Installing the Mako Server as a Systemd Service Using Ansible

This tutorial walks you through installing the Mako Server as a systemd service using Ansible. Once installed, the server will automatically start at boot and can be managed using systemctl.

Prerequisites

This tutorial assumes the Mako binary is already installed at /usr/local/bin/mako. If not, download it from makoserver.net/download and place it there before proceeding or use the Ansible Mako Server Compilation Script with the -e install=true option.

The Ansible Mako Server Compilation Script includes additional Ansible information you may find helpful.

Installation Options

You can install the Mako Server as a service on either a local machine or a remote machine.

Installing on the Local Machine

Run the following command to install and configure the Mako Server service on your local machine:

ansible-playbook -i localhost, -c local install.yaml -e username=mako-username -e password=mako-password

Replace mako-username and mako-password with suitable Mako Server/Xedge IDE login credentials.

What this does:

• Creates a system user (mako)
• Clones the example resources into /opt/mako
• Runs the Xedge IDE build script to prepare Xedge.zip
• Sets up the mako.conf configuration file to load Xedge.zip
• Installs and enables a systemd service for Mako

Installing on a Remote Machine

To install the Mako Server service on a remote server, run:

ansible-playbook -i hostname, -u ubuntu install.yaml -e username=mako-username -e password=mako-password

Replace hostname with the hostname or IP of your remote system and ubuntu with the remote user's login. Make sure:

• SSH access is enabled to the remote host
• The user (ubuntu) has passwordless sudo privileges or add the ansible option --ask-become-pass

The remote install follows the same steps as the local one and will configure Mako as a persistent service that starts at boot.

Verifying the Service

After installation, verify the Mako Server is running:

systemctl status mako
journalctl -t mako

If everything is set up correctly, you should see the service active and running. You can now access the server using your browser.

You can manually control the service using:

sudo systemctl stop mako
sudo systemctl start mako

It is sometimes helpful to run the Mako Server as a foreground process:

sudo systemctl stop mako
cd /opt/mako
sudo mako -u mako

Using the Xedge IDE

Navigate to http://hostname, click the IDE link, and log in with the username/password combo you set when running the Ansible playbook - i.e. -e username=mako-username -e password=mako-password

All LSP Examples should be available. Start by testing the Light Dashboard using Xedge.

In the Xedge IDE:

• Expand Home in the left pane tree menu
• Expand LSP-examples
• Expand Light-Dasboard
• Right click htmx
• Select New App; in the application dialog:
  • Click LSP App
  • Remove directory name (leave blank)
  • Click Auto Start
  • Click Running and the Save button
• Navigate to hostname/ (the root) and check out the Dasboard
• You can add/remove pages by editing htmx -> .lua -> menu.json using the Xedge IDE

Configuring the Mako Server

The mako.conf file contains several important sections, including options for automatic certificate installation and email logging - both of which we recommend enabling. You can edit this file directly from the Xedge IDE. To do so, expand the home directory in the left-hand panel and open xedge.conf.

Add your configuration options, save the file, and restart the server. When testing changes to mako.conf, it's recommended to run the Mako Server in the foreground (as explained earlier) so you can monitor outputs and catch any issues immediately.

Uninstalling the Service

To completely remove the service and all files, follow these steps:

sudo systemctl stop mako
sudo systemctl disable mako
sudo rm /etc/systemd/system/mako.service
sudo rm -rf /opt/mako
sudo userdel mako
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo rm /usr/local/bin/mako*