How to Manually Install Soketi WebSocket Server on Ubuntu 24.04

This guide explains how to manually install and configure Soketi WebSocket Server on Ubuntu 24.04. The instructions are based on the supplied Soketi Ansible playbook.

1. What Is Soketi?

Soketi is a WebSocket server that allows applications to maintain real-time connections with users.

It can be used when an application needs to send information to a browser immediately without requiring the browser to constantly refresh.

The supplied Ansible playbook installs:

• Node.js 18
• npm
• Soketi version 1.6.1
• A dedicated soketi system user
• A dedicated soketi system group
• A Soketi configuration file
• A systemd service
• Soketi WebSocket service on port 6001

2. Configuration Used by the Playbook

3. Check the Ubuntu Version

First, make sure the server is running Ubuntu 24.04.

Run:

lsb_release -a

You can also check with:

cat /etc/os-release

The operating system should show Ubuntu 24.04.

4. Update Ubuntu

The first task in the Ansible playbook updates the Ubuntu package list.

Run:

sudo apt update

Wait for the command to finish.

5. Install Required Packages

The playbook installs four prerequisite packages:

• curl
• ca-certificates
• gnupg
• build-essential

These packages provide tools required to download software, verify repositories and build native Node.js dependencies when necessary.

Install them with:

sudo apt install -y curl ca-certificates gnupg build-essential

6. Remove Old NodeSource Repository Files

The Ansible playbook removes older NodeSource repository configuration files before configuring Node.js 18.

Run:

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.list

If these files do not exist, that is okay. The rm -f command will simply continue.

7. Download the Node.js 18 NodeSource Setup Script

The playbook uses the NodeSource repository to install Node.js 18.

Download the setup script:

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x -o /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

Make the script executable:

sudo chmod 0755 /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

8. Configure the NodeSource Repository

Run the downloaded NodeSource setup script:

sudo /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

This configures the NodeSource repository required to install Node.js 18.

9. Update APT Again

After adding the NodeSource repository, update the package list again:

sudo apt update

10. Install Node.js 18

Install Node.js:

sudo apt install -y nodejs

Node.js includes npm, which will be used to install Soketi.

11. Check the Node.js Version

Verify Node.js:

node --version

The playbook expects Node.js 18.

A version beginning with v18 indicates that Node.js 18 is installed.

12. Check the npm Version

Check npm:

npm --version

If npm displays a version number, npm is installed correctly.

13. Create the Soketi System Group

The playbook creates a dedicated Linux system group called soketi.

Create it manually:

sudo groupadd --system soketi

14. Create the Soketi System User

The playbook creates a dedicated system user named soketi.

The user does not have a normal login shell. This is safer because the account is intended only to run the Soketi service.

Run:

sudo useradd \
--system \
--gid soketi \
--shell /usr/sbin/nologin \
--home-dir /opt/soketi \
--no-create-home \
soketi

15. Create the Soketi Directory

The playbook stores Soketi-related configuration in:

/opt/soketi

Create the directory:

sudo mkdir -p /opt/soketi

Change the owner to the Soketi user and group:

sudo chown soketi:soketi /opt/soketi

Set the directory permissions:

sudo chmod 0755 /opt/soketi

16. Install Soketi Version 1.6.1

The playbook installs Soketi globally using npm.

Install the exact version specified by the playbook:

sudo npm install -g @soketi/soketi@1.6.1

Wait for npm to finish installing the package.

17. Find the Soketi Executable

The Ansible playbook uses which soketi to find where the Soketi executable was installed.

Run:

which soketi

You should receive a path similar to:

/usr/bin/soketi

Your actual path may be different. Use the path returned by your system when creating the systemd service later.

18. Verify the Soketi Version

Check the installed version:

soketi --version

The installed version should correspond to:

1.6.1

19. Create the Soketi Environment File

The Ansible playbook creates an environment file at:

/opt/soketi/.env

This file contains the Soketi application credentials.

Create the file:

sudo nano /opt/soketi/.env

Paste the following:

SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_ID=app-id
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_KEY=app-key
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_SECRET=app-secret
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_ENABLE_CLIENT_MESSAGES=true

Save the file:

• Press Ctrl + O
• Press Enter
• Press Ctrl + X

20. Protect the Environment File

The Ansible playbook gives the .env file permissions of 0600. This means only the owner can read and modify it.

Set the owner:

sudo chown soketi:soketi /opt/soketi/.env

Set the permissions:

sudo chmod 0600 /opt/soketi/.env

21. Create the Soketi systemd Service

A systemd service allows Ubuntu to start, stop and automatically restart Soketi.

The playbook creates:

/etc/systemd/system/soketi.service

Create the service file:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/soketi.service

Paste the following into the file.

[Unit]
Description=Soketi WebSocket Server
Documentation=https://docs.soketi.app/
After=network-online.target
Wants=network-online.target

[Service]
Type=simple

User=soketi
Group=soketi

WorkingDirectory=/opt/soketi

EnvironmentFile=/opt/soketi/.env

ExecStart=/usr/bin/soketi start --host 0.0.0.0 --port 6001

Restart=always
RestartSec=5

NoNewPrivileges=true
PrivateTmp=true

Environment=NODE_ENV=production

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save the file:

• Press Ctrl + O
• Press Enter
• Press Ctrl + X

22. Reload systemd

Ubuntu needs to reload its systemd configuration so that it can see the new Soketi service.

Run:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

23. Enable Soketi

Enable the service so that Soketi starts automatically when the server boots.

sudo systemctl enable soketi

24. Start Soketi

Start the Soketi service:

sudo systemctl start soketi

25. Check the Soketi Service

Check whether Soketi is running:

sudo systemctl status soketi

Look for:

Active: active (running)

Press q to exit the status screen.

26. Check Soketi Service Status Directly

The Ansible playbook runs systemctl is-active soketi.

Run the same command:

systemctl is-active soketi

The expected result is:

active

27. Check Port 6001

The playbook configures Soketi to listen on port 6001.

Check whether something is listening on the port:

sudo ss -ltnp | grep 6001

You should see a listening socket containing port 6001.

28. Check All Listening Ports

The Ansible playbook also runs:

ss -ltnp

You can run:

sudo ss -ltnp

Look for port 6001.

29. Check the Soketi Logs

If Soketi does not start, the first thing to check is the systemd log.

Run:

sudo journalctl -u soketi --no-pager -n 50

This displays the latest 50 log entries for Soketi.

To watch the logs live, use:

sudo journalctl -u soketi -f

Press Ctrl + C to stop watching the logs.

30. Find the Server IP Address

To connect to Soketi from another computer or application, find the Ubuntu server's IP address.

Run:

hostname -I

Example:

192.168.1.100

Your IP address will be different.

31. Soketi WebSocket Address

The Ansible playbook configures:

• Host: 0.0.0.0
• Port: 6001

Therefore, clients can connect using:

ws://YOUR_SERVER_IP:6001

For example:

ws://192.168.1.100:6001

32. Allow Port 6001 Through the Firewall

If UFW is enabled and clients need to connect to Soketi from another machine, port 6001 may need to be allowed.

First check whether UFW is enabled:

sudo ufw status

If UFW is active and you intentionally need external access to Soketi, allow port 6001:

sudo ufw allow 6001/tcp

Then check the firewall:

sudo ufw status

33. Verify the Environment Configuration

Check the configuration file:

sudo cat /opt/soketi/.env

It should contain:

SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_ID=app-id
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_KEY=app-key
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_SECRET=app-secret
SOKETI_DEFAULT_APP_ENABLE_CLIENT_MESSAGES=true

34. Verify the Soketi Service Configuration

Display the systemd service:

sudo cat /etc/systemd/system/soketi.service

Confirm that it contains:

User=soketi
Group=soketi
WorkingDirectory=/opt/soketi
EnvironmentFile=/opt/soketi/.env
ExecStart=/usr/bin/soketi start --host 0.0.0.0 --port 6001
Restart=always
RestartSec=5

35. Restart Soketi After Configuration Changes

If you change the environment file or systemd service, reload systemd:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload

Then restart Soketi:

sudo systemctl restart soketi

Check the status:

sudo systemctl status soketi

36. Troubleshooting

Problem: Node.js is not installed

Check:

node --version

If the command is not found, repeat the NodeSource installation steps.

Problem: Soketi command is not found

Check where Soketi is installed:

which soketi

If nothing is returned, reinstall Soketi:

sudo npm install -g @soketi/soketi@1.6.1

Then check again:

which soketi

Problem: Soketi service will not start

Check the service:

sudo systemctl status soketi

Then check the logs:

sudo journalctl -u soketi --no-pager -n 50

Problem: Port 6001 is already being used

Check what is using port 6001:

sudo ss -ltnp | grep 6001

If another application is already using port 6001, Soketi cannot use that same port.

Problem: Permission denied

Check the Soketi directory:

ls -ld /opt/soketi

Check the environment file:

ls -l /opt/soketi/.env

Correct the ownership:

sudo chown soketi:soketi /opt/soketi
sudo chown soketi:soketi /opt/soketi/.env

Correct the permissions:

sudo chmod 0755 /opt/soketi
sudo chmod 0600 /opt/soketi/.env

Problem: Soketi keeps restarting

The systemd service is configured with:

Restart=always
RestartSec=5

This means systemd will automatically attempt to restart Soketi if it stops.

Check the logs to find out why it is stopping:

sudo journalctl -u soketi --no-pager -n 100

37. Complete Manual Installation Commands

If you understand the individual steps and want the main commands in one place, use the following.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install -y curl ca-certificates gnupg build-essential

sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.sources
sudo rm -f /etc/apt/sources.list.d/nodesource.list

curl -fsSL https://deb.nodesource.com/setup_18.x -o /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

sudo chmod 0755 /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

sudo /tmp/nodesource_setup.sh

sudo apt update

sudo apt install -y nodejs

node --version

npm --version

sudo groupadd --system soketi

sudo useradd \
--system \
--gid soketi \
--shell /usr/sbin/nologin \
--home-dir /opt/soketi \
--no-create-home \
soketi

sudo mkdir -p /opt/soketi

sudo chown soketi:soketi /opt/soketi

sudo chmod 0755 /opt/soketi

sudo npm install -g @soketi/soketi@1.6.1

which soketi

soketi --version

Then create the configuration and service files described in the previous steps.

38. Final Verification

Run these commands to verify the installation.

Check Node.js:

node --version

Check npm:

npm --version

Check Soketi:

soketi --version

Check the Soketi service:

systemctl is-active soketi

Expected:

active

Check that Soketi starts automatically:

systemctl is-enabled soketi

Expected:

enabled

Check port 6001:

sudo ss -ltnp | grep 6001

Check Soketi logs:

sudo journalctl -u soketi --no-pager -n 50

39. Installation Complete

40. Soketi Access Information

ws://YOUR_SERVER_IP:6001

Source note:
This knowledgebase article is based on the supplied Soketi Ansible Playbook. The commands reproduce the playbook's Node.js 18 installation, NodeSource repository configuration, Soketi 1.6.1 installation, dedicated Linux user and group, configuration file, systemd service, port 6001, service startup and verification tasks. Values such as the Soketi application ID, key and secret are taken from the supplied playbook.