How to Install FreeScout with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

Install Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

Nginx displays the FreeScout help desk to visitors browsing the domain. Update your package list before grabbing the web server. Pull down the package using apt install nginx.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Control the Nginx service (starting, stopping, or restarting it) using these operational commands:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Open a web browser and navigate to the server IP address. The default Nginx landing page confirms a successful installation.

Additional help on installing 💿 Nginx: How to install Nginx on Ubuntu

Install MariaDB on Ubuntu Linux

MariaDB stores all FreeScout ticket histories and user records. Install MariaDB on Ubuntu by refreshing package lists and pulling the mariadb-server package.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server

Ensure the database engine starts automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl enable mariadb
sudo systemctl start mariadb

Test the database service connection:

sudo mariadb

A version greeting appears on successful connection. Additional help on installing MariaDB: How to install MariaDB on Ubuntu Linux

Create FreeScout database

FreeScout requires a dedicated database namedfreescoutdb to store application records securely. Execute the security script before generating the database structure. Access the MariaDB console to create freescoutdb afterward.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Work through the prompts to remove anonymous accounts and restrict remote database logins.

Log back into MariaDB to provision the application database:

sudo mariadb

Execute these queries inside the MariaDB prompt:

CREATE DATABASE freescoutdb CHARSET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER freescoutdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'your_secure_password';
GRANT ALL ON freescoutdb.* TO freescoutdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Install PHP and Required Extensions

FreeScout relies on PHP to execute application logic. PHP 8.3 serves as the standard runtime version for Ubuntu 24.04.

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-curl php8.3-gd php8.3-imap php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-zip php8.3-intl

Download and Configure FreeScout

Generate the target directory and download the application source files:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/freescout
cd /var/www/freescout
sudo git clone https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout .
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/freescout

Nginx Server Block and SSL

Configure Nginx to handle incoming web traffic by setting up a server block (a configuration file that defines how your domain responds to visitor requests). Create a dedicated configuration file within the Nginx configuration directory pointing toward the application files.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout

Paste the configuration pointing to the /var/www/freescout/public directory and ensure fastcgi_pass points to unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock.

Activate the site configuration:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Secure with Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx

Complete the prompts to encrypt web traffic using a complimentary SSL certificate.

Installation Wizard

The browser-based FreeScout installation wizard handles final application configuration. Accessing the domain validates system dependencies, accepts database credentials, and configures administrator login parameters.

• Check requirements
• Enter database details
• Create your admin account

Configure background worker tasks by running sudo crontab -u www-data -e and appending the cron schedule provided by the FreeScout installer. Access the administrative dashboard upon completion.

Conclusion: Self-hosting protects internal communications and reduces operational overhead. A production-ready help desk is now operational.

Reference: FreeScout