************
Installation
************

Install dependencies (as root/sudo)
##########################

::

    apt-get install libffi-dev libssl-dev python-dev python3-pip
    pip3 install virtualenv
    
Note that virtualenv is a best practice for python, but installation can also be on a user/global level.

Install databases (as root/sudo)
##########################

MINT uses a local sqllite database which requires mysql setup (running a mysql server instance is not required). Assuming
a Ubuntu 16.04. machine, please install

::

    apt-get install libmysqlclient-dev

Install bos-mint (as user)
##########################

You can either install bos-mint via pypi / pip3 (production installation) or via git clone (debug installation). For production use install bos-auto via pip3 is recommended, but the git master branch is always the latest release as well, making both installations equivalent. Suggested is a seperate user

::

    cd ~
    mkdir bos-mint
    cd bos-mint
    # create virtual environment
    virtualenv -p python3 env
    # activate environment
    source env/bin/activate
    # install bos-mint into virtual environment
    pip3 install bos-mint
    
For debug use, checkout from github (master branch) and install dependencies manually 

::

    cd ~	
    # checkout from github
    git checkout https://github.com/pbsa/bos-mint
    cd bos-mint
    # create virtual environment
    virtualenv -p python3 env
    # activate environment
    source env/bin/activate
    # install dependencies
    pip3 install -r requirements.txt

BOS MINT is supposed to run in the virtual environment. Either activate it beforehand like shown above or 
run it directly in the env/bin folder.

Upgrading bos-mint  (as user)
######################################

For production installation, upgrade to the latest version - including all dependencies - via

::

    pip3 install --upgrade --upgrade-strategy eager bos-mint

For debug installation, pull latest master branch and upgrade dependencies manually

::

    git pull
    pip3 install -r requirements.txt --upgrade --upgrade-strategy eager

Modify configuration
##########################

We now need to configure bos-auto.

::

   # basic mint configuration file
   wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/PBSA/bos-mint/master/config-example.yaml
   mv config-example.yaml config-bos-mint.yaml
   # modify config-bos-mint.yaml (add your own peerplays node and secret key)

Defauilt config only requires as listed below:

.. include:: ../config-example.yaml
   :literal:
   
Possible override values are described below:

.. include:: ../bos_mint/config-defaults.yaml
   :literal:

Running bos-mint
####################

To run MINT in debug mode use

.. code-block:: sh

    bos-mint start  --port 8001 --host localhost
    
The output that you see should contain

::

    2018-05-18 11:56:04,754 INFO      :  * Running on http://localhost:8001/ (Press CTRL+C to quit)

The above setup is basic and for development use. Going forward, a witness may want to deploy
UWSGI with parallel workers for the endpoint.

MINT is purposely run on localhost to restrict outside access. Securing a python flask application from malicious break in attempts is tedious and would be an ongoing effort. Recommendation is to access it via a SSH tunnel or through VPN.

Example for SSH tunnel: Assume BOS MINT is running on a remote server accessible via 1.2.3.4 and you have login credentials via SSH (password or pivate key access). On the local machine that you will be using to access MINT via a web browser open the tunnel

::

    ssh -f -N -L 8080:127.0.0.1:8001 yourusername@1.2.3.4

-f - send process to background
-N - do not send commands (if you need open ssh connections only for tunneling)
-L - port mapping (8080 port on your machine, 127.0.0.1:8001 - proxy to where MINT runs)

Now you can open mint in your browser using http://localhost:8080 address.

After starting MINT use your favorite desktop browser to access it and you will be asked to enter your witness key that will be stored encrypted in the 
local peerplays wallet. Please note that MINT is not optimized for mobile use yet.