How to host Snipe-IT on Digitalocean Droplet - 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. For hosting Snipe-IT, DigitalOcean is an ideal choice due to its reliable and scalable infrastructure, as well as its straightforward deployment features. ServerAvatar makes the deployment of the Snipe-IT Application on the DigitalOcean platform an easy step-by-step process.

Create Server in Digitalocean

Digitalocean is one of the most popular cloud platforms right now. It offers on-demand cloud computing for various use cases as well as some managed solutions. We can deploy any PHP-based applications on Digitalocean Droplets. Droplets are the servers or cloud computing instances in Digitalocean. If you want to learn about droplet management in-depth in Digitalocean, We recommend you to read our Digitalocean guide.

To deploy any application on Digitalocean, We first need a Droplet. So, we will first create a droplet and perform the initial setup.

Step 1: Go to the Create Droplets page.

Log in to your Digitalocean account and click on the Create button given on the top-right corner of the page. From the drop-down menu, click on the Droplets option to see a droplet creation form.

Step 2: Choose Region

On the Droplet creation page, you will find several sections for selecting different options. We will proceed step by step.

The first thing you have to do is select the region for your droplet. Digitalocean provides several options when it comes to selecting the location. The general rule is to select the region that is closest to your audience. It means that for the majority of your audience, Your sites will load faster due to low latency.

Step 3: Choose an Image or an OS

In this step, you have to select the operating system for your droplet. We recommend you to use Ubuntu 20.04 LTS x64 or Ubuntu 22.04 LTS x64. These operating systems are a requirement if you are using ServerAvatar to manage your droplets.

Step 4: Choose the size of the Droplet

Here you have to choose the size of your Droplet. As we mentioned above, Digitalocean provides many different types of droplets. Select the one that fits best for your project.

The minimum requirements for hosting Snipe-IT are a minimum of 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, 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.

If your site is brand new and does not have much traffic, start with a small plan. Once the project starts getting traction, you can upgrade the plan to handle more visitors on the site.

Step 5: Choose Authentication Method

Now you have to select the authentication method. There are two types of authentication methods. They are as follows:

1. Authentication via SSH Keys
2. Authentication via Password

Using SSH keys for authentication is the best option. If you are not familiar with SSH keys, you can choose the password method. Make sure to set a strong password for your root user, which is the most powerful user with all the privileges on Linux OS.

Step 6: Selecting Additional Options

There are three additional options you can choose from. They are optional but important in different use cases. The additional options are:

1. Monitoring: It is a free feature by Digitalocean. It allows you to see additional monitoring data for your server.
2. Backups: We recommend you to enable full server backups if you are going to deploy in the production environment. The cost of the backups depends on the size of the droplet.
3. Managed Database: You do not need a Managed database if you are using ServerAvatar to manage sites on a droplet. A managed database is a pre-configured MySQL Droplet.

Step 7: Finalise Details

In the last step of this process, We have to enter the name of the droplet, and the number of droplets you want to create, Define any tags, and select the project. Enter all the details and click on the Create Droplet button to create a droplet.

In a few minutes, You will have the Droplet up and running. Now, We have to perform the initial configuration on the Droplet 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