🚀 Debian Bootstrap Script

A comprehensive, automated setup script for configuring a fresh Debian installation with developer tools, security enhancements, and productivity applications.

📋 Overview

This bootstrap script transforms a fresh Debian installation into a fully-configured development workstation with:

• Package Management: APT, Flatpak, Snap, and Homebrew integration
• Security: UFW firewall, fail2ban, and AppArmor configuration
• Developer Tools: Git, build tools, package managers, and custom scripts
• System Customization: Terminal emulation, fonts, themes, and keyboard remapping
• Error Handling: Robust installation with detailed failure reporting

⚡ Quick Installation

wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/stefan-hacks/dotfiles/refs/heads/main/custom_tools_and_scripts/bash/bootstrap.sh
chmod +x bootstrap.sh
./bootstrap.sh

🎯 Prerequisites

• Fresh Debian installation (tested on Debian 12/13)
• sudo privileges
• Internet connection
• At least 2GB of free disk space

🏗️ What The Script Does

Phase 1: System Foundation

1. Updates System: Updates APT repositories and upgrades existing packages
2. Installs Core Tools: Git, curl, wget, build-essential, and development headers
3. Removes Bloatware: Uninstalls unnecessary applications (Audacity, GIMP, LibreOffice)
4. Security Hardening: Configures fail2ban for SSH protection and UFW firewall

Phase 2: Package Managers

1. Homebrew Setup: Installs Homebrew for Linux and adds to shell environment
2. Dotfiles Configuration: Clones and applies personal dotfiles repository
3. APT Package Management: Installs packages from apt_list.bak with intelligent filtering
4. Universal Packages: Sets up Flatpak and Snap with package installations

Phase 3: Development Environment

1. Custom Scripts: Installs personal productivity scripts to /usr/local/bin
2. Shell Enhancement: Configures ble.sh for advanced Bash features
3. Font Installation: Installs Nerd Fonts for terminal and development use
4. Kanata Keyboard: Sets up keyboard remapping service

Phase 4: System Customization

1. Terminal Configuration: Sets Kitty as default terminal emulator
2. GRUB Theme: Applies custom GRUB bootloader theme
3. Driver Installation: Installs Realtek wireless adapter drivers
4. GNOME Settings: Restores personalized desktop configuration

🛡️ Error Handling & Reliability

The script implements sophisticated error handling:

Package Installation Resilience

• Individual Package Installation: Each package is installed separately
• Failure Tracking: Failed packages are logged and displayed at the end
• Continue On Error: Script proceeds even if some packages fail
• Detailed Reporting: Clear success/failure indicators with package names

Supported Package Managers

Manager	Error Handling	Recovery
APT	Individual package attempts	Continues on failure
Flatpak	Per-package installation	Tracks failures
Snap	One-by-one installation	Logs missing packages
Homebrew	Brewfile line parsing	Individual formula attempts

Installation Summary

At completion, the script displays:

=== INSTALLATION SUMMARY ===
✓ APT - All packages installed successfully
✗ Flatpak - Packages requiring manual installation:
   - package-name-1
   - package-name-2
✓ Snap - All packages installed successfully
✓ Homebrew - All packages installed successfully
=== END SUMMARY ===

🔧 Customization

Package Lists

The script uses these configuration files from the dotfiles repository:

File	Purpose	Location
apt_list.bak	APT packages	dotfiles/backups/
flatpak_list.bak	Flatpak applications	dotfiles/backups/
snap_list.bak	Snap packages	dotfiles/backups/
Brewfile	Homebrew formulae	dotfiles/backups/

Custom Scripts

Personal scripts installed to /usr/local/bin/:

• fza - Fuzzy apt package manager with tui interface
• fzm - Fuzzy manpager - search manual pages tool
• gspb - Gnome settings & package backups
• idh - A beautiful organized & colorized detailed version of the id command
• uma - Professional tool to analyze umask values and their effects on file/directory permissions
• lsgroups - Display detailed group information for users in a beautifully formatted output.

🎨 Visual Customizations

Terminal & Shell

• Default Terminal: Kitty (replaces GNOME Terminal)
• Shell Enhancement: ble.sh for advanced Bash features
• Prompt Customization: Lock icon in sudo password prompt
• Fonts: Nerd Fonts (Hack, Source Code Pro, JetBrains Mono)

System Themes

• GRUB Theme: WhiteSur theme with custom background
• Icon Theme: Tela-circle-icons (commented in script)
• GNOME Settings: Full desktop configuration restore

🔒 Security Features

1. Firewall: UFW with default deny incoming, allow outgoing
2. SSH Protection: fail2ban with systemd backend
3. Service Hardening: AppArmor profiles (commented)
4. Port Configuration: Open only 22 (SSH), 80 (HTTP), 443 (HTTPS)

🚦 Post-Installation

Required Reboot

Some changes require a system restart:

sudo reboot

Manual Steps

Check the installation summary for any packages that need manual installation.

Service Verification

Verify these services are running:

systemctl status fail2ban
sudo ufw status
systemctl --user status kanata.service

🐛 Troubleshooting

Common Issues

1. Package Installation Failures

   # Check the installation summary
   # Manually install listed packages
   sudo apt install <package-name>

2. Homebrew Issues

   # Update Homebrew
   brew update
   # Fix Homebrew permissions
   sudo chown -R $(whoami) /home/linuxbrew/.linuxbrew

3. Permission Problems

   # Reset script permissions
   chmod +x bootstrap.sh
   # Run with sudo for system-wide changes
   sudo ./bootstrap.sh

Debug Mode

Run the script with debug output:

bash -x bootstrap.sh

📁 Repository Structure

dotfiles/
├── backups/
│   ├── apt_list.bak          # APT packages
│   ├── flatpak_list.bak      # Flatpak applications
│   ├── snap_list.bak         # Snap packages
│   ├── Brewfile             # Homebrew formulae
│   └── gnome_settings.bak   # GNOME configuration
├── custom_tools_and_scripts/
│   └── bash/                # Custom bash scripts
└── bootstrap.sh            # This installation script

🤝 Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Make your changes
4. Test the bootstrap script
5. Submit a pull request

📄 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

⚠️ Disclaimer

Use at your own risk! This script makes significant changes to your system:

• Modifies system configuration files
• Installs/uninstalls packages
• Changes default applications
• Modifies security settings

Always review the script before running it on production systems.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Homebrew - Package manager for Linux
• Nerd Fonts - Iconic font aggregator
• Kanata - Keyboard remapping tool
• ble.sh - Bash line editor

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Made with ❤️ by stefan-hacks