How to Install Ampache with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

Install Nginx

Install Nginx on your Ubuntu server using simple commands to get the web server ready for Ampache. Nginx is what helps Ampache stream your music and videos by handling web requests.

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

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

After installing Nginx, the commands below can be used 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

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

http://localhost

Install MariaDB

Install MariaDB on your Ubuntu server with a single command to create the database Ampache needs. MariaDB will store all your media information, like song titles and artist names, so Ampache can find and play them.

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-FPM

Install PHP 7.4-FPM, which Ampache requires to run properly on Ubuntu. Since this version might not be available by default, you’ll add a special source first before installing it to ensure Ampache functions correctly.

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

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.4-FPM

sudo apt update

sudo apt install php7.4-fpm 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 Nginx’s PHP default config file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/fpm/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
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create Ampache Database

Create a dedicated database named ‘ampache’ within MariaDB to store all your music and media information. This step prepares the exact storage space Ampache needs to organize and manage your library effectively.

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';

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

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

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and Install Ampache

Download the latest Ampache software and place it in the correct folder on your server so the web server can find it. This step installs the actual Ampache program, making your music streaming service ready to set up.

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 Nginx Site

Configure Nginx to handle requests for Ampache by creating a new configuration file. This setup tells Nginx where Ampache is installed, allowing you to access it easily using your domain name or server’s IP address.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/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.

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;

    server_name  example.com www.example.com;
    root   /var/www/ampache;
    index  index.php;
    
    access_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.error.log;

    client_max_body_size 100M;
  
    autoindex off;

#Rewrite rule for Subsonic backend
if ( !-d $request_filename ) {
    rewrite ^/rest/(.*).view$ /rest/index.php?action=$1 last;     
    rewrite ^/rest/fake/(.+)$ /play/$1 last;
     } 

# Rewrite rule for Channels 
    if (!-d $request_filename){
    rewrite ^/channel/([0-9]+)/(.*)$ /channel/index.php?channel=$1&target=$2 last; 
    }

#Rewrite rule for Channels
 if (!-d $request_filename){
   rewrite ^/channel/([0-9]+)/(.*)$ /channel/index.php?channel=$1&target=$2 last;
    }

location /rest {
       limit_except GET POST {
          deny all;
         }
   }

 location ^~ /bin/ {
       deny all;
       return 403;
       }

 location ^~ /config/ {
       deny all;
       return 403;
    }

 location / {
       limit_except GET POST HEAD{
          deny all;
         }
    }

    location ~ .php$ {
         include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
         include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save the file and exit.

The VirtualHost configuration above enables Ampache to work with Nginx. You enable the VirtualHost by running the commands: `sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/ampache /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/` and `sudo nginx -t`. Then, you restart Nginx with `sudo systemctl restart nginx` to apply the changes.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/ampache.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.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 post showed you how to install Ampache on Ubuntu using the Nginx web server. If you find any error in the installation steps shown, please use the comment form below to report the error.