How to Install vTiger CRM with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

This article describes the steps to install vTiger CRM on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support.

vTiger CRM system is based on PHP. It is designed for ease of use to allow enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with customers throughout the entire process.

When deciding what open-source CRM platform to run your marketing department,  vTiger CRM is an excellent place to start. This open-source CRM software is written in PHP and offers features that help you run your business and collaborate with your customers.

How to install the vTiger CRM platform on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx

As described above, the vTiger CRM system is based on PHP. It is designed for ease of use to allow enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with customers throughout the entire process.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support.

Install Nginx

Vtiger CRM requires a web server, and the second most popular web server in use today is Nginx. So, go and install Nginx on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Next, run the commands below to stop, start and enable the Nginx service to always start up with the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop nginx.service
sudo systemctl start nginx.service
sudo systemctl enable nginx.service

Install MariaDB

vTiger also requires a database server, and MariaDB is a great place to start when looking for an open-source database server0.

To install it, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service

After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

• Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
• Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
• New password: Enter password
• Re-enter new password: Repeat password
• Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
• Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
• Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y
• Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

Install PHP FPM and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu’s default repositories. So to install it, you must get it from third-party repositories.

Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt update

Run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.1-fpm php7.1-common php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xmlrpc php7.1-soap php7.1-gd php7.1-xml php7.1-intl php7.1-mysql php7.1-cli php7.1-mcrypt php7.1-ldap php7.1-zip php7.1-curl

After installing PHP, run the commands below to open the FPM PHP default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/fpm/php.ini

Then change to the following lines below in the file and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
max_execution_time = 30
display_errors = Off
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0
max_input_vars = 1500
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create vTiger Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages, continue below to start configuring the servers.

First, run the commands below to create a vTiger database.

Run the commands below to log on to the database server. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called vtigercrmdb

CREATE DATABASE vtigercrmdb;

Create a database user called vtigercrmuser with a new password

CREATE USER 'vtigercrmuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON vtigercrmdb.* TO 'vtigercrmuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download vTiger Latest Release

Next, visit the Vtiger site and download the latest version.

After downloading, run the commands below to extract the download file into the Nginx root directory.

cd /tmp && wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/vtigercrm/files/vtiger%20CRM%207.0.1/Core%20Product/vtigercrm7.0.1.tar.gz
tar xzf vtigercrm7.0.1.tar.gz
sudo mv vtigercrm /var/www/html/vtigercrm

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Concrete5 to function.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/vtigercrm/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/vtigercrm/

Configure Nginx

Finally, configure the Nginx server block configuration file for vTiger. This file will control how users access vTiger content.

Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called vtigercrm

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/vtigercrm

Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location.

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    root /var/www/html/vtigercrm;
    index  index.php index.html index.htm;
    server_name  example.com www.example.com;

     client_max_body_size 100M;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;        
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
         include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.1-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
         include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save the file and exit.

Enable vTiger server block

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/vtigercrm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Restart Nginx by running the commands below to load all the settings above.

sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Next, open your browser and browse to the server domain name, followed by install. Finally, you should see the vTiger setup wizard complete.

Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com

Then follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed Vtiger.

Type the database info and create an admin account for the portal.

After a brief time, the installation should be complete, and the platform should be ready to be used.

Enjoy!