How to Install Ampache with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Install Apache

Apache (the web server software that handles requests for your music and video streams) installs on Ubuntu using the terminal. Run sudo apt update and sudo apt install apache2 to set up the web server required for your Install Ampache Ubuntu setup.

To install Apache HTTP on the Ubuntu server, run the commands below.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing 💿 Apache2, the commands below can be used to stop, start, and enable Apache2, the service to always start up with the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop apache2.service
sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable apache2.service

To test the Apache2 setup, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address. You should see the Apache2 default test page, as shown below.

http://localhost

Install MariaDB

MariaDB (the database system that stores your media library details) installs on Ubuntu by running a single command in your terminal. Use sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client to get both the server and client packages needed to Install Ampache Ubuntu.

To install MariaDB, run the commands below.

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client

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

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

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

To test if MariaDB is installed, type the commands below to log on to the MariaDB server.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, type the password you created above to sign on… if successful, you should see the MariaDB welcome message

Install PHP 7.4

PHP 7.4 (the scripting language that runs the application code) is required to Install Ampache Ubuntu. Since this version is not always available by default, you must add a third-party software source repository to your system before running the installation commands.

Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.4

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.4

sudo apt update

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2-FPM and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.4 libapache2-mod-php7.4 php7.4-common php7.4-curl php7.4-mbstring php7.4-xmlrpc php7.4-mysql php7.4-gd php7.4-xml php7.4-cli php7.4-zip

After installing PHP 7.4-FPM, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini

Then, save the changes on the following lines below in the file. The value below is an ideal setting to apply in your environment.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create Ampache Database

A dedicated database stores all your media library details when you Install Ampache Ubuntu. Log into your database server using sudo mysql -u root -p to create a new database and user account for the application.

To log on to the MariaDB database server, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called ampache

CREATE DATABASE ampache;

Create a database user called ampacheuser with a new password

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

GRANT ALL ON ampache.* TO 'ampacheuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and Install Ampache

Downloading the application files to your server is a key step to Install Ampache Ubuntu. You use wget to download the zip archive from GitHub, extract it into the web server directory, and adjust file permissions.

cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/ampache/ampache/releases/download/4.1.1/ampache-4.1.1_all.zip
sudo unzip ampache-4.1.1_all.zip -d /var/www/ampache

Next, run the commands below to change the root folder permissions.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/ampache/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/ampache/

Configure Apache Site

Configuring your web server allows you to access your media through a web browser when you Install Ampache Ubuntu. You create a new configuration file in the sites-available directory using sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/ampache.conf.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/ampache.conf

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.

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin admin@example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/ampache
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/glpi/>
        Options +FollowSymlinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
     </Directory>

     ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
     CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

</VirtualHost>

Save the file and exit.

After configuring the VirtualHost, enable the website by running the `a2ensite your-site.conf` command and restarting Apache2 with `sudo systemctl restart apache2`. This ensures your Ampache website is active.

sudo a2ensite ampache.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Finally, open your browser and go to the URL.

http://example.com

You should see the Ampache setup wizard. Choose the installation language and start the configuration.

Next, make sure that all PHP requirements are met and continue.

After typing in the database name, username, and password, continue with the wizard.

Next, choose the Subsonic backend for Ampache and continue.

After that, create an initial admin account and continue.

That should complete the setup.

Log in with the admin account you created above when the setup is done.

Log in and begin setting up your environment.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

This guide showed you how to install Ampache on Ubuntu with an Apache2 web server. If you find any error in the installation steps, please use the comment form below to report the error.