How to Install Typesense on a DigitalOcean Droplet with Ubuntu LTS

When your website or application needs a fast and highly customizable search engine, Typesense can be a great option. In this article, I’ll explain how to create a Droplet on DigitalOcean and set up Typesense on an Ubuntu LTS environment quickly and easily.

1. Why Use DigitalOcean and Ubuntu LTS?

DigitalOcean offers an intuitive control panel and reliable infrastructure for deploying virtual servers (Droplets). Meanwhile, Ubuntu LTS (Long Term Support) guarantees security updates and stability for five years, making it ideal for production environments.

2. Creating a Droplet on DigitalOcean

Sign In
- Access your DigitalOcean account.
Create a New Droplet
- In the dashboard, click Create > Droplets.
- Choose the Ubuntu LTS image (e.g., 22.04 or the latest available LTS).
- Pick a plan with at least 2 GB of RAM for optimal performance.
Configure Access and Firewall
- Add your SSH key for passwordless connections.
- Give your Droplet a name, such as typesense-droplet.
- In Networking > Firewalls, make sure to open port 22 (SSH) and, if needed, ports 80 (HTTP) and 443 (HTTPS).
- If you plan to make Typesense accessible over the internet, allow port 8108 (or the one you’ll use in your setup).
Create the Droplet
- Click Create Droplet and wait a few minutes for the process to complete.

3. Installing Typesense on Ubuntu

SSH into the Droplet
From your local terminal, connect to the Droplet:
```
ssh root@<YOUR_DROPLET_IP>
```
(Replace root with another username if applicable.)
Update the System
Once you’re logged in, run:
```
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y
```
This ensures you have the latest patches and updates.
Download the Typesense Package
Visit the official Typesense page to find the available version. For instance, if the version is 27.1, download the .deb package:
```
curl -O https://dl.typesense.org/releases/27.1/typesense-server-27.1-amd64.deb
```
Install the Package
Use dpkg to install:
```
sudo dpkg -i typesense-server-27.1-amd64.deb
```
If you encounter missing dependencies, fix them with:
```
sudo apt-get install -f
```
Verify the Installation
Check the binary path:
```
which typesense-server
```
It should show something like /usr/bin/typesense-server.
Configure Typesense
- Create (or edit) the config file at /etc/typesense/typesense-server.ini:
```
[server]
api-key = YOUR_SECURE_API_KEY
listen-port = 8108
data-dir = /var/lib/typesense
```
- Replace YOUR_SECURE_API_KEY with a secure key of your choice.
- Adjust the port if you prefer something other than 8108.
Prepare the Data Directory
```
sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/typesense
sudo chown -R root:root /var/lib/typesense
```
Make sure the user running Typesense has the proper read/write access.
Start the Service
Check if the typesense-server service was created:
```
systemctl status typesense-server
```
If it shows active (running), you’re all set. Otherwise:
```
sudo systemctl start typesense-server
sudo systemctl enable typesense-server
```
This ensures that Typesense automatically starts on server reboot.
Configure the Firewall
- If you want the server to accept external connections on 8108, you need to open that port in DigitalOcean’s firewall.
- If you use ufw on the Droplet, run:
```
sudo ufw allow 8108/tcp
sudo ufw reload
```

4. Testing the Setup

To verify that Typesense is running, use:

curl http://localhost:8108/health

You should see a JSON response indicating that Typesense is operational.

Conclusion

That’s it! By following these steps, you’ve installed Typesense on a DigitalOcean Droplet running Ubuntu LTS. You now have a search engine infrastructure ready for indexing, scalability, and customization. Feel free to tweak your queries, fine-tune relevancy, and get the most out of Typesense.

I hope this guide has been helpful. If you have any questions or want to share your experience, drop a comment below! Happy searching!