---
layout: default
navsection: installguide
title: Install the API server
...
{% comment %}
Copyright (C) The Arvados Authors. All rights reserved.

SPDX-License-Identifier: CC-BY-SA-3.0
{% endcomment %}

h2. Install prerequisites

The Arvados package repository includes an API server package that can help automate much of the deployment.

h3(#install_ruby_and_bundler). Install Ruby and Bundler

{% include 'install_ruby_and_bundler' %}

h2(#install_apiserver). Install API server and dependencies

On a Debian-based system, install the following packages:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo apt-get install bison build-essential libcurl4-openssl-dev git arvados-api-server</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

On a Red Hat-based system, install the following packages:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo yum install bison make automake gcc gcc-c++ libcurl-devel git arvados-api-server</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

{% include 'install_git' %}

h2(#configure). Set up the database

Configure the API server to connect to your database by updating @/etc/arvados/api/database.yml@. Replace the @xxxxxxxx@ database password placeholder with the "password you generated during database setup":install-postgresql.html#api. Be sure to update the @production@ section.

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">editor /etc/arvados/api/database.yml</span>
</code></pre></notextile>

h2(#configure_application). Configure the API server

Edit @/etc/arvados/api/application.yml@ to configure the settings described in the following sections.  The API server reads both @application.yml@ and its own @config/application.default.yml@ file.  The settings in @application.yml@ take precedence over the defaults that are defined in @config/application.default.yml@.  The @config/application.yml.example@ file is not read by the API server and is provided as a starting template only.

@config/application.default.yml@ documents additional configuration settings not listed here.  You can "view the current source version":https://dev.arvados.org/projects/arvados/repository/revisions/master/entry/services/api/config/application.default.yml for reference.

Only put local configuration in @application.yml@.  Do not edit @application.default.yml@.

h3(#uuid_prefix). uuid_prefix

Define your @uuid_prefix@ in @application.yml@ by setting the @uuid_prefix@ field in the section for your environment.  This prefix is used for all database identifiers to identify the record as originating from this site.  It must be exactly 5 lowercase ASCII letters and digits.

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  uuid_prefix: <span class="userinput">zzzzz</span></code></pre>
</notextile>

h3. secret_token

The @secret_token@ is used for for signing cookies.  IMPORTANT: This is a site secret. It should be at least 50 characters.  Generate a random value and set it in @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">ruby -e 'puts rand(2**400).to_s(36)'</span>
yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy
</code></pre></notextile>

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  secret_token: <span class="userinput">yyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyyy</span></code></pre>
</notextile>

h3(#blob_signing_key). blob_signing_key

The @blob_signing_key@ is used to enforce access control to Keep blocks.  This same key must be provided to the Keepstore daemons when "installing Keepstore servers.":install-keepstore.html  IMPORTANT: This is a site secret. It should be at least 50 characters.  Generate a random value and set it in @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">ruby -e 'puts rand(2**400).to_s(36)'</span>
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
</code></pre></notextile>

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  blob_signing_key: <span class="userinput">xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx</span></code></pre>
</notextile>

h3(#omniauth). sso_app_secret, sso_app_id, sso_provider_url

The following settings enable the API server to communicate with the "Single Sign On (SSO) server":install-sso.html to authenticate user log in.

Set @sso_provider_url@ to the base URL where your SSO server is installed.  This should be a URL consisting of the scheme and host (and optionally, port), without a trailing slash.

Set @sso_app_secret@ and @sso_app_id@ to the corresponding values for @app_secret@ and @app_id@ used in the "Create arvados-server client for Single Sign On (SSO)":install-sso.html#client step.

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  sso_app_id: <span class="userinput">arvados-server</span>
  sso_app_secret: <span class="userinput">wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww</span>
  sso_provider_url: <span class="userinput">https://sso.example.com</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h3. workbench_address

Set @workbench_address@ to the URL of your workbench application after following "Install Workbench.":install-workbench-app.html

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  workbench_address: <span class="userinput">https://workbench.zzzzz.example.com</span></code></pre>
</notextile>

h3. websocket_address

Set @websocket_address@ to the @wss://@ URL of the API server websocket endpoint after following "Set up Web servers":#set_up.  The path of the default endpoint is @/websocket@.

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  websocket_address: <span class="userinput">wss://ws.zzzzz.example.com</span>/websocket</code></pre>
</notextile>

h3(#git_repositories_dir). git_repositories_dir

The @git_repositories_dir@ setting specifies the directory where user git repositories will be stored.

The git server setup process is covered on "its own page":install-arv-git-httpd.html. For now, create an empty directory in the default location:

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo mkdir -p /var/lib/arvados/git/repositories</span>
</code></pre></notextile>

If you intend to store your git repositories in a different location, specify that location in @application.yml@.

Default setting in @application.default.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  git_repositories_dir: <span class="userinput">/var/lib/arvados/git/repositories</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h3(#git_internal_dir). git_internal_dir

The @git_internal_dir@ setting specifies the location of Arvados' internal git repository.  By default this is @/var/lib/arvados/internal.git@.  This repository stores git commits that have been used to run Crunch jobs.  It should _not_ be a subdirectory of @git_repositories_dir@.

Example @application.yml@:

<notextile>
<pre><code>  git_internal_dir: <span class="userinput">/var/lib/arvados/internal.git</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h2(#set_up). Set up Nginx and Passenger

The Nginx server will serve API requests using Passenger. It will also be used to proxy SSL requests to other services which are covered later in this guide.

First, "Install Nginx and Phusion Passenger":https://www.phusionpassenger.com/library/walkthroughs/deploy/ruby/ownserver/nginx/oss/install_passenger_main.html.

Edit the http section of your Nginx configuration to run the Passenger server, and serve SSL requests. Add a block like the following, adding SSL and logging parameters to taste:

<notextile>
<pre><code>server {
  listen 127.0.0.1:8000;
  server_name localhost-api;

  root /var/www/arvados-api/current/public;
  index  index.html index.htm index.php;

  passenger_enabled on;
  # If you're using RVM, uncomment the line below.
  #passenger_ruby /usr/local/rvm/wrappers/default/ruby;

  # This value effectively limits the size of API objects users can
  # create, especially collections.  If you change this, you should
  # also ensure the following settings match it:
  # * `client_max_body_size` in the server section below
  # * `client_max_body_size` in the Workbench Nginx configuration (twice)
  # * `max_request_size` in the API server's application.yml file
  client_max_body_size 128m;
}

upstream api {
  server     127.0.0.1:8000  fail_timeout=10s;
}

proxy_http_version 1.1;

# When Keep clients request a list of Keep services from the API server, the
# server will automatically return the list of available proxies if
# the request headers include X-External-Client: 1.  Following the example
# here, at the end of this section, add a line for each netmask that has
# direct access to Keep storage daemons to set this header value to 0.
geo $external_client {
  default        1;
  <span class="userinput">10.20.30.0/24</span>  0;
}

server {
  listen       <span class="userinput">[your public IP address]</span>:443 ssl;
  server_name  <span class="userinput">uuid_prefix.your.domain</span>;

  ssl on;
  ssl_certificate     <span class="userinput">/YOUR/PATH/TO/cert.pem</span>;
  ssl_certificate_key <span class="userinput">/YOUR/PATH/TO/cert.key</span>;

  index  index.html index.htm index.php;

  # Refer to the comment about this setting in the server section above.
  client_max_body_size 128m;

  location / {
    proxy_pass            http://api;
    proxy_redirect        off;
    proxy_connect_timeout 90s;
    proxy_read_timeout    300s;

    proxy_set_header      X-Forwarded-Proto https;
    proxy_set_header      Host $http_host;
    proxy_set_header      X-External-Client $external_client;
    proxy_set_header      X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
    proxy_set_header      X-Forwarded-For $proxy_add_x_forwarded_for;
  }
}
</code></pre>
</notextile>

Restart Nginx to apply the new configuration.

<notextile>
<pre><code>~$ <span class="userinput">sudo nginx -s reload</span>
</code></pre>
</notextile>

h2. Prepare the API server deployment

{% assign railspkg = "arvados-api-server" %}
{% include 'install_rails_reconfigure' %}

{% include 'notebox_begin' %}
You can safely ignore the following messages if they appear while this command runs:

<notextile><pre>Don't run Bundler as root. Bundler can ask for sudo if it is needed, and installing your bundle as root will
break this application for all non-root users on this machine.</pre></notextile>

<notextile><pre>fatal: Not a git repository (or any of the parent directories): .git</pre></notextile>
{% include 'notebox_end' %}