
Ask HN: Is there a simple, easy way non-tech users can install server software? - open-source-ux
I&#x27;ve asked this question repeatedly in some form every year for the past few years [1] and the answer is always (and depressingly) a resounding &#x27;no&#x27;: there is no <i>easy and simple</i> way for non-technical users to successfully install your web app software on a server.<p>If you&#x27;re a developer who doesn&#x27;t want to provide a SaaS service (or wants to provide a self-hosting solution in addition to a SaaS one), a simple installation process for your customers should be a big win. But the needlessly complicated process of server install makes this difficult to impossible.<p>Would it be too conspirational to suggest that maybe SaaS providers prefer self-hosting a web app remain a complicated matter so it doesn&#x27;t lessen the appeal of their hosted service? Of course, self-hosting also opens up opportunities for many companies and developers. (Think of the one-click WordPress installs available from a choice of thousands of providers.)<p>And just to pre-empt the suggestions that Docker, Cloudtron, or Sandstorm are possible options: none of these are easy or simple.<p>The one-click installs provided by some VPS providers (Digital Ocean, Linode etc) might be an option. Has anyone had success with this route with customers or users?<p>It&#x27;s a bit depressing that in 2020 we still don&#x27;t have a simple, easy way to install web apps on a server.<p>Does anyone know of a way non-technical customers or users can self-install web apps on a server in an easy and simple way that isn&#x27;t time-consuming or requires heavy technical support?<p>--<p>[1] Previous questions on this topic:<p>Jul 2017: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=14781420<p>Jan 2018: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=16250959<p>Nov 2018: https:&#x2F;&#x2F;news.ycombinator.com&#x2F;item?id=18385497
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detaro
There is no one-size-fits-all answer, so given your tone I fully expect you to
dismiss all of this because users can't handle any difficulty, but some
options:

Make a web installer that works on any random PHP-enabled webspace. Millions
have installed WordPress etc that way.

Provide a VM image ("appliance"), and/or an easy to run installer that
completely sets up a fresh Ubuntu install, secures it, ... compare "turnkey
Linux".

Provider-specific pathways: put an AMI on AWS store, provide an "run on
Heroku" button, ..., although initial setup of those providers isn't entirely
trivial.

Overall caveat: Non-technical users should only be using hosted or maintained
platforms, so you either need to target something that provides it or provide
it _yourself_ as part of the product installation. No easy installer for a
fresh system that then is left with bad defaults and no updates, if you target
non-technical users that's your responsibility.

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jrepinc
What about FreedomBox:
[https://www.freedombox.org/](https://www.freedombox.org/) — "FreedomBox is a
private server for non-experts: it lets you install and configure server
applications with only a few clicks. It runs on cheap hardware of your choice,
uses your internet connection and power, and is under your control. "

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hjek
I like how some web apps, such as Gitea[0], are just packaged as a binary that
you run right away.

So much easier than following a long list of instructions. If your users can't
download and run a binary, then they have no business running a web service
anyway.

[0]: [https://gitea.io](https://gitea.io)

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ridruejo
Have you checked out Bitnami ([https://bitnami.com](https://bitnami.com)) ? I
am one of the founders

