Installation Guide

Overview

This guide provides step-by-step instructions for deploying Discord Webhook Manager on your own infrastructure. The application is designed to run on Ubuntu Server with PostgreSQL, Redis, and Nginx.

This guide is for self-hosting the application. If you’re looking to use a hosted instance, skip to the Quick Start guide instead.

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Minimum:

1 CPU core
2 GB RAM
20 GB storage
Stable internet connection

Recommended:

2+ CPU cores
4 GB RAM
50 GB SSD storage
100+ Mbps network connection

Software Requirements

This guide assumes you have a clean Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server.

While other Linux distributions may work, this guide is specifically written for Ubuntu Server and uses Ubuntu-specific package management.

Prerequisites Installation

Install all required system dependencies:

Update System Packages

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Install Base Dependencies

sudo apt install -y git curl unzip software-properties-common

Install PHP 8.4

Add the PHP repository and install PHP with required extensions:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y php8.4 php8.4-fpm php8.4-cli php8.4-common \
  php8.4-bcmath php8.4-ctype php8.4-fileinfo php8.4-json \
  php8.4-mbstring php8.4-openssl php8.4-pdo php8.4-pgsql \
  php8.4-tokenizer php8.4-xml php8.4-curl php8.4-zip \
  php8.4-redis php8.4-gd php8.4-intl

Verify installation:

php -v
# Should show PHP 8.4.x

Install Composer

Install Composer (PHP package manager):

curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/composer

Verify installation:

composer --version

Install Node.js 20+

Install Node.js and NPM:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_20.x | sudo -E bash -
sudo apt install -y nodejs

Verify installation:

node -v   # Should show v20.x.x or higher
npm -v

Install PostgreSQL

Install PostgreSQL database server:

sudo apt install -y postgresql postgresql-contrib
sudo systemctl enable postgresql
sudo systemctl start postgresql

Create database and user:

sudo -u postgres psql

Then in the PostgreSQL prompt:

CREATE DATABASE discord_webhook;
CREATE USER webhook_user WITH ENCRYPTED PASSWORD 'your_secure_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON DATABASE discord_webhook TO webhook_user;
\q

Replace your_secure_password with a strong, unique password. Never use default credentials in production.

Install Redis

Install Redis for caching, sessions, and queue management:

sudo apt install -y redis-server
sudo systemctl enable redis-server
sudo systemctl start redis-server

Verify Redis is running:

redis-cli ping
# Should respond with PONG

Install Nginx

Install Nginx web server:

sudo apt install -y nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx

Install Supervisor

Install Supervisor for managing queue workers:

sudo apt install -y supervisor
sudo systemctl enable supervisor
sudo systemctl start supervisor

Application Deployment

Clone the Repository

Clone the project to your web server directory:

cd /var/www
sudo git clone https://github.com/edgarqs/DiscordWebhook.git discord-webhook-manager
cd discord-webhook-manager/app

The application code is in the /app subdirectory of the repository.

Install PHP Dependencies

Install Laravel dependencies using Composer:

composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev

The --no-dev flag excludes development dependencies for a production build.

Install JavaScript Dependencies

Install and build frontend assets:

npm install
npm run build

This will compile the React + TypeScript frontend into production-optimized assets.

Configure Environment File

Create the environment configuration:

cp .env.example .env

Edit the .env file with your configuration:

nano .env

APP_NAME=WebhookManager
APP_ENV=production
APP_DEBUG=false
APP_URL=https://yourdomain.com

APP_LOCALE=en
APP_FALLBACK_LOCALE=en

Critical Security Settings:

Set APP_DEBUG=false in production
Use strong, unique passwords for database
Configure proper SMTP settings for email delivery
Never commit .env file to version control

Generate Application Key

Generate a unique application encryption key:

php artisan key:generate

This will automatically update the APP_KEY in your .env file.

Set File Permissions

Configure proper file permissions for Laravel:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/discord-webhook-manager
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/discord-webhook-manager
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/bootstrap/cache

Run Database Migrations

Create all required database tables:

php artisan migrate --force

The --force flag is required to run migrations in production.

Web Server Configuration

Create Nginx Configuration

Create a new Nginx site configuration:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/discord-webhook-manager

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/public;

    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";

    index index.php index.html;

    charset utf-8;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt  { access_log off; log_not_found off; }

    error_page 404 /index.php;

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.4-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_hide_header X-Powered-By;
    }

    location ~ /\.(?!well-known).* {
        deny all;
    }
    
    # Increase upload size for file attachments
    client_max_body_size 10M;
}

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name.

Enable the Site

Enable the site and test the configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/discord-webhook-manager /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t

If the test passes, reload Nginx:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Configure SSL with Certbot (Recommended)

Install Certbot for free SSL certificates:

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-nginx

Obtain and install SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts to complete SSL setup. Certbot will automatically:

Obtain a certificate from Let’s Encrypt
Configure Nginx to use HTTPS
Set up automatic certificate renewal

After SSL setup, update your .env file to use https:// in the APP_URL.

Queue Worker Configuration (Critical)

The queue worker is essential for scheduled messages to function. Without it, scheduled messages will not be sent.

Create Supervisor Configuration

Create a Supervisor configuration file for the queue worker:

sudo nano /etc/supervisor/conf.d/discord-worker.conf

Add the following configuration:

[program:discord-worker]
process_name=%(program_name)s_%(process_num)02d
command=php /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/artisan queue:work redis --sleep=3 --tries=3 --max-time=3600
autostart=true
autorestart=true
stopasgroup=true
killasgroup=true
user=www-data
numprocs=2
redirect_stderr=true
stdout_logfile=/var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/worker.log
stdout_logfile_maxbytes=10MB
stdout_logfile_backups=3
stopwaitsecs=3600

This configuration runs 2 worker processes. Adjust numprocs based on your server’s resources and workload.

Start the Queue Worker

Load the new configuration and start the worker:

sudo supervisorctl reread
sudo supervisorctl update
sudo supervisorctl start discord-worker:*

Check worker status:

sudo supervisorctl status discord-worker:*

You should see output indicating the workers are running.

Monitor Worker Logs

View worker logs to ensure everything is working:

tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/worker.log

Task Scheduler Configuration (Critical)

The Laravel scheduler is essential for triggering scheduled messages. It must run every minute for scheduled messages to work correctly.

Configure Cron Job

Edit the crontab for the www-data user:

sudo crontab -e -u www-data

Add the following line at the end of the file:

* * * * * cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app && php artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1

Save and exit the editor.

Verify Cron is Running

Check that cron service is active:

sudo systemctl status cron

View scheduled tasks:

sudo crontab -l -u www-data

Post-Installation Steps

Create Admin Account

Access your application in a web browser at your domain (e.g., https://yourdomain.com). Register for an account through the registration form.After registering, you need to manually promote your account to admin:

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app
php artisan tinker

In the Tinker console:

$user = App\Models\User::where('email', '[email protected]')->first();
$user->role = 'admin';
$user->save();
exit

Configure Platform Settings

Registration settings: Enable/disable new user registration
Password reset: Enable/disable password reset functionality
AI provider: Choose OpenAI or Google Gemini (if using AI features)
AI API keys: Enter your API keys for the selected provider
AI daily limits: Set per-user daily limits for AI generation

Test the Installation

Verify everything is working:

Create a webhook: Add a Discord webhook and verify it validates correctly
Send a message: Send a test message and verify it appears in Discord
Schedule a message: Create a scheduled message for 2-3 minutes in the future and verify it sends
Check logs: Monitor application logs for any errors

# Application logs
tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/laravel.log

# Worker logs
tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/worker.log

Monitoring & Maintenance

Log Files

Monitor these log files for issues:

# Application logs
tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/laravel.log

# Queue worker logs
tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/worker.log

# Nginx access logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/access.log

# Nginx error logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

Queue Management

Useful commands for managing the queue:

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app

# Monitor queue status
php artisan queue:monitor

# View failed jobs
php artisan queue:failed

# Retry failed jobs
php artisan queue:retry all

# Clear all jobs from queue
php artisan queue:clear

Worker Management

Manage Supervisor workers:

# Check status
sudo supervisorctl status discord-worker:*

# Restart workers
sudo supervisorctl restart discord-worker:*

# Stop workers
sudo supervisorctl stop discord-worker:*

# Start workers
sudo supervisorctl start discord-worker:*

# View real-time logs
sudo supervisorctl tail -f discord-worker:discord-worker_00

Automatic File Cleanup

The application automatically deletes file attachments from scheduled messages after they are sent to save storage space. No manual cleanup is required.

Files are stored in: /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/app/scheduled_messages/

Database Backups

Set up automatic PostgreSQL backups:

# Create backup script
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/backup-discord-db.sh

Add the following:

#!/bin/bash
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/discord-webhook"
TIMESTAMP=$(date +"%Y%m%d_%H%M%S")

mkdir -p $BACKUP_DIR
pg_dump -U webhook_user discord_webhook | gzip > "$BACKUP_DIR/discord_webhook_$TIMESTAMP.sql.gz"

# Keep only last 7 days of backups
find $BACKUP_DIR -name "*.sql.gz" -mtime +7 -delete

Make executable and add to cron:

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/backup-discord-db.sh
sudo crontab -e

Add:

0 2 * * * /usr/local/bin/backup-discord-db.sh

Updating the Application

When updates are available:

Backup Database

Always backup before updating:

pg_dump -U webhook_user discord_webhook > backup_before_update.sql

Pull Latest Code

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager
sudo -u www-data git pull origin main

Update Dependencies

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app
composer install --optimize-autoloader --no-dev
npm install
npm run build

Run Migrations

php artisan migrate --force

Clear Cache

php artisan cache:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan route:clear
php artisan view:clear
php artisan optimize

Restart Workers

sudo supervisorctl restart discord-worker:*

Troubleshooting

Queue workers not processing jobs

Check worker status:

sudo supervisorctl status discord-worker:*

Restart workers:

sudo supervisorctl restart discord-worker:*

Check worker logs:

tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/worker.log

Verify Redis is running:

redis-cli ping

Scheduled messages not sending

Verify cron is configured:

sudo crontab -l -u www-data

Manually test scheduler:

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app
php artisan schedule:run

Check scheduled messages status:

php artisan tinker

Then:

App\Models\ScheduledMessage::where('status', 'pending')->get();

500 Internal Server Error

Check application logs:

tail -f /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/laravel.log

Check Nginx error logs:

sudo tail -f /var/log/nginx/error.log

Verify file permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/discord-webhook-manager
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/bootstrap/cache

Database connection failed

Test database connection:

psql -U webhook_user -d discord_webhook -h 127.0.0.1

Verify .env database settings:

grep DB_ /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/.env

Check PostgreSQL is running:

sudo systemctl status postgresql

Email notifications not sending

Verify SMTP settings in .envTest email configuration:

php artisan tinker

Then:

Mail::raw('Test email', function($msg) {
    $msg->to('[email protected]')->subject('Test');
});

Check mail logs:

grep -i mail /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app/storage/logs/laravel.log

Security Best Practices

Follow these security practices to protect your installation:

Firewall: Configure UFW to only allow necessary ports (80, 443, 22)
SSH: Disable password authentication, use SSH keys only
Database: Never expose PostgreSQL to the internet
Updates: Keep Ubuntu, PHP, and all packages up to date
Backups: Maintain regular database backups stored securely off-server
Monitoring: Set up log monitoring and alerting
Rate Limiting: Laravel includes rate limiting; review and adjust as needed
SSL: Always use HTTPS in production with valid SSL certificates

Performance Optimization

PHP-FPM Tuning

Edit PHP-FPM configuration:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.4/fpm/pool.d/www.conf

Adjust based on your server resources:

pm = dynamic
pm.max_children = 20
pm.start_servers = 4
pm.min_spare_servers = 2
pm.max_spare_servers = 6
pm.max_requests = 500

Redis Configuration

For better performance, configure Redis:

sudo nano /etc/redis/redis.conf

Key settings:

maxmemory 256mb
maxmemory-policy allkeys-lru

Laravel Optimization

cd /var/www/discord-webhook-manager/app
php artisan config:cache
php artisan route:cache
php artisan view:cache
php artisan optimize

Run php artisan config:clear before editing .env files, as cached config takes precedence.

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Learn how to use your newly installed Discord Webhook Manager

Admin Dashboard

Configure platform settings and manage users

API Reference

Integrate webhook management into your applications

GitHub Repository

Report issues or contribute to the project

Get Started

Core Features

Collaboration

Advanced

Deployment

Overview

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

Prerequisites Installation

Application Deployment

Web Server Configuration

Queue Worker Configuration (Critical)

Task Scheduler Configuration (Critical)

Post-Installation Steps

Monitoring & Maintenance

Log Files

Queue Management

Worker Management

Automatic File Cleanup

Database Backups

Updating the Application

Troubleshooting

Security Best Practices

Performance Optimization

PHP-FPM Tuning

Redis Configuration

Laravel Optimization

Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Admin Dashboard

API Reference

GitHub Repository

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Get Started

Core Features

Collaboration

Advanced

Deployment

​Overview

​System Requirements

​Hardware Requirements

​Software Requirements

​Prerequisites Installation

​Application Deployment

​Web Server Configuration

​Queue Worker Configuration (Critical)

​Task Scheduler Configuration (Critical)

​Post-Installation Steps

​Monitoring & Maintenance

​Log Files

​Queue Management

​Worker Management

​Automatic File Cleanup

​Database Backups

​Updating the Application

​Troubleshooting

​Security Best Practices

​Performance Optimization

​PHP-FPM Tuning

​Redis Configuration

​Laravel Optimization

​Next Steps

Quick Start Guide

Admin Dashboard

API Reference

GitHub Repository

Build docs developers (and LLMs) love

Overview

System Requirements

Hardware Requirements

Software Requirements

Prerequisites Installation

Application Deployment

Web Server Configuration

Queue Worker Configuration (Critical)

Task Scheduler Configuration (Critical)

Post-Installation Steps

Monitoring & Maintenance

Log Files

Queue Management

Worker Management

Automatic File Cleanup

Database Backups

Updating the Application

Troubleshooting

Security Best Practices

Performance Optimization

PHP-FPM Tuning

Redis Configuration

Laravel Optimization

Next Steps