Guide to Creating a Custom Website with Ghost and Deploying to Akash | Akash Network

Overview of Discourse

Discourse is a modern, open-source discussion platform designed to improve online community interactions. Known for its robust features, it combines traditional forum-style discussions with modern tools for engagement. Features include real-time updates, robust moderation tools, extensive customization, and integration capabilities. Discourse is widely used by communities, businesses, and organizations to facilitate meaningful discussions.

Key Features:

Customizable Design: Flexible theming options for personalized user experiences.
Real-Time Notifications: Alerts for replies, mentions, and updates.
Trust System: Automated moderation based on user behavior.
Integration-Friendly: Seamless integration with services like Slack, WordPress, and more.
Rich API: Enables advanced automation and integrations.

By deploying Discourse on Akash, you can leverage the decentralized cloud’s cost-effectiveness, scalability, and security to run your discussion forum in a trustless environment.

Why Deploy Discourse on Akash Network?

Akash Network is a decentralized cloud computing platform, offering affordable and censorship-resistant hosting. Deploying Discourse on Akash enables users to run a secure and scalable community platform while reducing dependency on traditional centralized cloud providers.

Benefits:

Cost-Effective: Save on hosting costs compared to traditional providers.
Scalable: Dynamically allocate resources to meet traffic demands.
Decentralized: Resilient against censorship and outages.
Open Source Compatibility: Easily deploy applications with Docker and Kubernetes support.

Step-by-Step Deployment Guide

Prerequisites:

Akash CLI Installed: Set up the Akash CLI for managing deployments.
Discourse Requirements:
- A domain name with DNS configuration for SSL.
- Minimum of 2GB RAM and 1 CPU for Discourse.
- Docker installed in your environment.
Akash Wallet: Ensure your wallet is funded with $AKT tokens to pay for deployment.

1. Prepare Discourse Docker Setup

Discourse requires a Dockerized setup for deployment. Prepare the necessary Docker image and environment variables.

Use the official Discourse image: discourse/discourse.

Set up the following environment variables in a file (e.g., .env):

DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME=forum.yourdomain.com
DISCOURSE_SMTP_ADDRESS=smtp.your-email-provider.com
DISCOURSE_SMTP_PORT=587
DISCOURSE_SMTP_USER_NAME=your-email@example.com
DISCOURSE_SMTP_PASSWORD=your-password

2. Create the Akash Deployment File

Write an SDL (Service Definition Language) file that describes your deployment. Here’s an example:

version: "2.0"

services:
  discourse:
    image: discourse/discourse:latest
    env:
      - DISCOURSE_HOSTNAME=forum.yourdomain.com
      - DISCOURSE_SMTP_ADDRESS=smtp.your-email-provider.com
      - DISCOURSE_SMTP_PORT=587
      - DISCOURSE_SMTP_USER_NAME=your-email@example.com
      - DISCOURSE_SMTP_PASSWORD=your-password
    expose:
      - port: 80
        as: 80
        to:
          - global: true
    resources:
      cpu:
        units: 2
      memory:
        size: 2Gi
      storage:
        size: 20Gi

profiles:
  compute:
    discourse:
      resources:
        cpu:
          units: 2
        memory:
          size: 2Gi
        storage:
          size: 20Gi
  placement:
    akash:
      attributes:
        region: us-west

deployment:
  discourse:
    discourse:
      profile: discourse
      count: 1

3. Deploy on Akash

Create a Deployment:
- Run the command to create your deployment:
  Terminal window
```
akash tx deployment create deployment.yaml --from <your_wallet> --chain-id <chain_id> --node <node_url>
```
- Confirm the transaction and note the deployment ID.

Bid on Resources:

Wait for providers to bid on your deployment and accept a bid:

akash tx market lease create --dseq <deployment_id> --from <your_wallet> --chain-id <chain_id> --node <node_url>

Access Your Deployment:
- Get the external IP address assigned to your Discourse instance. Update your DNS records to point to this IP.

4. Set Up SSL

Use a tool like Certbot to generate SSL certificates or integrate Let’s Encrypt to secure your Discourse instance. Update your Nginx or Traefik configuration for SSL termination.

5. Final Configuration

Access your Discourse forum via the browser at http://forum.yourdomain.com.
Follow the setup wizard to complete the configuration.
Customize your forum with themes, plugins, and settings.

Maintenance Tips

Monitor Usage: Regularly monitor resource usage and scale as needed.
Backup Data: Use Akash’s storage features or external storage solutions like Filecoin or S3-compatible storage for regular backups.
Update Discourse: Periodically update the Docker image to stay current with Discourse releases.

By following this guide, you can host a robust, scalable, and decentralized Discourse forum on Akash Network, unlocking a new level of cost-efficiency and resilience for your community.