Currently there are two options available for NetBSD: manual installation (from source) or using experimental package from [pkgsrc-wip](https://github.com/NetBSD/pkgsrc-wip/tree/master/pleroma).
WIP package can be installed via pkgsrc and can be crosscompiled for easier binary distribution. Source installation most probably will be restricted to a single machine.
## pkgsrc installation
WIP package creates Mix.Release (similar to how Docker images are built) but doesn't bundle Erlang runtime, listing it as a dependency instead. This allows for easier and more modular installations, especially on weaker machines. Currently this method also does not support all features of `pleroma_ctl` command (like changing installation type or managing frontends) as NetBSD is not yet a supported binary flavour of Pleroma's CI.
In any case, you can install it the same way as any other `pkgsrc-wip` package:
Use `bmake package` to create a binary package. This can come especially handy if you're targeting embedded or low-power systems and are crosscompiling on a more powerful machine.
> Note: Elixir has [endianness bug](https://github.com/elixir-lang/elixir/issues/2785) which requires it to be compiled on a machine with the same endianness. In other words, package crosscompiled on amd64 (little endian) won't work on powerpc or sparc machines (big endian). While _in theory™_ nothing catastrophic should happen, one can see that for example regexes won't work properly. Some distributions just strip this warning away, so it doesn't bother the users... anyway, you've been warned.
## Install media / graphics packages (optional, see [`docs/installation/optional/media_graphics_packages.md`](../installation/optional/media_graphics_packages.md))
From now on, you may encounter `$PREFIX` variable in the paths. This variable indicates your current local pkgsrc prefix. Usually it's `/usr/pkg` unless you configured it otherwise. Translating to pkgsrc's lingo, it's called `LOCALBASE`, which essentially means the same this. You may want to set it up for your local shell session (this uses `mksh` which should already be installed as one of the required dependencies):
Now, you need to configure your instance. During this initial configuration, you will be asked some questions about your server. You will need a domain name at this point; it doesn't have to be deployed, but changing it later will be very cumbersome.
If you've installed via pkgsrc, `pleroma_ctl` should already be in your `PATH`; if you've installed from source, it's located at `/home/pleroma/pleroma/release/bin/pleroma_ctl`.
### (Strongly recommended) serve media on another domain
Refer to the [Hardening your instance](../configuration/hardening.md) document on how to serve media on another domain. We STRONGLY RECOMMEND you to do this to minimize attack vectors.
For properly functioning instance, you will need pleroma (backend service), nginx (reverse proxy) and postgresql (database) services running. There's no requirement for them to reside on the same machine, but you have to provide autostart for each of them.
Questions about the installation or didn’t it work as it should be, ask in [#pleroma:libera.chat](https://matrix.to/#/#pleroma:libera.chat) via Matrix or **#pleroma** on **libera.chat** via IRC.