Introduction

The end purpose of this repo is to install fully self-hosted hubs. See the difference between this repo and the hubs-cloud first.

News

• 15 Feb 2024, Mozilla Hubs is End, On February 13, 2024, Mozilla announced an organization-wide restructuring impacting a number of products housed within the Mozilla Corporation. Unfortunately, Hubs is one of the products impacted and it will be shut down later this year. Mozilla will not continue active development or maintenance of Hubs codebases and other community resources. Read more

• 16 oct 2023. Now mozilla hubs launching Mozilla Hubs Community Edition, its the way you can install self-hosted hubs, its official method. but i havn't trying yet. Take my repo as development reference and supportive techinal thing. Please Follow the official one.

• feb 2022 - oct 2023. maybe this repo is the only way you can install self-hosted hubs.

Let's help each other.

If you have advice or experience sharing about:

• Best practice
• Server hosting
• Server resource usages
• Tips

Please send me pull request or send me a message.

You can send me a message via discord

albirrkarim#8171

Thank you for all stars, contributions, and funding. So this repo can keep updated and provide benefits to the public.

Installing Mozilla Hubs Locally

My journey installing Mozilla hubs, I'm new to a project like this. so I'm confused. After 4 days of figuring out how this program work finally I can run Mozilla hubs on my MacBook air m1. I want to share with you how to do it.

For make it clear i provide this tutorial in youtube video. give me like and subscribe to supporting me making the other video about this.

This is about running Mozilla hubs locally. this is a detailed version, step by step what I do.

Remember! if you got a problem with npm or dependency that you can't to solve for 1 hour. Just restart your PC. Trust me.

Also, I have done Hosting Mozilla Hubs on VPS

Warning - This is not official documentation

Disclaimer - Do with your own risk.

This method still work, last time i checked 6 April 2023

Requirement:

Hardware:

• at least 8GB of RAM
• recommended using fast CPU

Software

• Node js installed. when I install this hubs I use v16

Knowledge

I assume you already know, if no you must up-skill first

• Javascript
• React js
• Basic Webpack dev server
• Basic Elixir and phoenix
• Basic Web Socket

Overview

The image above made with figma you can read more description on documentation

I also try to make software overview, architecture, and tables on the database. you can see my figma project

Summary

Reticulum is the main host. it sync position, rotation, state of object. Comunicates with client browser through http request and websocket.

Dialog sync video and audio user. comunicates with clients browser through websocket.

Hubs, Spoke serve static assets then reticulum takes it and forward to client browser.

postREST is a server that help hubs Admin to doing basic task like CRUD (create read update delete)

Hubs Admin use websocket to comunicates with postgREST for authentication (login). for CRUD purpose hubs admin send http request (GET, POST, etc) to reticulum then reticulum doing proxy pass to postgREST.

Attention!

There is major step Cloning and Preparation -> Setting up HOST -> Setting up HTTPS (SSL) -> Running

1. Cloning and preparation

1.1 Reticulum

It's a backend server that uses elixir and phoenix.

1.1.1 Clone

git clone https://github.com/mozilla/reticulum.git
cd reticulum

1.1.2 Install requirement

Postgres Database

Install on linux ubuntu

Install on mac

With brew for installing CLI Postgres

brew install postgres

Then create user/change password

user: postgres

password : postgres

and alter it

ALTER USER postgres WITH SUPERUSER

Elixir and Erlang (Elixir 1.14.4 and erlang version 23.3)

You can install those with follow this tutorial

Be careful about the version of elixir and erlang.

1.1.3 run this command

1. mix deps.get
2. mix ecto.create
   • If step 2 fails, you may need to change the password for the postgres role to match the password configured dev.exs.
   • From within the psql shell, enter ALTER USER postgres WITH PASSWORD 'postgres';
   • If you receive an error that the ret_dev database does not exist, (using psql again) enter create database ret_dev;
3. From the project directory mkdir -p storage/dev

1.1.4 Run Reticulum against a local Dialog instance

1. Update the Janus host in dev.exs:

dev_janus_host = "localhost"

2. Update the Janus port in dev.exs:

config :ret, Ret.JanusLoadStatus, default_janus_host: dev_janus_host, janus_port: 4443

3. Add the Dialog meta endpoint to the CSP rules in add_csp.ex:

default_janus_csp_rule =
   if default_janus_host,
      do: "wss://#{default_janus_host}:#{janus_port} https://#{default_janus_host}:#{janus_port} https://#{default_janus_host}:#{janus_port}/meta",
      else: ""

1.2 Dialog

Using mediasoup RTC will handle audio and video real-time communication. like camera stream, share screen.

1.2.1 Clone and get dependencies

git clone https://github.com/mozilla/dialog.git
cd dialog
npm install

1.2.2 Setting up secret key

thanks to this comment

Generate RSA (Public and Private key) with generator online

make empty file perms.pub.pem and fill it with RSA Public key

Goto reticulum directory on reticulum/config/dev.exs change PermsToken with the RSA private key that you generate before.

config :ret, Ret.PermsToken, perms_key: "-----BEGIN RSA PRIVATE KEY----- paste here copyed key but add every line \n before END RSA PRIVATE KEY-----"

1.3 Spoke

In here you can create/edit the scenes/buildings whatever you call it.

1.3.1 Clone

git clone https://github.com/mozilla/Spoke.git
cd Spoke
yarn install

1.3.2 Set the Host (optional)

on the package.json look at the run-local-reticulum script change the host. hub.local or localhost.

in this tutorial i use localhost;

1.4 Hubs

In this repo contains the hubs client and hubs admin (hubs/admin)

Clone and install dependencies

git clone https://github.com/mozilla/hubs.git
cd hubs
npm ci

1.5 Hubs Admin

from the hubs repo you can move to hubs/admin then run

npm install

2. Setting up HOST

We are not using hubs.local domain. we use localhost

so change every host configuration on reticulum, dialog, hubs, hubs admin, spoke.

3. Setting up HTTPS (SSL)

All the servers must serve with HTTPS. you must generate a certificate and key file

3.1 Generating certificate and making it trust

Open terminal in reticulum directory

run command

mix phx.gen.cert

It will generate key selfsigned_key.pem and certificate selfsigned.pem in the priv/cert folder

Rename selfsigned_key.pem to key.pem

Rename selfsigned.pem to cert.pem

Now we have key.pem and cert.pem file

In Mac OS, I don't know in windows or Linux. please find it yourself

Open the cert.pem on the tab system find that certificate then clicks twice and change to always trust.

Select the cert.pem and key.pem and copy it. next step we will distribute those two files into hubs, hubs admin, spoke, dialog, and reticulum.

Oke first set up in the reticulum.

3.2 Setting https for reticulum

On the config/dev.exs We must be setting the path for the certificate and key file.

3.3 Setting HTTPS for hubs

Paste that file into hubs/certs

3.4 Setting HTTPS for hubs admin

Paste that file into hubs/admin/certs

3.5 Setting HTTPS for spoke

Paste that file into spoke/certs

3.6 Setting https for dialog

Paste that file into dialog/certs

rename cert.pem to fullchain.pem

rename key.pem to privkey.pem

4. Running

Open five terminals. for each reticulum, dialog, spoke, hubs, hubs admin.

4.1 Run reticulum

with command

iex -S mix phx.server

4.2 Run dialog

Edit the start command on the package.json with

MEDIASOUP_LISTEN_IP=127.0.0.1 MEDIASOUP_ANNOUNCED_IP=127.0.0.1 DEBUG=${DEBUG:='*mediasoup* *INFO* *WARN* *ERROR*'} INTERACTIVE=${INTERACTIVE:='true'} node index.js

For giving params MEDIASOUP_LISTEN_IP and MEDIASOUP_ANNOUNCED_IP

Start dialog server with command:

npm run start

127.0.0.1 is the default IP of localhost on Mac / Linux you can look at the IP with this command:

sudo nano /etc/hosts

4.3 Run spoke

with command

yarn run-local-reticulum

4.4 Run hubs

Each with command

npm run local

4.5 Run postgREST server

More about this is in this

Download postREST

sudo apt install libpq-dev
wget https://github.com/PostgREST/postgrest/releases/download/v9.0.0/postgrest-v9.0.0-linux-static-x64.tar.xz
tar -xf postgrest-v9.0.0-linux-static-x64.tar.xz

On reticulum iex

paste this

jwk = Application.get_env(:ret, Ret.PermsToken)[:perms_key] |> JOSE.JWK.from_pem(); JOSE.JWK.to_file("reticulum-jwk.json", jwk)

then it will create reticulum-jwk.json in your reticulum directory

Make reticulum.conf file

nano reticulum.conf

and paste

# reticulum.conf
db-uri = "postgres://postgres:postgres@localhost:5432/ret_dev"
db-schema = "ret0_admin"
db-anon-role = "postgres_anonymous"
jwt-secret = "@/absolute_path_to_your_file/reticulum-jwk.json"
jwt-aud = "ret_perms"
role-claim-key = ".postgrest_role"

then the folder looks like this (contain two files)

/
   postgrest
   reticulum.conf

then run postREST with

postgrest reticulum.conf

4.6 Run Hubs Admin

This is tricky.

Goto reticulum folder then find router.ex, then find /api/postgrest and modify to this code bellow.

scope "/api/postgrest" do
   # pipe_through [:secure_headers, :auth_required, :admin_required, :proxy_api]
   if(Mix.env() == :prod) do
   pipe_through([:secure_headers])
   end

   forward "/", RetWeb.Plugs.PostgrestProxy
end

The first way is we can use. npm run local but if we use this as a live webpack server.

IF, This tab doesn't work. (pending scenes,etc)

The solution is we need to run it as a static file using nginx.

make new file .prod.env

# To override these variables, create a .env file containing the overrides.
CONFIGURABLE_SERVICES="janus-gateway,reticulum,hubs,spoke"

ITA_SERVER="https://localhost:3333"
RETICULUM_SERVER="localhost:4000"

# PostgREST server configured to allow administrative access to the db.
POSTGREST_SERVER="https://localhost:4000/api/postgrest"
BASE_ASSETS_PATH="https://localhost:8989/"

then modify the webpack.config.js

find the code that talk about .env

the modify like this:

if (argv.mode === "production") {
  dotenv.config({ path: ".prod.env" });
} else {
  dotenv.config({ path: ".env" });
  dotenv.config({ path: ".defaults.env" });
}

build it first npm run build then you can see there's a dist folder inside the hubs/admin

I use mac book, in the macbook just install nginx then

find the nginx config file

sudo nginx -t

OK, let's assume you have knowledge about nginx before.

server {
      listen 8989 ssl;
      server_name localhost;

      location / {
         root   /absolute_path/hubs/admin/dist;
         index  admin.html index.htm;
      }

      ssl_certificate /absolute_path/hubs/admin/certs/cert.pem;
      ssl_certificate_key /absolute_path/hubs/admin/certs/key.pem;
}

Don't forget to restart nginx

then access the hubs admin via reticulum https://localhost:4000/admin

Now you can access, with lock symbol (SSL secure)

Server	URL
Hubs	https://localhost:4000
Hubs admin	https://localhost:4000/admin
Spoke	https://localhost:4000/spoke

Also read:

How to Maintenance Server (Backup, etc)

Hosting Mozilla Hubs on VPS

The Problem I Still Faced

The Problem I Faced and I Already Solved

Tips for Modification

Overview System With Figma

Experience Sharing About Hosting on Other Server