How to install Flarum with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

To install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu, open your terminal and update your package list by running sudo apt update. Next, install the 💿 web server software by running sudo apt install apache2. Once the installation finishes, Apache starts automatically and runs in the background to serve your website files.

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 MariaDB database server on Ubuntu Linux

To install MariaDB database server on Ubuntu Linux, open your terminal and run sudo apt install mariadb-server to download the database software. After the installation completes, start and enable the database service using systemctl so it runs automatically whenever your server reboots.

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 Flarum database

To create a Flarum database, log into your MariaDB command line interface using sudo mysql and run CREATE DATABASE flarumdb; to set up the empty database. Next, create a dedicated database user and grant them full permissions to this new database so your forum can save and read data correctly.

As part of the setup, we will create a database named 'flarumdb' and a corresponding user account called 'flarumdbuser.'

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

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu Linux for your forum, open your terminal and run sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql along with the other required extensions. These packages ensure your Apache web server can process PHP files and connect properly to your MariaDB database.

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 Flarum files

To download Flarum files onto your server, install Composer (a tool for managing PHP dependencies) if you do not already have it on your system. Then, navigate to your web root directory and run the official Composer create-project command to pull down the latest stable release of the forum software.

You may want to use the GitHub repository to get Flarum's latest release. Install Composer, Curl, and other dependencies to get started.

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

Always replace the release number with the latest release.

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/{.cache,.config,flarum}
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/{.cache,.config,flarum}
cd /var/www/flarum/
sudo -u www-data composer create-project flarum/flarum .
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/flarum/

Once all the steps are done, configure the Apache webserver to serve the Flarum content.

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

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

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

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName flarum.example.com
  ServerAlias www.flarum.example.com
  ServerAdmin admin@example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/flarum/public
    
  <Directory /var/www/flarum/public/>
       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 turn on the virtual host for Flarum by running `sudo a2ensite flarum.conf` and then restart Apache with `sudo systemctl restart apache2` to apply the changes.

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

Setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Flarum

To setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Flarum, install the Certbot tool and the Apache plugin on your Ubuntu server using your terminal. Running the certbot --apache command automatically requests a free security certificate and updates your Apache configuration files to force secure HTTPS connections.

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://flarum.example.com

A Flarum installation wizard page should appear. Enter the forum name database connection info and create an administrator account. Then, click "Install Flarum."

Your Flarum site should be ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• The article provides comprehensive instructions for setting up a Flarum site with Apache support on Ubuntu 24.04, ensuring a smooth installation process.
• This detailed guide offers a complete solution by covering the installation of essential components, including the Apache HTTP server, MariaDB database server, and PHP.
• It emphasizes the importance of leveraging Apache's flexibility of configuration options to tailor the web server environment to specific needs.
• By incorporating Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS, the article also highlights the significance of securing the Flarum installation with HTTPS, enhancing its overall security.
• The visuals accompanying the tutorial, such as the Flarum installation wizard and completion confirmation, provide a helpful visual reference throughout the setup process.