Setting Up AliasVault Development Environment on Windows

This guide will help you set up AliasVault for development on Windows using WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

Prerequisites

  1. Install WSL
    • Open PowerShell as Administrator and run: 
      wsl --install
    • This will install Ubuntu by default
    • Restart your computer after installation
  2. Install Visual Studio 2022
    • Download from Visual Studio Downloads
    • Required Workloads:
      • ASP.NET and web development
      • .NET WebAssembly development tools
      • .NET cross-platform development
  3. Install .NET 9 SDK
    • Download from .NET Downloads
    • Install both Windows and Linux versions (you’ll need both)

Setup Steps

  1. Clone the Repository 
    git clone https://github.com/lanedirt/AliasVault.git
cd AliasVault
  2. Configure WSL
    • Open WSL terminal
    • Edit WSL configuration: 
      sudo nano /etc/wsl.conf
    • Add the following configuration: 
      [automount]
enabled = true
options = "metadata,umask=22,fmask=11"
mountFsTab = false

[boot]
systemd=true
    • Save the file (Ctrl+X, then Y)
    • Restart WSL from PowerShell: 
      wsl --shutdown
  3. Setup Development Database
    • Open a new WSL terminal in the AliasVault directory
    • Run the development database setup: 
      ./install.sh configure-dev-db
    • Select option 1 to start the development database
    • Verify the database is running: 
      docker ps | grep postgres-dev
  4. Run the Application
    • Open the solution in Visual Studio 2022
    • Set WebApi as the startup project
    • Press F5 to run in debug mode

Troubleshooting

Database Connection Issues

If the WebApi fails to start due to database connection issues:

  1. Check Database Status 
    docker ps | grep postgres-dev
  2. Check Database Logs 
    docker logs aliasvault-dev-postgres-dev-1
  3. Permission Issues If you see permission errors, try: 
    sudo mkdir -p ./database/postgres
sudo chown -R 999:999 ./database/postgres
sudo chmod -R 700 ./database/postgres
  4. Restart Development Database 
    ./install.sh configure-dev-db
# Select option 2 to stop, then option 1 to start again

WSL Issues

If you experience WSL-related issues:

  1. Make sure you have the latest WSL version: 
    wsl --update
  2. Verify WSL is running correctly: 
    wsl --status
  3. If problems persist, try resetting WSL: 
    wsl --shutdown
wsl

Additional Notes

  • Always run the development database before starting the WebApi project
  • Make sure you’re using the correct .NET SDK version in both Windows and WSL
  • If you modify the WSL configuration, always restart WSL afterward
  • For best performance, store the project files in the Linux filesystem rather than the Windows filesystem

Support

If you encounter any issues not covered in this guide, please:

  1. Check the GitHub Issues
  2. Search for existing solutions
  3. Create a new issue if needed