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Installation Guide

This guide will walk you through installing and configuring Change Maker.

Prerequisites

  • Docker and Docker Compose V2
  • Internet connection for initial setup
  • 4GB RAM minimum
  • 10GB free disk space

Installation Steps

1. Initial Configuration

Windows Users

  1. Open PowerShell as Administrator
  2. Navigate to the extracted Change Maker folder
  3. Run: .\update-config.ps1

Linux/Mac Users

  1. Open Terminal
  2. Navigate to the extracted Change Maker folder
  3. Run: chmod +x update-config.sh
  4. Run: ./update-config.sh

Configuration Script

All of this information should be kept secure. In instances where credentials or passwords are required, ensure that you are in a secure environment. Use strong passwords, such as generated by a password manager or similar tool.

The configuration script will prompt you for:

  • Site URL (e.g., https://changemaker.example.com)
  • Site name (optional)
  • Port numbers for each service:
  • Frontend (default: 3000)
  • Backend API (default: 3001)
  • MkDocs Preview (default: 4000)
  • Listmonk Newsletter (default: 9000)
  • Database credentials
  • Admin user credentials

2. Starting the System

Docker Prune

Using this command will remove all stopped containers, dangling images, and unused networks. This is useful for freeing up disk space and helps to avoid conflicts. Make sure you have no important data in stopped containers before running this command.

Alternatively, you can run docker-compose up -d to start the services without pruning.

Windows Users

  1. Run: .\windows-start.ps1

Linux/Mac Users

  1. Run: chmod +x start.sh
  2. Run: ./start.sh

3. Accessing the Services

Once running, you can access the following services:

Some browsers may block your first attempt to access these ports. Often you need to click through a challenge page to proceed.

4. Stopping the System

In the terminal where you started the system, press Ctrl+C to stop the services. Run docker-compose down to stop all services.

Troubleshooting

Port Conflicts

If you see port conflict warnings:

  1. Stop any services using those ports
  2. OR run the configuration script again to choose different ports

Docker Issues

  • Ensure Docker Desktop is running (Windows/Mac)
  • Check Docker service status: systemctl status docker (Linux)
  • Verify user permissions: groups should include 'docker' (Linux)

File Permission Issues

  • Windows: Run PowerShell as Administrator
  • Linux/Mac: Check folder ownership with ls -la

Next Steps

After installation:

  1. Log into the editor using your admin credentials
  2. Create your first page
  3. Preview your site using the MkDocs preview URL

For detailed usage instructions, refer to the user manual.