How to install Concrete CMS with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

To install Apache on Ubuntu 24.04 for your Concrete CMS site, open your terminal and run the package update and installation commands. This sets up the Apache web server so visitors can reach your website online. Run sudo apt update followed by sudo apt install apache2 to complete the process.

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 for your website, open your terminal and run the standard package installation command. MariaDB stores all your site content, user details, and settings securely. Enter sudo apt install mariadb-server in your terminal to download and set up the database engine.

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 Concrete database

To create a Concrete database, log into your MariaDB prompt and run the SQL commands that generate a new database and a secure user account. This gives your content management system the private storage space it needs. Set up a database named concretedb along with a user account called concretedbuser with full permissions.

As part of the setup, we will create a concretedb database and a corresponding user account called concretedbuser.

Finally, we'll grant the concretedbuser full access to the concretedb 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 concretedb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER concretedbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON concretedb.* TO concretedbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu for Concrete CMS, run the package manager command in your terminal to add PHP and all required extensions. Concrete requires specific modules like Intl and MySQL to function properly. Run sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-intl php-mysql php-curl php-cli to install everything at once.

Run the commands below to install PHP.

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

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download Concrete files

To download Concrete CMS files to your Ubuntu server, grab the latest installation package directly from the official website and extract it into your web root folder. This places the core application files where Apache can read and serve them to your visitors. Check the official download page to get the correct link for the newest version.

To always install the latest version, check the Concrete's download page. If a new version is available, replace the version number in the link below.

After unzipping the file, move the content into the Concrete folder in the Apache root directory.

The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Apache web server to safely interact with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your Concrete installation.

cd /tmp
wget --trust-server-names https://www.concretecms.org/application/files/6517/1693/2287/concrete-cms-9.3.2.zip
unzip concrete-*.zip
sudo cp -rf concrete-cms-9.3.2 /var/www/concrete
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/concrete

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

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

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

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

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

Concrete CMS requires a virtual host configuration for Apache. You enable this virtual host by running the command `sudo a2ensite concrete5.conf` and then restart the Apache web server with `sudo systemctl restart apache2` to apply these changes.

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

Setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Concrete

To setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Concrete, install the Certbot tool and request a free security certificate for your domain through the terminal. This encrypts traffic between your server and your visitors, keeping login details and data safe. Follow the Certbot instructions for Apache on Ubuntu to finish configuring HTTPS.

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://concrete.example.com

A Concrete installation wizard page should appear. Select the installation language and continue to the next page.

Confirm all requirements are met and continue.

Next, enter the site name, database name, account name, and password, and click "Install Concrete CMS."

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

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Combining Concrete CMS and Apache web server on Ubuntu 20.04 provides a stable and efficient environment for hosting dynamic websites and web applications.
• Concrete CMS offers customizable templates for branding and ensures optimal performance on all devices.
• The installation process includes setting up Apache and a MariaDB database server, creating a Concrete database, installing PHP, downloading Concrete files, configuring the Apache web server, and securing the site with a Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate.
• These steps will result in a fully operational Concrete site ready to meet your content management needs.