How to install it on the server?

[coder-nguoi-tay]

I need instructions on how to set up a project on a VPS to use as an API.

[nimitbhardwaj]

Hi @coder-nguoi-tay ,
I will help you for this, I did it in a hard way, prepare for following Openfang generated documentation based on my ideas of what I did(95% LLM generated).

How to Install OpenFang on a VPS

This guide covers installing OpenFang on a VPS (e.g., DigitalOcean droplet) with Nginx reverse proxy and HTTPS via Certbot.

Prerequisites

• A VPS with Ubuntu 20.04+ (this guide uses DigitalOcean)
• A domain name (this guide uses DuckDNS)
• Basic familiarity with the command line

---

Step 1: Create a Dedicated User

Create a dedicated user for OpenFang to isolate its processes:

sudo adduser openfang

Follow the prompts to set a password and user details.

---

Step 2: Install OpenFang(As explained in Official setup guide)

Switch to the openfang user and install OpenFang:

sudo -u openfang -i
curl -fsSL https://openfang.sh/install | sh

After installation, run the setup:

openfang setup

Provide your API keys and configure your environment as needed. This will generate the .env file and config.toml.

---

Step 3: Verify the Installation

Test that OpenFang works in TUI mode:

openfang

Once confirmed working, press Ctrl+C to exit.

---

Step 4: Create a Systemd Service

Create the service file at ~/.config/systemd/user/openfang.service:

[Unit]
Description=OpenFang Service
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
ExecStart=/home/openfang/.openfang/bin/openfang start
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5
WorkingDirectory=/home/openfang
Environment="PATH=/home/openfang/.local/share/pnpm:/home/openfang/.opencode/bin:/home/openfang/.zinit/polaris/bin:/home/openfang/.openfang/bin:/home/openfang/.bun/bin:/home/openfang/.cargo/bin:/usr/local/sbin:/usr/local/bin:/usr/sbin:/usr/bin:/sbin:/bin"

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

Enable and start the service:

systemctl --user enable --now openfang.service

Useful commands:

• Check status: systemctl --user status openfang.service
• View logs: journalctl --user -u openfang.service -f
• Check gateway status: openfang gateway status

---

Step 5: Configure DNS

1. Get a domain name (e.g., from DuckDNS).
2. In your DNS provider, create:
   • An A record pointing to your VPS IPv4 address.
   • An AAAA record pointing to your VPS IPv6 address (if applicable).
   • A CNAME record if your provider requires it.

On DigitalOcean, this is straightforward via the Networking → Domains panel.

---

Step 6: Install and Configure Nginx

Install Nginx:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Create an Nginx site configuration for your domain:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/openfang

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.duckdns.org;

    location / {
        proxy_pass http://127.0.0.1:4200;
        proxy_http_version 1.1;
        proxy_set_header Upgrade $http_upgrade;
        proxy_set_header Connection 'upgrade';
        proxy_set_header Host $host;
        proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
        proxy_set_header X-Forwarded-Proto $scheme;
        proxy_cache_bypass $http_upgrade;
    }
}

Enable the site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/openfang /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

---

Step 7: Enable HTTPS with Certbot

Install Certbot and obtain an SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d your-domain.duckdns.org

Certbot will automatically configure HTTPS and set up renewal. Certificates expire after 90 days but renew automatically.

---

Sample config.toml(I am using similar to below)

# OpenFang Agent OS configuration

api_listen = "127.0.0.1:4200"
api_key = "your-api-key"

[exec_policy]
mode = "full"

[default_model]
provider = "minimax"
model = "MiniMax-M2.7"

[providers.minimax]
api_key_env = "MINIMAX_API_KEY"
api_base = "https://api.minimax.io/v1"

[[fallback_providers]]
provider = "minimax"
model = "Minimax-M2.5"

[agents.defaults]
model = "MiniMax-M2.7"

[memory]
decay_rate = 0.05

[channels.telegram]
bot_token_env = "TELEGRAM_BOT_TOKEN"
allowed_users = [your-user-id]
poll_interval_secs = 1
default_agent = "assistant"

[channels.telegram.overrides]
output_format = "telegram_html"

---

Troubleshooting

• Service won't start: Check logs with journalctl --user -u openfang.service -f
• 502 Bad Gateway: Ensure OpenFang is running and listening on the correct port
• SSL certificate issues: Run sudo certbot renew --dry-run to test renewal

---

I am following above, I would like to ask @jaberjaber23 if what I am following is a right approach from Openfang's Philosophy? I use it from VPS too, and use Openfang's web to configure hands, skills, workflows, schedules etc. and telegram to talk with openfang. Perhaps we can also put similar documentation in the main site of openfang, would be useful, if It was available from start it would have taken lesser time, but on brighter side, I learned good things in setting it up and found openfang much more interesting.