How to install Bolt CMS with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

To install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu 24.04 for your Bolt CMS site, open your terminal and run the commands sudo apt update and sudo apt install apache2. This sets up the Apache web server so your server can load web pages properly.

To do that, open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the 💿 Apache web server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Once Apache is installed, the commands below can start, stop, and enable the Apache web server to start automatically when your server boots up.

sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

You can test that the Apache web server is running by opening your web browser and browsing to the server’s localhost or IP address.

http://localhost

When you see the Apache2 Default Page, it means the Apache HTTP server is successfully installed.

Additional help on installing Apache on Ubuntu is in the link below.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu

Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu

To install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu 24.04, open your terminal and run the package manager commands to set up the database engine. MariaDB stores all your Bolt CMS content, user accounts, and site settings securely on your server.

To install and use the MariaDB database server, use the instructions below.

Open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the MariaDB database server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server

Once the MariaDB database server is installed, use the commands below to stop, start, and enable the MariaDB server to start automatically when the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop mariadb
sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Run the following commands to validate and test if the MariaDB database server is installed successfully.

sudo mariadb

Once you run the commands above, it will log you onto the MariaDB console and display a message similar to the one below.

Welcome to the MariaDB monitor.  Commands end with ; or g.
Your MariaDB connection id is 32
Server version: 10.11.2-MariaDB-1 Ubuntu 23.04

Copyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle, MariaDB Corporation Ab and others.

Type 'help;' or 'h' for help. Type 'c' to clear the current input statement.

MariaDB [(none)]> 

The message tells you that the server is installed successfully.

Additional help on installing MariaDB.

• How to install MariaDB on Ubuntu Linux
• MariaDB without password prompt

Create a Bolt database

To create a Bolt database, log into your MariaDB prompt and run the SQL commands to create a new database named boltdb along with a dedicated user account. Giving this user full control over the database lets Bolt CMS save and read your site content without permission errors.

As part of the setup, we will create a boltdb database and a user account called boltdbuser.

Finally, we'll grant the boltdbuser full access to the boltdb database.

All the database steps above can be done using the commands below:

But first, log on to the MariaDB database server:

sudo mariadb

Then run the commands below to complete the steps:

CREATE DATABASE boltdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER boltdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON boltdb.* TO boltdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Ensure to replace 'type_your_password_here 'with your password.

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu Linux for Bolt CMS, add the Ondrej PHP software repository using sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php, and then install the required PHP packages. Bolt CMS is built with PHP, so your server needs the correct version and modules to execute the site code.

To install an older version of PHP, add this repository.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then, run the commands below to install the PHP 7.2 version.

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-intl php7.2-mysql php7.2-curl php7.2-cli php7.2-zip php7.2-xml php7.2-gd php7.2-common php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-json php7.2-sqlite3 php7.2-soap php7.2-zip

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download Bolt files

To download Bolt files on Ubuntu, install Composer, Curl, and Git using your terminal, then use Composer to fetch the official Bolt CMS package into your web root directory. This downloads all the core application files required to run your new website.

First, install Composer, Curl, and other dependencies.

sudo apt install curl git
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

Then, navigate to the /var/www/ directory and clone the Bolt files. Next, make a copy of Bolt's sample config.yml.dist file to create a new one called config.yml.

cd /var/www
sudo git clone https://github.com/bolt/bolt.git
sudo cp /var/www/bolt/app/config/config.yml.dist /var/www/bolt/app/config/config.yml

Next, open the Bolt config.yml file using the command below.

sudo nano /var/www/bolt/app/config/config.yml

Then, add the database name, username, and password created above. Save the file and exit.

# If you're trying out Bolt, just keep it set to SQLite for now.
database:
    driver: mysql
    databasename: boltdb
    username: boltdbuser
    password: your_strong_password

After setting up your environment above, change to the bolt directory and install all required PHP dependencies for Bolt CMS using Composer.

cd /var/www/bolt
sudo composer install
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/bolt

Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Apache web server below to serve the Bolt content.

Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for Bolt.

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

Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Apache server block.

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

You can enable the Bolt CMS virtual host and restart the Apache server by running specific commands. This action makes the Bolt CMS website accessible through your web browser.

sudo a2ensite bolt.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Bolt

To setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Bolt, install Certbot on your Apache server and request a free security certificate for your domain name. This encrypts visitor traffic and enables secure HTTPS connections for your Bolt CMS website.

Please read the post below for additional resources on installing and creating Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for Apache.

How to set up Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Once you have restarted the Apache web server, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address defined in the Apache server block.

http://bolt.example.com/

A Bolt setup wizard page should appear. Create the first user for the site.

Your Bolt site should be set up and ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion

• Installing Bolt CMS with Apache on Ubuntu grants you the stability of the widely used Apache web server for exceptional performance and reliability.
• The addition of the MariaDB database server provides secure and robust support for dynamic website content, ensuring a solid foundation for your Bolt CMS installation.
• Setting up the Bolt database and creating a user account is easy, with clear step-by-step instructions, ensuring a seamless integration process.
• Installing the required PHP components, configuring Bolt files on Ubuntu, and installing the Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate establishes a well-rounded environment for a secure and efficient Bolt CMS deployment.