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Installation Guide

This guide will walk you through installing and configuring Change Maker.

Prerequisites

  • Linux or MacOS operating system
  • Docker and Docker Compose V2
  • Internet connection for initial setup
  • 4GB RAM minimum
  • 10GB free disk space

Installation Steps

1. Initial Configuration

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Navigate to the extracted Change Maker folder
  3. Run: chmod +x update-config.sh
  4. Run: ./update-config.sh

Configuration Script

All of this information should be kept secure. In instances where credentials or passwords are required, ensure that you are in a secure environment. Use strong passwords, such as generated by a password manager or similar tool.

The configuration script will prompt you for:

  • Site URL (e.g., https://changemaker.example.com)
  • Site name (optional)
  • Port numbers for each service:
  • Frontend (default: 3000)
  • Backend API (default: 3001)
  • MkDocs Preview (default: 4000)
  • Listmonk Newsletter (default: 9000)
  • Database credentials
  • Admin user credentials

2. Starting the System

Run the start script: 

./start.sh

3. Accessing the Services

Once running, you can access the following services:

Some browsers may block your first attempt to access these ports. Often you need to click through a challenge page to proceed.

4. Stopping the System

In the terminal where you started the system, press Ctrl+C to stop the services. Run docker-compose down to stop all services.

Troubleshooting

Port Conflicts

If you see port conflict warnings:

  1. Stop any services using those ports
  2. OR run the configuration script again to choose different ports

Docker Issues

  • Check Docker service status: systemctl status docker
  • Verify user permissions: groups should include 'docker'

File Permission Issues

  • Check folder ownership with ls -la
  • Ensure your user has write permissions to the project directory

Next Steps

After installation:

  1. Log into the editor using your admin credentials
  2. Create your first page
  3. Preview your site using the MkDocs preview URL

For detailed usage instructions, refer to the user manual.