# Setup the project on your server

If you don't want to use Docker, the best way to setup the project is to use the
same configuration that [Homestead](https://laravel.com/docs/5.3/homestead)
uses. Basically, Monica depends on the following:

* PHP 7.0+
* MySQL, SQLite or Postgre
* Git
* Composer
* Optional: Redis or Beanstalk

The preferred OS distribution is Ubuntu 16.04, simply because all the
development is made on it and we know it works. However, any OS that lets you
install the above packages should work.

Once the softwares above are installed, clone the repository and proceed as
follow:

1. `composer install` in the folder the repository has been cloned.
1. `cp .env.example .env` to configure Monica.
1. Update `.env` with your specific needs.
1. Run `php artisan key:generate` to generate an application key. This will set
`APP_KEY` with the right value automatically.
1. Create a database called `monica`.
1. `php artisan migrate` to run all migrations.
1. `php artisan storage:link` to enable avatar uploads for the contacts.
1. `php artisan db:seed --class ActivityTypesTableSeeder` to populate the
activity types.
1. `php artisan db:seed --class CountriesSeederTable` to populate the countries
table.
1. In order for the reminders to be sent (reminders are created inside the
  application and associated to contacts), you need to setup a cron that runs
  every minute with the following command `php artisan schedule:run`.

**Optional**: Setup the queues with Redis, Beanstalk or Amazon SQS

Monica can work with a queue mechanism to handle different events, so we don't
block the main thread while processing stuff that can be run asynchronously,
like sending emails. By default, Monica does not use a queue mechanism but can
be setup to do so.

There are three choices for the queue mechanism:
* Database (this will use the database used by the application to act as a queue)
* Redis
* Beanstalk
* Amazon SQS

The simplest queue is the database driver. To set it up, simply change in your
`.env` file the following `QUEUE_DRIVER=sync` by `QUEUE_DRIVER=database`.

To configure the other queues, refer to the
[official Laravel documentation](https://laravel.com/docs/5.4/queues#driver-prerequisites)
on the topic.