CouchDB Install Guide | For Debian & Centos Linux Servers

Enhancing data storage and retrieval capabilities at IOFLOOD often requires efficient data processing and real-time analytics. We have observed that installing CouchDB on Linux allows support for multi-master replication, ACID compliance, and incremental MapReduce views which makes data management a breeze. To guide our dedicated hosting customers that have questions on utilizing document-oriented databases with CouchDB, we have provided this comprehensive article.

In this guide, we will walk you through the process of installing CouchDB on your Linux system. We will delve into more advanced topics like compiling CouchDB from source and installing a specific version. Finally, we will provide clear and concise instructions on how to use CouchDB and verify that the correct version is installed.

So, let’s dive in and begin installing CouchDB on your Linux system!

TL;DR: How Do I Install CouchDB on Linux?

You can install CouchDB on Linux using the package manager for your distribution. For example, on Ubuntu, you would use the command sudo apt-get install couchdb.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install couchdb

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# The following additional packages will be installed:
#  couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# Suggested packages:
#  erlang erlang-manpages erlang-doc
# The following NEW packages will be installed:
#  couchdb couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# 0 upgraded, 4 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
# Need to get 22.5 MB of archives.
# After this operation, 30.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.
# Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

This command will update your package list, install CouchDB along with its dependencies, and confirm the successful installation. This is just a basic way to install CouchDB on Linux, but there’s much more to learn about installing and using CouchDB. Continue reading for more detailed information and advanced usage scenarios.

Get Started with CouchDB on Linux

CouchDB is a NoSQL database developed by Apache that uses JSON to store data, JavaScript as its query language, and HTTP for an API. It’s a popular choice for developers due to its easy replication and scalability features. Whether you’re building a mobile app or a web application, CouchDB can be a robust solution for your data storage needs.

Let’s walk through the installation process on different Linux distributions.

Installing CouchDB using APT (Debian and Ubuntu)

If you’re using a Debian-based distribution like Ubuntu, you can use the APT package manager to install CouchDB. Here’s how:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y couchdb

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# The following additional packages will be installed:
#  couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# Suggested packages:
#  erlang erlang-manpages erlang-doc
# The following NEW packages will be installed:
#  couchdb couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# 0 upgraded, 4 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
# Need to get 22.5 MB of archives.
# After this operation, 30.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.

The -y flag automatically confirms the installation so you won’t have to manually do so during the process.

Installing CouchDB using YUM (CentOS, RHEL, and Fedora)

For CentOS, RHEL, and Fedora users, the YUM package manager is your tool of choice. Here’s how you can install CouchDB using YUM:

sudo yum update
sudo yum install couchdb

# Output:
# Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
# Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
# Resolving Dependencies
# --> Running transaction check
# ---> Package couchdb.noarch 0:1.6.1-2.el7 will be installed
# --> Finished Dependency Resolution
# Dependencies Resolved
# ================================================================================
#  Package        Arch           Version                 Repository       Size
# ================================================================================
# Installing:
#  couchdb        noarch         1.6.1-2.el7             base            572 k
# Transaction Summary
# ================================================================================
# Install  1 Package
# Total download size: 572 k
# Installed size: 2.3 M
# Is this ok [y/d/N]: y
# Downloading packages:
# Running transaction check
# Running transaction test
# Transaction test succeeded
# Running transaction
# Installing : couchdb-1.6.1-2.el7.noarch                                      1/1 
# Verifying  : couchdb-1.6.1-2.el7.noarch                                      1/1 
# Installed:
#   couchdb.noarch 0:1.6.1-2.el7                                                     
# Complete!

This will ensure your system is up to date before beginning the CouchDB installation process.

Remember, these are just the basic installation methods. There are other advanced methods like installing from the source or using Docker, which we’ll cover in the next section.

Installing CouchDB from Source

For those who prefer to compile from source, CouchDB provides the source code that you can download and compile. Here’s how you can do it:

wget http://apache.mirrors.pair.com/couchdb/source/2.3.1/apache-couchdb-2.3.1.tar.gz
tar xzf apache-couchdb-2.3.1.tar.gz
cd apache-couchdb-2.3.1
./configure
make release

# Output:
# ... (lots of output)
# CouchDB has been installed in .../apache-couchdb-2.3.1/rel/couchdb

This will download the CouchDB source, extract it, and then compile and install it.

Install Different Versions of CouchDB

Different versions of CouchDB may have different features or compatibility with different systems. It’s important to choose the version that best suits your needs.

Installing Different Versions from Source

You can specify the version you want to install by changing the version number in the download URL. For example, to install version 2.3.0, you would use the following command:

wget http://apache.mirrors.pair.com/couchdb/source/2.3.0/apache-couchdb-2.3.0.tar.gz

# Output:
# ... (lots of output)
# Saving to: ‘apache-couchdb-2.3.0.tar.gz’

Installing Different Versions using APT

For Debian-based systems, you can specify the version in the install command. For example, to install CouchDB 2.3.0, you would use:

sudo apt-get install couchdb=2.3.0

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# The following additional packages will be installed:
#  couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# Suggested packages:
#  erlang erlang-manpages erlang-doc
# The following NEW packages will be installed:
#  couchdb couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# 0 upgraded, 4 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
# Need to get 22.5 MB of archives.
# After this operation, 30.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.
# Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Installing Different Versions using YUM

For CentOS, RHEL, and Fedora, you can use the yum command with the --showduplicates option to list all available versions, and then install the desired version. For example:

yum --showduplicates list couchdb
sudo yum install couchdb-2.3.0

# Output:
# Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
# Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
# Available Packages
# couchdb.noarch 1.6.1-2.el7 base
# couchdb.noarch 2.3.0-1.el7 epel
# Installing:
#  couchdb.noarch 0:2.3.0-1.el7                                                     
# Complete!

Here’s a brief comparison of the key changes across the versions:

Verifying the Installation

You can verify that CouchDB is installed and running with the following command:

curl http://127.0.0.1:5984

# Output:
# {"couchdb":"Welcome","version":"2.3.1","git_sha":"c298091a4","uuid":"i14u0kktu","features":["pluggable-storage-engines","scheduler"],"vendor":{"name":"The Apache Software Foundation","version":"2.3.1"}}

This command sends a HTTP request to the CouchDB server running on localhost. The response confirms that CouchDB is running and provides the version number.

Exploring Alternatives to CouchDB

While CouchDB is an excellent choice for many projects, it’s not the only NoSQL database out there. Depending on your specific needs, MongoDB or Cassandra might be a better fit. Let’s take a closer look at each of these alternatives.

MongoDB: A Document Database

MongoDB is a document database that provides high performance, high availability, and easy scalability. It works on the concept of collections and documents, similar to CouchDB.

Installing MongoDB on Linux is straightforward. Here’s how you can do it on Ubuntu:

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install -y mongodb

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# mongodb is already the newest version (1:3.6.3-0ubuntu1.1).
# 0 upgraded, 0 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.

This command will update your package list and install MongoDB on your system.

Apache Cassandra: A Wide-Column Store

Apache Cassandra is a highly scalable and high-performance distributed database management system that can handle large amounts of data across many commodity servers.

Here’s how to install it on a Debian-based system:

echo "deb http://www.apache.org/dist/cassandra/debian 40x main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/cassandra.sources.list
curl https://www.apache.org/dist/cassandra/KEYS | sudo apt-key add -
sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install cassandra

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# The following NEW packages will be installed:
#  cassandra
# 0 upgraded, 1 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
# Need to get 27.8 MB of archives.
# After this operation, 39.3 MB of additional disk space will be used.

This will add the Cassandra repository to your sources list, import the repository key, update your package list, and finally install Cassandra.

Here’s a quick comparison of CouchDB, MongoDB, and Cassandra:

While CouchDB’s HTTP/REST protocol is easy to understand and use, MongoDB and Cassandra’s binary protocol might be faster. MongoDB’s Master-Slave replication could be easier to manage than CouchDB’s Master-Master replication, but Cassandra’s Masterless architecture provides high availability and fault tolerance. Finally, the language the databases are written in might affect their performance and compatibility with different systems.

Installation Troubleshooting CouchDB

While installing CouchDB on Linux is generally straightforward, you may encounter some issues. Here are some common problems and their solutions.

Issue: Package Not Found

When trying to install CouchDB, you might see an error message saying the package couldn’t be found. This could be due to outdated package lists.

sudo apt-get install couchdb

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# E: Unable to locate package couchdb

Solution: Update your package list using the update command and then try installing CouchDB again.

sudo apt-get update
sudo apt-get install couchdb

# Output:
# Reading package lists... Done
# Building dependency tree
# Reading state information... Done
# The following additional packages will be installed:
#  couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# Suggested packages:
#  erlang erlang-manpages erlang-doc
# The following NEW packages will be installed:
#  couchdb couchdb-bin erlang-nox libmozjs185-1.0
# 0 upgraded, 4 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.
# Need to get 22.5 MB of archives.
# After this operation, 30.1 MB of additional disk space will be used.
# Do you want to continue? [Y/n]

Issue: CouchDB Service Not Starting

After installing CouchDB, it might not start automatically. You can verify this by trying to access the CouchDB server.

curl http://127.0.0.1:5984

# Output:
# curl: (7) Failed to connect to 127.0.0.1 port 5984: Connection refused

Solution: Start the CouchDB service manually using the start command.

sudo service couchdb start

# Output:
# * Starting database server couchdb

Then, verify that CouchDB is running.

curl http://127.0.0.1:5984

# Output:
# {"couchdb":"Welcome","version":"2.3.1","git_sha":"c298091a4","uuid":"i14u0kktu","features":["pluggable-storage-engines","scheduler"],"vendor":{"name":"The Apache Software Foundation","version":"2.3.1"}}

These are just a few examples of the issues you might encounter when installing CouchDB on Linux. Remember, every problem has a solution, so don’t be discouraged if you encounter difficulties. With patience and perseverance, you’ll have CouchDB up and running on your Linux system in no time.

CouchDB and the NoSQL Revolution

Before delving into the specifics of CouchDB, it’s important to understand the bigger picture. CouchDB is a type of NoSQL database. But what does that mean, and how does it compare to traditional SQL databases?

SQL vs NoSQL: The Core Differences

SQL (Structured Query Language) databases, such as MySQL and PostgreSQL, have been the industry standard for many years. They are known for their robustness, ACID compliance (Atomicity, Consistency, Isolation, Durability), and structured, table-like data organization.

However, with the rise of big data and cloud computing, the industry needed more flexible and scalable solutions, leading to the advent of NoSQL databases. Unlike SQL databases, NoSQL databases can handle unstructured data and are designed for scalability.

Advantages of NoSQL Databases

NoSQL databases, like CouchDB, offer several advantages over traditional SQL databases:

• Scalability: NoSQL databases are designed to expand easily to handle more traffic and data. You can add more servers to your database cluster to increase capacity.

• Flexibility: NoSQL databases can handle all sorts of data – structured, semi-structured, and unstructured. This makes them a great choice for applications that need to handle a variety of data types.

• Speed: Because they can handle unstructured data, NoSQL databases don’t need to spend time ensuring data consistency like SQL databases do. This can make them faster for certain types of operations.

Understanding CouchDB

CouchDB is a type of NoSQL database called a document database. Instead of storing data in tables as SQL databases do, CouchDB stores data in a flexible, JSON-based format. This allows for easy data replication and scaling.

Here’s an example of what a CouchDB document might look like:

{
  "_id": "001",
  "_rev": "1-2628a75ac8c84804c07ad7ade1155a20",
  "name": "John Doe",
  "age": 30,
  "role": "Developer"
}

# Output:
# Document created with ID: 001, and revision: 1-2628a75ac8c84804c07ad7ade1155a20

In this example, we’re creating a new CouchDB document with the ID ‘001’. The document contains three fields: ‘name’, ‘age’, and ‘role’. Once the document is created, CouchDB will return a confirmation with the ID and revision number of the document.

Understanding the fundamental differences between SQL and NoSQL databases, and the advantages of NoSQL databases like CouchDB, is key to making the most of them. With this knowledge in hand, you can better understand why you might choose to use CouchDB and how to use it effectively.

The Future of NoSQL and CouchDB

NoSQL databases like CouchDB have been gaining popularity in recent years, and for good reason. They offer flexibility, scalability, and speed that traditional SQL databases can’t match. As the amount of data we generate continues to grow, and as applications become more complex, the need for NoSQL databases will only increase.

Data Modeling in NoSQL

Unlike SQL databases, which require a rigid schema, NoSQL databases allow for flexible data modeling. This means you can store data in whatever format makes the most sense for your application. For example, in CouchDB, you can store data as JSON documents, allowing for complex, nested data structures that would be difficult to represent in a traditional relational database.

Scalability and NoSQL

One of the key advantages of NoSQL databases is their scalability. As your application grows, you can easily add more servers to your database cluster to handle the increased load. This is in contrast to SQL databases, which often require significant effort to scale horizontally (across multiple servers).

Further Resources for Mastering CouchDB

To deepen your understanding of CouchDB and NoSQL databases, consider exploring these resources:

1. Apache CouchDB’s Official Documentation: This is the definitive guide to CouchDB, straight from the source. It covers everything from installation to advanced topics like clustering and replication.

2. The Little MongoDB Book: Although this book is about MongoDB, another NoSQL database, it provides a great introduction to NoSQL concepts and data modeling.

3. CouchDB: The Definitive Guide: This free online book provides a comprehensive look at CouchDB, including its architecture, data model, and API.

By exploring these resources and practicing your skills, you’ll be well on your way to mastering CouchDB and leveraging the power of NoSQL databases.

Reca: Setting Up CouchDB on Linux

In this comprehensive guide, we’ve navigated through the process of installing CouchDB, a NoSQL database, on Linux systems. We’ve explored the process from the basics to advanced levels, providing you with the knowledge to handle different scenarios and requirements.

We began with the basics, walking through the process of installing CouchDB on Linux using the package manager for different distributions. We then delved into more advanced topics, such as compiling CouchDB from source, installing specific versions, and verifying the installed version.

Along the way, we tackled common challenges you might face when installing CouchDB on Linux, such as package not found and service not starting. We provided you with solutions and workarounds for each issue, preparing you to overcome any hurdles you might encounter.

We also introduced you to alternative NoSQL databases such as MongoDB and Cassandra, providing a broader perspective on the NoSQL landscape. Here’s a quick comparison of these databases:

Whether you’re just starting out with CouchDB or you’re looking to level up your database management skills, we hope this guide has given you a deeper understanding of the installation process and the alternatives available.

The NoSQL revolution is here, and with tools like CouchDB, managing large, complex datasets has never been easier. Happy coding!