Server Setup and Running

There are two ways to start the server: manually configuring it or using a Docker container.

To set up and run the back-end server manually, follow the steps below.

Locally Configure the Server

Create a virtual environment
```
python -m venv venv
```
Then activate the virtual environment:
- On macOS/Linux:
```
source venv/bin/activate
```
- On Windows:
```
.\venv\Scripts\activate
```
Install and prepare PostgreSQL database

2.1. Visit: https://www.enterprisedb.com/downloads/postgres-postgresql-downloads Select and download your preferred version of PostgreSQL.

2.2. Go to the download location and double-click the .exe file. Follow the installation steps and keep track of: - Installation directory - Superuser (usually postgres) - Port (usually 5432) - Password (save this)

2.3. Ensure pgAdmin is installed during setup.

2.4. Restart your computer.

2.5. Open pgAdmin, access the Server, and enter your password if needed.

2.6. Right-click Databases, click Create, and create a new database, preferably named measurements.

Note

Tables will be created once the back-end server runs, so no need to create them now.

Create a `.env` file in the root directory:

# needed for back-end (server)
DB_NAME=measurements
DB_USER=postgres
DB_PASSWORD=postgres
DB_HOST=db
DB_PORT=5432
ripe_api_token={ripe API with permission to perform measurements}
ripe_account_email={email of your ripe account}
ACCOUNT_ID={geolite account id}
LICENSE_KEY={geolite key}
UPDATE_CRON_SCHEDULE=0 0 * * *
CLIENT_URL=http://localhost:5173

# needed for front-end (client)
DOCKER_NETWORK_SUBNET=2001:db8:1::/64
DOCKER_NETWORK_GATEWAY=2001:db8:1::1
VITE_CLIENT_HOST=localhost
VITE_CLIENT_PORT=5173
VITE_SERVER_HOST_ADDRESS=http://localhost:8000
VITE_STATUS_THRESHOLD=1000

Additionally, the configuration file server/server_config.yaml contains editable variables:

ntp:
  version: 4
  timeout_measurement_s: 7
  number_of_measurements_for_calculating_jitter: 8
  server_timeout: 60

edns:
  mask_ipv4: 24
  mask_ipv6: 56
  default_order_of_edns_servers:
    - "8.8.8.8"
    - "1.1.1.1"
    - "2001:4860:4860::8888"
  edns_timeout_s: 3

ripe_atlas:
  timeout_per_probe_ms: 4000
  packets_per_probe: 3
  number_of_probes_per_measurement: 3

bgp_tools:
  anycast_prefixes_v4_url: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bgptools/anycast-prefixes/master/anycatch-v4-prefixes.txt"
  anycast_prefixes_v6_url: "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/bgptools/anycast-prefixes/master/anycatch-v6-prefixes.txt"

max_mind:
  path_city: "GeoLite2-City.mmdb"
  path_country: "GeoLite2-Country.mmdb"
  path_asn: "GeoLite2-ASN.mmdb"

Note

Make sure PostgreSQL is running and accessible with the provided credentials. The server will inform you if any variables are missing or misconfigured.

Install backend dependencies

cd server
pip install -r requirements.txt

Download MaxMind and BGP Tools databases and schedule updates

To initialize and schedule database updates (run from the root directory):
```
cd ..
crontab -e
0 1 * * * /bin/bash /full_path_to/update_geolite_and_bgptools_dbs.sh >> /full_path_to/update_geolite_and_bgptools_dbs.log 2>&1
```
Replace /full_path_to with the output of:
```
pwd
```
Or to download once without scheduling:
```
./update_geolite_and_bgptools_dbs.sh
```
Common Errors
- Windows-style line endings in .env may break Linux/WSL scripts. Use:
```
dos2unix .env
```
- For bad interpreter error on WSL/Linux:
  
  Convert CRLF to LF using VS Code or:
```
dos2unix update_geolite_and_bgptools_dbs.sh
```
- Geolite downloads are limited per account per day.
Note

Update the databases regularly for accurate results.
Run the server

From the root directory, run:
```
uvicorn server.app.main:create_app --reload --factory
```
The server should now be running!