Step 1 : What You Will Need

Step 2: Get program code

You have 3 options.

1. Recommended: You clone demo-server and let it download all dependendent fineract-cn-* libraries and projects from Artifactory to your local Maven repository
   

   • Follow the instructions:
     mkdir integration-tests
     cd integration-tests
     git clone https://github.com/apache/fineract-cn-demo-server.git
     cd fineract-cn-demo-server/
     cd  scripts/dependencies_to_local_maven
     mvn package         (this brings all the fineract-cn-* dependencies from Artifactory to your local maven repo)
     cd ../..
     ./gradlew build

   • You can switch to options #2 or #3 below later, once you start changing the program code.
   • Fineract uses Gradle for building but for demo server we need to get dependent projects to local maven repository because this is where demo server looks for them.
2. You clone Fineract CN repositories directly
   
   • later if you want to contribute to some microservice then you have to create a fork and switch to that fork to create a pull request
   • this way you don't have to fork anything and you can use `git pull` to get latest updates 
   • For this option: download and run the script using `bash initial-setup.sh apache`
     
   • Note :  Ensure that you get BUILD SUCCESSFUL after iteration for EACH repository. Also ensure that artifacts show up in $USER_HOME/.m2/repository/org/apache/fineract/cn/
3. You fork all the Apache Fineract CN repositories to yourGithubHandle and check out code from there.
   • This way you can directly work on your forks (but your forks don't get code updates automatically with git pull)
   • after you have logged in to Github with yourGithubHandle and created forks of apache Fineract CN repositories 
   • For this option: download and run the script using `bash initial-setup.sh yourGithubHandle`
     
   • Note :  Ensure that you get BUILD SUCCESSFUL after iteration for EACH repository. Also ensure that artifacts show up in $USER_HOME/.m2/repository/org/apache/fineract/cn/

Step 3: Orchestrate Microservices Using The Demo-server

Read what demo server is about. Explanatory note: To better understand what the demo server does, optionally consider manually orchestrating the services as illustrated at https://github.com/vishwasbabu/ProvisioningFineractCN.  Following this link takes you to a different process. 

Note: On average the build process below will take at least 30 - 40 mins to complete when building on 8 (x86-64) dedicated cores, >=16 GB of memory and an SSD drive.

Note: To only work with a minimum set of services (to get started quickly), add additional flag to each of the following commands: -Ddemoserver.lite=true (more info from demo-server readme)

Prerequisites

cd into `integration-tests/fineract-cn-demo-server/build/libs/` (or if you just cloned demo-server (option #1 in previous step) then just cd into build/libs)

No services locally listening on ports: 4200, 61616, 2021, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, 2033

Running demo-server with or without persistence 

You can use key "demoserver.persistent" to run demo server in two separate modes:

• Option A - without persistence. During startup the demo server starts internal relational (PostgreSQL) and No-SQL (Cassandra) databases which are teared down when demo server is stopped and all state is lost.
• Option B - with persistence. You run the demo-server using directly your local data stores , i.e. locally-installed PostgreSQL and Cassandra. The changes are saved between restarts of demo server.

You can look up starting the internal databases from the code.

Option A - run demo-server without persistence

If you don't add argument -Ddemoserver.persistent when starting demo-server then demo-server starts up internal PostgreSQL and Cassandra databases. 

• For internally launched database to be able to start accepting connections on PostgreSQL default port 3306 you need to stop your local PostgreSQL or make your locally installed PostgreSQL listen to some other port (like 3307). You can check if PostgreSQL is still listening on port 3306 using: `netstat -plnt`
• Also you need to make sure Cassandra (or any other service) is not running locally and listening on port 9042.

Use the command  `java -jar -Ddemoserver.provision=true demo-server-0.1.0-BUILD-SNAPSHOT.jar` (and add -Ddemoserver.lite=true if you only want a subset of services)

Option B - run demo-server with persistence

If you add -Ddemoserver.persistent=true argument when starting demo-server then demo-server doesn't launch databases internally and you need to run the databases locally yourself.

Make sure Cassandra and PostgreSQL services are started using `service postgresql start` and `service cassandra start`.

Note that your username and password of your locally-installed datastores - PostgreSQL and cassandra - will have to conform to the specifications in demo-server to work. You'll have to ensure PostgreSQL's `postgres` user has password `postgres` and Cassandra's `cassandra` user has password `password` .

Running for the first time - use "command I"

If you are running Fineract CN for the first time on your OS, use command I to create PostgreSQL and Cassandra local databases. 

Command I: `java -Ddemoserver.provision=true -Ddemoserver.persistent=true -Dcustom.cassandra.contactPoints=127.0.0.1:9042 -Dcassandra.cluster.user=cassandra -Dcassandra.cluster.pwd=password -Dcustom.postgresql.host=localhost -Dcustom.postgresql.user=postgres -Dcustom.postgresql.password=postgres -jar demo-server-0.1.0-BUILD-SNAPSHOT.jar`

Note: if running command I failed for any reason, delete any residual databases or keyspaces 'seshat' and/or 'playground' in PostgreSQL and Cassandra, and start over with command I until it succeeds.

After command I runs to completion, verify that databases `playground` and `seshat` have indeed been created by logging into PostgreSQL's `postgres` user account and running `\l ;`.

Also, log into Cassandra's cassandra user account and type `describe keyspaces;` to ensure that `seshat` and `playground` 

If you have successfully used command I to run demo-server before, then use command II HENCEFORTH which uses the local databases created by command I.

Running demo-server after initial run has been successful - use "command II"

Command II: `java -Ddemoserver.persistent=true -Dcustom.cassandra.contactPoints=127.0.0.1:9042 -Dcassandra.cluster.user=cassandra -Dcassandra.cluster.pwd=password -Dcustom.postgresql.host=localhost -Dcustom.postgresql.user=postgres -Dcustom.postgresql.password=postgres -jar demo-server-0.1.0-BUILD-SNAPSHOT.jar`

Troubleshooting Step 3.

• Increase max_connections in `postgresql.conf`:  Edit /var/lib/pgsql/data/postgresql.conf.  
  • max_connection = 100 => max_connection = 260

How to verify demo server started up successfully

This takes some time so be patient. From console output you see demo-server starting up services one by one. Eventually the following services should be set up:

The following log statement signals the completion of the build:

“INFO  o.e.jetty.server.AbstractConnector - StoppedServerConnector@1bdb0376{HTTP/1.1,[http/1.1]}

Only after this has occurred can you move to the next step. Note that the logs won't stop after this statement.

Step 4: Run The Fims Web App

Read what fims-web-app is about.

• cd into ‘integration-tests/fineract-cn-fims-web-app'
• Run ‘npm i’

Feedback Note :  If there are packages such as @angular-devkit or @rxjs which you aren’t installed, then do so manually at this point;

Run ’npm run dev’

Wait until a similar message is displayed in logs:

   chunk    {0} index.html 1.XX kB [entry] [rendered]

webpack: Compiled successfully.

Note that, if you are running the system from a remote server, you will have to replace 'localhost' in 'http://localhost' in lines 3,10,17,etc with the IP address of your server in your proxy.conf.json file.

• Open http://localhost:4200 on fims - backoffice
• Login to the platform using the credentials,

    Tenant : playground

    Username : operator

    Password : init1@l 

Feedback Note : You should be on fims - backoffice at http://localhost:4200/quickAccess

Congratulations! You’ve Successfully Ran Apache Fineract CN

Tips: Preparing For The Next Build

1. If you used option A: clean up your /tmp folder after every build using  `sudo rm -fr /tmp/*`
2. Ensure that all relevant ports are free by viewing them with `sudo netstat -plnt | grep port_number` and killing processing using them with `sudo kill -9 port_number`
   List Of Relevant ports: 3306, 4200, 61616, 2021, 2022, 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025, 2026, 2028, 2029, 2030, 2031, 2032, 2033
3. Restart the system if necessary.

Common Issues When Running Fineract CN on a Virtual Machine

1. Low Entropy: Solution - Increase Virtual Machine's Entropy using this guide .

Related articles

Useful external links

Deploying spring boot jars