How to Use the Bluesky VPS Template at Hostinger

Getting started with the Bluesky VPS template

Updated 11 months ago

Bluesky PDS (Personal Data Server) is a key component of the decentralized social media ecosystem, allowing users to manage their own data while interacting with the Bluesky network. The “Ubuntu 22.04 with Bluesky” VPS template from Hostinger comes with Bluesky PDS preinstalled, enabling you to quickly set up and configure your own decentralized identity and data server. This guide walks you through the setup and management of Bluesky PDS on your VPS.

Accessing Your VPS

Use SSH to access your VPS. Open your terminal and run:

ssh root@your_vps_ip

Replace your_vps_ip with your VPS’s IP address. Enter your VPS password when prompted.

Verifying Bluesky PDS Installation

To ensure that Bluesky PDS is installed and running correctly, check the service status:

sudo systemctl status pds

If you need to monitor logs for troubleshooting, you can use:

sudo docker logs -f pds

Managing Users and Data

Bluesky PDS allows users to create and manage decentralized identities using the pdsadmin command-line tool.

To list all accounts:

pdsadmin account list

To create a new account, specify an email and handle:

pdsadmin account create alice@example.com alice.example.com

If you need to delete an account using its DID, use:

pdsadmin account delete did:plc:xyz123abc456

For administrative control, you can also take down an account:

pdsadmin account takedown did:plc:xyz123abc456

To reverse a takedown and reinstate an account:

pdsadmin account untakedown did:plc:xyz123abc456

If a user forgets their password, you can reset it with:

pdsadmin account reset-password did:plc:xyz123abc456

To request a crawl from a relay host, run:

pdsadmin request-crawl bsky.network

For invite-only systems, generate an invite code with:

pdsadmin create-invite-code

Keeping Bluesky PDS Updated

To keep your Bluesky PDS server up to date, use the following command:

pdsadmin update

After updating, restart the service:

systemctl restart bluesky-pds

Conclusion

With the “Ubuntu 22.04 with Bluesky” VPS template from Hostinger, you can quickly deploy a personal data server that integrates into the Bluesky decentralized social media network. By following this guide, you can configure, secure, and manage your PDS, ensuring a seamless and private social networking experience. If you’d like more customization, please consult the official Bluesky PDS documentation.