First, we need to know the location of Alist in the GitHub project: Alist
1. What is Alist#
It is a file list program that supports multiple storage options, created using Gin and Solidjs. In simple terms, it allows you to mount cloud storage to a server and extract direct links to download and perform other operations on the files. What's more, Alist supports not only a few cloud storage platforms, but also almost all commonly used ones, making it a comprehensive cross-cloud list management tool.
2. What can Alist be used for#
Users can download or view files on cloud storage (generally without size restrictions) without the need for a client or even a membership. It allows for unlimited download speed and even supports playing videos in their original quality, making it very convenient. It can even be used as your own personal media system.
As a beginner, I think it's great that Alist can play files in cloud storage in their original quality, not to mention its support for external media players for video browsing.
Most domestic cloud storage platforms (except for Thunder's original quality) usually transcode and compress uploaded video media files in order to reduce the server's bandwidth usage when playing videos online. This is especially true for platforms like Baidu Cloud and Quark Cloud, where the video bitrate is extremely low. Not to mention the fact that they don't support 4K HDR or even Dolby Vision formats.
3. How to deploy?#
Windows deployment: First, we find the source address of the project on GitHub [alist-org/alist] and go to the Release page to download the version that suits your system.
Once downloaded, double-click to open it. The log line: Initial password: PFvOd4oY is your initial password, make sure to remember it as you will need it to access the management page later. start server @ 0.0.0.0:5244 is the address of your Alist service, open it in your browser.
Linux deployment:
Considering the need for remote access (for use as a NAS), there are also specific requirements for deploying Alist on a server. Taking my personal server environment as an example: CentOS 7.9.2009 / BT panel 7.9.3, we can use the one-click script provided in the official Alist documentation for installation. Of course, you can also install it without using the BT panel, as long as it is a Linux-x86_64/aarch64 platform (most mainstream service providers' Linux environments should meet the requirements). Now, let's use the BT panel as an example and enter the SSH terminal:
Enter the following command in the terminal: curl -fsSL "https://nn.ci/alist.sh" | bash -s install
Wait for the command to run automatically. After it finishes, the terminal interface will display logs similar to the Windows version of Alist, which also includes the initial password information and the initial address of the server.
If the server does not have the BT panel installed, you can also directly enter the one-click installation command using the SSH terminal provided by the service provider or Putty. If you don't know how to access the SSH terminal, please search for the method to access the SSH terminal for the corresponding service provider on Baidu.
Note: Make sure to open port 5244 in the firewall of the service provider or the BT panel in advance.
Replit deployment:
For those who don't have a server, you can use this method to set it up~
Download the "alist-linux-musl-amd64.tar.gz" file from the Alist Release page and extract the Alist binary file to your computer. Rename Alist to "Xlist". (This step is necessary, otherwise it may be blocked)
Next, register for a free database account: https://bit.io/dashboard. Choose the free version and create a database with any name. After entering, click "Connect" to complete this step.
Then register for Replit; go to the homepage and click "Create Repl", search for "Bash" in the search box and select it;
Drag the binary file you just downloaded into the Files box and wait for it to finish uploading. Then, click "Secret" in the bottom left corner; click "Open raw editor" and enter the following content:
{
"DB_TYPE": "postgres",
"DB_HOST": "db.bit.io",
"DB_PORT": "5432",
"DB_USER": "user",
"DB_PASS": "password",
"DB_NAME": "user/alist",
"DB_TABLE_PREFIX": "alist_",
"DB_SSL_MODE": "require"
}
Find the variables mentioned above in the "Connect" section of the database and fill them in one by one.
Then, in the "shell" section, enter: "chmod 777 Xlist" (Xlist is the modified name of the binary file) and press enter to confirm.
Click "main.sh", delete all the content inside, and enter: "./xlist server"; then click "Run".
Don't worry, there are still some things left to fill in.
Click "stop" and go to the data☞config.json file created by the system; do you see the Database section inside? That's where we need to make changes.
Click "Secret" again and fill in the content inside into the config.json file one by one.
Click "Run" again.
The administrator's username and password will appear in the system logs. Remember them and use them to log in. Don't forget to change the administrator password after the first login.
4. Deployment completed, using Alist#
With the deployment completed, we can now start configuring and using the powerful Alist program. Whether it's on the Windows platform or a Linux-based platform, configuring and using Alist is web-based and very easy to use.
After entering the correct address, we can access the Alist web page!
The password here is the initial password we obtained in the deployment step. Enter the initial password to access the backend interface for configuration.
First, we can change the password for the backend here to a password that we are familiar with, making it easier to access the backend in the future.
At this point, we have successfully entered the Alist backend management interface. The next step is to add cloud storage accounts and mount them.
Mounting cloud storage is described in detail in the official documentation, so we won't go into it here. (Go to official documentation)