Kiwix-Raspberry-Pi

Latest way to install Kiwix on Raspberry Pi. (It works with Pi Zero 2 W)

How to Install Kiwix on Your Raspberry Pi

Kiwix allows you to access offline copies of websites like Wikipedia. This guide will walk you through installing and setting up Kiwix on your Raspberry Pi.

---

Prerequisites

Before starting, make sure:

1. You have a Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS installed.
2. You have an active internet connection.
3. You are logged in as a user with sudo privileges.
4. My user is admin, if yours is different please change it in the below scrips.

---

Installation Steps

Step 1: Update and Upgrade Your System

First, ensure your system is up to date:

sudo apt update -y && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Kiwix Tools

Install the Kiwix Tools package:

sudo apt install kiwix-tools -y

---

Setting Up the Kiwix Library

Step 3: Create a Library File

1. Create a directory to store your library:

   sudo mkdir /home/admin/kiwix-library

2. Create an empty library.xml file:

   sudo touch /home/admin/kiwix-library/library.xml

3. Open the file for editing:

   sudo nano /home/admin/kiwix-library/library.xml

4. Add the following content and save the file:

   <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
   <library xmlns="http://www.kiwix.org/">
   </library>

Step 4: Download a Sample Book

Download a sample ZIM file to your library directory:

sudo wget -O /home/admin/kiwix-library/medlineplus.gov_en_all_2025-01.zim https://download.kiwix.org/zim/zimit/medlineplus.gov_en_all_2025-01.zim

Step 5: Add the Book to Your Library

Add the downloaded ZIM file to your library.xml file:

sudo kiwix-manage /home/admin/kiwix-library/library.xml add /home/admin/kiwix-library/medlineplus.gov_en_all_2025-01.zim -u https://download.kiwix.org/zim/zimit/medlineplus.gov_en_all_2025-01.zim

---

Starting the Kiwix Server

Start the Kiwix server on port 80 using your library file:

sudo kiwix-serve --port=80 --library /home/admin/kiwix-library/library.xml

You can now access the Kiwix server by navigating to your Raspberry Pi's IP address in a web browser.

---

Optional

To start Kiwix on port 80 after boot up:

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/kiwix.service

Add the following:

[Unit]
Description=Kiwix Serve
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=sudo /usr/bin/kiwix-serve --port=80 --library /home/admin/kiwix-library/library.xml
WorkingDirectory=/home/admin/kiwix-library
User=admin
Group=admin
Environment=DISPLAY=:0
Restart=always
RestartSec=3

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Finally, run the following:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable kiwix.service
sudo systemctl start kiwix.service
sudo systemctl status kiwix.service

---

Troubleshooting Tips

• Permission Issues: Ensure you run commands with sudo if required.
• Port Conflicts: If port 80 is used, choose another port with the --port flag.
• File Download Problems: Verify your internet connection and the URL of the ZIM file.

---

Enjoy using Kiwix on your Raspberry Pi for offline browsing!