Installing Wiki.js on CentOS 7: A Step-by-Step Guide

Wiki.js is a modern, open-source wiki application built on Node.js, Git, and Markdown. It runs on the high-performance Node.js engine, designed for efficient CPU resource usage. Key features of Wiki.js include:

Markdown editing, integrated with Git
Lightweight yet robust performance
Modern web design aesthetics
Built-in Access Control
Intuitive asset management
Embedded search engine

This tutorial guides you through installing Wiki.js version 1 on a CentOS 7 operating system, using NGINX as a reverse proxy server, MongoDB as a database server, and PM2 as a process manager. Optionally, you can secure your connection using acme.sh and Let’s Encrypt for SSL support.

Requirements

The following are required to run Wiki.js:

Node.js version 6.11.1 to 10.x.
MongoDB version 3.2 or later.
Git version 2.7.4 or later.
Web server software such as NGINX, Apache, Caddy, H2O, etc.
An optional empty Git repository.
A minimum of 512MB RAM; 1GB of RAM is recommended.
Approximately 300MB of disk space.
A domain name with appropriate DNS A/AAAA records.

Prerequisites

A CentOS 7 operating system.
A non-root user with sudo privileges.

Initial Steps

Check your CentOS version:

cat /etc/centos-release

Set up the timezone:

timedatectl list-timezones
sudo timedatectl set-timezone 'Region/City'

Update your operating system packages to ensure you have the latest updates and security fixes:

sudo yum update -y

Install essential packages needed for basic administration of the CentOS operating system:

sudo yum install -y curl wget vim unzip socat epel-release

Install the required version of Git for Wiki.js by building it from source, as the default CentOS version is outdated:

# Remove existing git package if installed:
sudo yum remove -y git
sudo yum groupinstall -y "Development Tools"
sudo yum install -y gettext-devel openssl-devel perl-CPAN perl-devel zlib-devel curl-devel
wget https://mirrors.edge.kernel.org/pub/software/scm/git/git-2.21.0.tar.gz && tar zxvf git-2.21.0.tar.gz
rm git-2.21.0.tar.gz
cd git-2.21.0
make configure
./configure make prefix=/usr/local all
sudo make prefix=/usr/local install
cd ~
which git
git --version

Step 1 – Install Node.js and npm

Wiki.js is built on Node.js. We’ll install the latest recommended version (version 10) for Wiki.js:

Download and install Node.js from the NodeSource repository:

curl --silent --location https://rpm.nodesource.com/setup_10.x | sudo bash -
sudo yum install -y nodejs

Note: npm is included with Node.js, so it will be installed automatically.

Check Node.js and npm versions:

node -v && npm -v
# v10.15.1
# 6.4.1

Update npm to the latest stable version:

sudo npm install -g npm@latest

Re-check npm version:

npm -v
# 6.8.0

Step 2 – Install MongoDB database

Install MongoDB, which is needed by Wiki.js:

Create a repository file /etc/yum.repos.d/mongodb-org-4.0.repo for MongoDB:

sudo vim /etc/yum.repos.d/mongodb-org-4.0.repo

Add the following configuration:

[mongodb-org-4.0]
name=MongoDB Repository
baseurl=https://repo.mongodb.org/yum/redhat/$releasever/mongodb-org/4.0/x86_64/
gpgcheck=1
enabled=1
gpgkey=https://www.mongodb.org/static/pgp/server-4.0.asc

Install MongoDB:

sudo yum install -y mongodb-org

Verify the MongoDB version:

mongo --version | head -n 1 && mongod --version | head -n 1
# MongoDB shell version v4.0.6
# db version v4.0.6

Start and enable the MongoDB service:

sudo systemctl start mongod.service
sudo systemctl enable mongod.service

Step 3 – Install acme.sh client and obtain Let’s Encrypt certificate (optional)

Secure your site using HTTPS and obtain SSL certificates from Let’s Encrypt using acme.sh. This is optional but recommended:

Download and install acme.sh:

sudo su - root
git clone https://github.com/Neilpang/acme.sh.git
cd acme.sh 
./acme.sh --install --accountemail your_email@example.com
source ~/.bashrc
cd ~

Check acme.sh version:

acme.sh --version
# v2.8.1

Obtain RSA and ECC/ECDSA certificates for your domain:

# RSA 2048
acme.sh --issue --standalone -d example.com --keylength 2048
# ECDSA
acme.sh --issue --standalone -d example.com --keylength ec-256

List your issued certs:

acme.sh --list

Create directories to store your certs in /etc/letsencrypt:

mkdir -p /etc/letsencrypt/example.com
mkdir -p /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc

Install certificates to /etc/letsencrypt directory:

# RSA
acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com \
    --cert-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com/cert.pem \
    --key-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com/private.key \
    --fullchain-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com/fullchain.pem \
    --reloadcmd "sudo systemctl reload nginx.service"

# ECC/ECDSA
acme.sh --install-cert -d example.com --ecc \
    --cert-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc/cert.pem \
    --key-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc/private.key \
    --fullchain-file /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc/fullchain.pem \
    --reloadcmd "sudo systemctl reload nginx.service"

After obtaining the certs, exit to return to a normal user:

exit

Step 4 – Install and configure NGINX

Though Wiki.js can run without a web server, using one like NGINX is beneficial for SSL, multi-sites, and cache. Install and configure NGINX:

Install NGINX:

sudo yum install -y nginx

Check the NGINX version:

nginx -v
# nginx version: nginx/1.12.2

Enable and start the NGINX service:

sudo systemctl enable nginx.service
sudo systemctl start nginx.service

Create NGINX configuration for Wiki.js as an HTTPS reverse proxy:

sudo vim /etc/nginx/conf.d/wiki.js.conf

server {
    listen [::]:443 ssl http2;
    listen 443 ssl http2;
    listen [::]:80;
    listen 80;
    
    server_name example.com;

    charset utf-8;
    client_max_body_size 50M;

    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/example.com/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/example.com/private.key;
    ssl_certificate /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc/fullchain.pem;
    ssl_certificate_key /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc/private.key;

    location / {
        proxy_set_header Host $http_host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:3000;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection "upgrade";
        proxy_next_upstream error timeout http_502 http_503 http_504;
    }
}

Update server_name in the configuration to match your actual domain name. Verify and reload NGINX:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx.service

Step 5 – Install and setup Wiki.js

Create a document root directory for Wiki.js:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/wiki.js

Navigate to the directory and change its ownership:

cd /var/www/wiki.js
sudo chown -R [your_user]:[your_user] /var/www/wiki.js

Replace your_user with your non-root username. Install Wiki.js:

curl -sSo- https://wiki.js.org/install.sh | bash

Verify the installed version:

node wiki --version
# 1.0.117

Start the configuration wizard:

node wiki configure

Open your browser to http://example.com and follow the on-screen instructions. The wizard guides you through setting up general wiki information, database connection, and admin account creation.

After following the prompts, Wiki.js starts automatically.

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Step 6 – Setup PM2 Process Manager

To ensure Wiki.js starts after a system reboot, set up PM2 as the process manager:

Configure PM2 as a startup service:

/var/www/wiki.js/node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 startup

Save the PM2 configuration:

/var/www/wiki.js/node_modules/pm2/bin/pm2 save

Now, Wiki.js runs as a background process managed by PM2.

FAQ

What are the minimum system requirements to run Wiki.js?: The minimum requirements are 512MB of RAM, Node.js version 6.11.1 to 10.x, MongoDB version 3.2 or later, and Git version 2.7.4 or later.
Can I install Wiki.js on a different OS other than CentOS 7?: Yes, Wiki.js is platform-independent and can be installed on various Linux distributions, Windows, and macOS.
How do I update npm after installing Node.js?: You can update npm to the latest version by running: sudo npm install -g npm@latest.
Is using acme.sh mandatory for installing Wiki.js?: No, using acme.sh is optional. It’s used for setting up SSL certificates to secure your wiki using HTTPS.
What is the use of PM2 in this setup?: PM2 is a process manager used to keep Wiki.js running in the background and to ensure it starts automatically after system reboots.