How to Install BoxBilling with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

How to install Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Installing Apache on Ubuntu is a key step for getting your BoxBilling site online. Apache is the web server software that will display your website to visitors. You can install it using commands in your terminal.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Next, you can manage the Apache service with these commands:

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

Finally, test your installation by visiting your server’s IP address in a web browser.

How to install MariaDB on Ubuntu Linux

BoxBilling needs a database to store all its important information, and installing MariaDB on Ubuntu is a great way to set this up. You’ll need to install the MariaDB server and client packages, and then secure your installation.

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client

Secure your database with this command:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts. Press Enter for the current password. When asked about authentication, choose the default secure option. Answer “y” to remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove the test database.

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To make BoxBilling work correctly, you need to install PHP 8.3 on Ubuntu. This involves adding a special software source to ensure you get the latest version. Then, you install PHP 8.3 along with the specific extensions BoxBilling requires.

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

Install PHP 8.3 and the required extensions:

sudo apt install php8.3 php8.3-mysql php8.3-xml php8.3-mbstring php8.3-fpm php8.3-curl php8.3-gd php8.3-zip

General Configuration

Configuring Apache to work with PHP-FPM helps BoxBilling run smoothly and quickly. PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) is a process manager for PHP that helps Apache process PHP code more efficiently. We will enable necessary Apache modules, configure PHP-FPM, and create a specific site file for BoxBilling.

sudo a2enmod proxy_fcgi setenvif
sudo a2enconf php8.3-fpm

Create a configuration file for your site:

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

Paste this content into the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/boxbilling
<Directory /var/www/boxbilling/>
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite boxbilling.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Set the correct ownership for your files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/boxbilling

How to create a BoxBilling database

Log into your database console:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Run these commands to create your database and user:

CREATE DATABASE boxbilling;
CREATE USER 'boxbillinguser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL ON boxbilling.* TO 'boxbillinguser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

How to download BoxBilling

Download and extract the files:

cd /tmp
wget https://github.com/boxbilling/boxbilling/releases/download/4.22.1.3/BoxBilling.zip
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/boxbilling
sudo unzip BoxBilling.zip -d /var/www/boxbilling

How to setup Let’s Encrypt

To secure your site with SSL, follow this guide: How to Setup Let’s Encrypt on Ubuntu Linux with Apache – Website for Students.

Finalizing the setup

Finalizing the BoxBilling setup on Ubuntu involves cleaning out installer files for security. For added security, you should also make the configuration file read-only to protect sensitive settings. Finally, adding a cron job ensures background billing tasks run automatically.

sudo rm -rf /var/www/boxbilling/install

Set the configuration file to be read-only:

sudo chmod 644 /var/www/boxbilling/bb-config.php

Add a cron job to keep your billing tasks running:

sudo crontab -e

Add this line to the file:

*/5 * * * * php /var/www/boxbilling/bb-cron.php

Your BoxBilling installation is now complete and ready for use.

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