Quick install (Arch Linux)

Best for beginners

Never used a Linux command line before? This is the page for you. Just follow the three steps below, in order.

This single script installs everything needed on one machine: the OST backend, the web interface, nginx, INDI, astrometry.net and the documentation you are reading right now.

Using Ubuntu or Fedora instead?

This page is for Arch Linux specifically. See Quick install (Ubuntu Resolute) or Quick install (Fedora) instead.

1. Install a fresh Arch Linux

Install Arch Linux on the machine that will run OST — a Raspberry Pi, a mini-PC, or a virtual machine. Use the standard Arch installer; no special option is needed.

Once Arch is installed, open a terminal (directly on the machine, or over SSH from another computer).

2. Download the install script

A minimal Arch install does not include wget - install it first:

sudo pacman -S --needed wget

Then copy the command below, paste it into the terminal, and press Enter:

wget https://gitlab.ostserver.fr/ost/ostserver/-/raw/main/install-latest-complete-arch.sh

Nothing happens on screen if it works — that is normal. A new file, install-latest-complete-arch.sh, now exists in your current folder.

3. Run the script

chmod +x install-latest-complete-arch.sh
./install-latest-complete-arch.sh

The script then does everything by itself. A few things to expect:

  • It will ask for your password a few times (sudo) — this is normal, it needs permission to install system packages.
  • It builds astrometry.net from AUR - this compiles real code on your machine and can take a few minutes. It is normal to see pages of compiler output scroll by.
  • It installs gsc (realistic star field data for INDI’s CCD simulator only, never needed for real hardware) from a prebuilt package of our own - the AUR package for it doesn’t compile on current Arch, unrelated to OST.
  • A blue screen may appear asking which astrometry.net index files to download in addition to the default ones. Use the arrow keys to move, Space to check/uncheck, Tab then Enter to confirm. If you are not sure, leave everything unchecked and press Enter — you can always add them later.

At the very end, it prints two addresses, for example:

Web UI: http://192.168.1.42/
Documentation: http://192.168.1.42/documentation/

Done

Open the first address (Web UI: ...) in a web browser, from any device on the same local network as the machine you just installed OST on. You should see the OST interface.

Need more control?

This script makes choices for you (SSL disabled, standard folder layout, nginx as the web server). If you need something different, install the ostserver/ostserver-complete package by hand instead (from AUR, or the prebuilt .pkg.tar.zst on the releases page) and wire up the rest yourself — the script’s own steps double as a guide for what to do manually.