How to Install MinIO on Debian

Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll walk through how to install the open-source object storage server MinIO on Debian. MinIO is a self-hosted object storage solution, ideal for storing unstructured data such as photos, videos, log files, and backups on your own server. It’s designed to be simple, scalable, and high-performance.

By the end of this guide, you’ll have MinIO up and running on your Debian server, accessible over the web.

Prerequisites

• Basic knowledge of using the terminal.
• A valid domain or IP address.
• A Debian server with root access.
• At least 1 GB of RAM and 2 CPUs for optimal performance.

Step 1 - Update the system

Before installing MinIO, ensure your system is up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2 - Install necessary dependencies

MinIO requires certain packages to be installed, such as wget to download files. Run the following command:

sudo apt install wget -y

Step 3 - Download and install MinIO

Now, download the MinIO binary file using wget and move it to /usr/local/bin:

wget https://dl.min.io/server/minio/release/linux-amd64/minio
sudo mv minio /usr/local/bin/
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/minio

Step 4 - Create a MinIO user

For security reasons, it's best to run MinIO under a dedicated user. Create one using the following command:

sudo useradd -r minio-user -s /sbin/nologin
sudo mkdir /home/minio-user
sudo chown minio-user:minio-user /home/minio-user

Step 5 - Set up directories for MinIO

MinIO needs a directory to store data. Create this directory and adjust permissions:

sudo mkdir /data
sudo chown minio-user:minio-user /data

Step 6 - Create a systemd service for MinIO

To run MinIO as a system service, create a new systemd unit file:

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

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=MinIO
Documentation=https://docs.min.io
Wants=network-online.target
After=network-online.target

[Service]
User=minio-user
Group=minio-user
EnvironmentFile=-/etc/default/minio
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/minio server /data
Restart=always
RestartSec=5
LimitNOFILE=65536

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Save and exit the file.

Step 7 - Configure environment variables

Create an environment file to define these:

sudo nano /etc/default/minio

Add your username and password:

MINIO_ROOT_USER=minioadmin
MINIO_ROOT_PASSWORD=minioadmin

Save and exit.

Step 8 - Start and enable the MinIO service

Now, start MinIO and enable it to run at boot:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl start minio
sudo systemctl enable minio

Step 9 - Access MinIO web interface

MinIO will be running on port 9000 by default. Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://your_server_ip:9000

Log in using the access and secret keys you set earlier.

When you create buckets and add objects, you can see the data on your server in /data.

Step 10 - Secure MinIO with HTTPS (Optional)

For production environments, it's recommended to enable HTTPS. To secure MinIO, you’ll need an SSL certificate.

• Obtain an SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt or any other provider.

• Move the certificate and key files to /home/minio-user/.minio/certs/.

• Restart the MinIO service:

  sudo systemctl restart minio

Now, you can access MinIO over HTTPS.

Conclusion

You’ve successfully installed and configured MinIO on Debian! You now have a powerful object storage server ready to use. For advanced configurations, including distributed setups, visit the official MinIO documentation.

License: MIT