How to deploy CKAN using lighttpd?

I would like to know how to run and deploy CKAN using lighttpd.

Actually, I'm using mod_proxy to redirect lighttpd to httpd alternative port (that's running ckan):

$HTTP["host"] == "ckan.example.com"{    
    proxy.server = ( "" =>
    ( "" => 
    ("host" => "127.0.0.1", "port" => 81)
    )
    )
}

But for sure it's reduced the performance.

The apache configuration is as follows:

WSGISocketPrefix /var/run/wsgi
<VirtualHost 0.0.0.0:81>
    ServerName localhost
    ServerAlias localhost
    WSGIScriptAlias / /etc/ckan/default/apache.wsgi

    # Pass authorization info on (needed for rest api).
    WSGIPassAuthorization On

    # Deploy as a daemon (avoids conflicts between CKAN instances).
    WSGIDaemonProcess ckan_default display-name=ckan_default processes=2 threads=15

    WSGIProcessGroup ckan_default

    # Add this to avoid Apache show error: 
    # "AH01630: client denied by server configuration: /etc/ckan/default/apache.wsgi" 
    <Directory /etc/ckan/default>
    Options All
    AllowOverride All
    Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/ckan_default.error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/ckan_default.custom.log combined
</VirtualHost>

The /etc/ckan/default/apache.wsgi is:

import os
activate_this = os.path.join('/usr/lib/ckan/default/bin/activate_this.py')
execfile(activate_this, dict(__file__=activate_this))

from paste.deploy import loadapp
config_filepath = os.path.join(os.path.dirname(os.path.abspath(__file__)), 'development.ini')
from paste.script.util.logging_config import fileConfig
fileConfig(config_filepath)
application = loadapp('config:%s' % config_filepath)

One way to do it as FastCGI would be perfect.

Solution

Without install nothing else, is possible run CKAN as a daemon and use proxy to serve ckan on port 80 by lighttpd.

So, to do that was necessary turn it a service on CentOS7:

Create a service to run ckan daemon:

With CentOS7 (and all RHEL7 Family) was easy to create service. You just need to create an ckand.service and run CKAN as a Daemon.

Create log and run dirs:

mkdir -p /var/run/ckan && chown ckan:ckan /var/run/ckan -R
mkdir -p /var/log/ckan && chown ckan:ckan /var/log/ckan -R

So create an ckand.service unit file for service with follow content:

You may need to change configuration file path.

[Unit]
Description=CKAN Daemon Service
Requires=solr.service postgresql.service
After=solr.service postgresql.service

[Service]
User=ckan
Group=ckan
Type=forking
TimeoutSec=0
PermissionsStartOnly=true

PIDFile=/var/run/ckan/ckan.pid

Restart=on-failure

RestartPreventExitStatus=1

PrivateTmp=false

ExecStart=/usr/lib/ckan/default/bin/paster serve /etc/ckan/default/development.ini --daemon  --pid-file=/var/run/ckan/ckan.pid  --log-file=/var/log/ckan/ckan.log
ExecStop=/usr/lib/ckan/default/bin/paster serve /etc/ckan/default/development.ini --stop-daemon --pid-file=/var/run/ckan/ckan.pid
ExecReload=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
KillMode=process

Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=42s

[Install]
WantedBy=default.target

And then create a vhost on lighttpd:

1st you must make sure that have proxy module activated and then on /etc/lighttpd/vhost.d/ you must create a .conf like that:

$HTTP["host"] == "ckan.example.com" {
  proxy.server = ( "" =>
        ( "" => 
            ("host" => "127.0.0.1", "port" => 5000) # if you're running ckan on a different port please change here
        )
    )
}

Resumed way:

cd /etc/ckan/default
wget https://gist.githubusercontent.com/LeonanCarvalho/a7bd73fe9632873c1bd7898c73d4b218/raw/637db259f4e1ac8980ea3377259bd65042cd1a8b/ckand.service
#It can't be a symbolic link
ln -P /etc/ckan/default/ckand.service /etc/systemd/system/ckand.service 
systemctl enable ckand
systemctl start ckand
systemctl status ckand -l
cd /etc/lighttpd/vhost.d
wget https://gist.githubusercontent.com/LeonanCarvalho/a7bd73fe9632873c1bd7898c73d4b218/raw/637db259f4e1ac8980ea3377259bd65042cd1a8b/ckan_lighttpd_vhost.conf
systemctl restart lighttpd

Please check content of links before wget, you may change it after download.