• To proceed further, click on "Show Advanced Options". You will find this option located just below the deployment scripts section.
• The next step is to create a system user for your application. You have the option to either select an existing user or create a new one specifically for this application.
• Now, select the PHP version. Choose a PHP version 8.1 or a newer version if available. For the custom webroot of Snip-IT, ensure it is set to public as shown in the provided snapshot.
  • Select PHP Version: PHP version 8.1 or higher
  • Custom Webroot: public

• Once you have configured all these settings, proceed by clicking the Create Application button to finish the process.

Step 3: Configure .env file

• In this step, we're connecting the database we created in Step 1 with the application we created in Step 2. To configure the database, we need to edit the environment (.env) file.
• To edit the .env file, you can access the public_html directory from your file manager or navigate through the directory path. Once you're there, make sure to select the checkbox for showing hidden files.
• Now, within this directory, you'll find a file named .env.example. To rename it, follow the procedure shown in the snapshot. Simply rename .env.example to .env This step is crucial for configuring the database properly.

• After renaming the file to .env, open it and enter the database credentials that were created in Step 1. These credentials are necessary to establish a connection between the database and the application, enter the database credential we have already made. You can find all your database credentials, such as the database name, username, and password, by accessing the database tab from the server panel.
• Enter the following database credential we have already created in ServerAvatar:
  • Database Name: Your Database name
  • Database Username: Your Username
  • Database password: Your Password
• Moreover, set the APP_URL to “your domain url”.
• Furthermore, you can set the Time Zone by making changes in APP_TIMEZONE='UTC'. This should use a PHP-supported timezone and should be enclosed in single quotes.

Setup your Outgoing Mail Settings:

• Configuring outgoing mail settings is required for your Snipe-IT installation to send emails.
• Without these settings, users won't be able to request a password reset if they get locked out, and your email alerts for expiring licenses and assets (etc) will not work. Additionally, asset acceptance and EULA requirements cannot be used on your system.

• Don't forget to Save the changes you've made to the ".env" file.

Set Directory Permissions:

• To fix the directory permissions, simply go to the Settings option within the application section. Click on the Fix Permission option from the “Fix File/Directory Ownership and Permission” section as shown in the below image.

• To establish a connection, access the SSH credentials from the application panel dashboard. Ensure that the SFTP/SSH Credentials option is enabled, as illustrated in the provided snapshot.

• Execute the command to log in to the root user on your application in your terminal. ssh {username}@{ip}
• Replace {username} with your actual username and {ip} with your server's IP address. You will be prompted to enter your password. After successful authentication, you will have remote access to your server. Enter the SSH Password to log in.

• Go to the Public_html directory (by using commands ls and cd) and run the below commands.

  curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php

php composer.phar install --no-dev --prefer-source

• OPTIONAL: It is not required to install Composer globally, however, if you wish to, you can find the command as shown in the image below:

composer install --no-dev --prefer-source

• The above command will install all the necessary packages.
• After that run the command to generate an application key. This will set APP_KEY with the right value automatically.

php artisan key:generate

• Once you've executed these commands, you will have successfully configured both the database and the application.
• When you open the Snip-IT by clicking on the link it will open the pre-flight page like the image below. Now, configure your Snipe-IT Pre-Flight with the required information.

• Once you've configured Snip-IT, you will see the login page like the image below.

• To log in to Snip-IT, use the credentials you have set during the configuration and setup process.
  • Username: Your Username
  • Password: Your Password