How to Install GLPI ITSM on Ubuntu with Apache
GLPI ITSM on Ubuntu with Apache sets up a free help desk and IT asset tracking system that runs right in your web browser. This tool lets you manage support tickets, computer hardware, and software licenses from one central dashboard.
This installation guide works with Ubuntu 18.04 and Apache2 version 2.4.52 to get your server running step by step.
Install Apache2 HTTP
Installing Apache2 on your Ubuntu system provides the web server required for your GLPI installation Ubuntu setup to function properly. You can set this up quickly by running the package manager update command followed by the main installation command in your terminal.
To install Apache2 HTTP on the Ubuntu server, run the commands below.
sudo apt update sudo apt install apache2
After installing Apache2, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the Apache2 service to always start up with the server boots.
sudo systemctl stop apache2.service sudo systemctl start apache2.service sudo systemctl enable apache2.service
To determine if the Apache2 HTTP server is installed, simply open your web browser and type in the server’s IP or hostname.
When you see a page similar to the one below, Apache2 is installed and working.
http://localhost

Install MariaDB Database Server
Installing MariaDB server and client tools on Ubuntu sets up the relational database required to store all your helpdesk tickets, assets, and user data during the GLPI installation Ubuntu process. Run the package installation command in your terminal to get the database software ready on your server.
To install MariaDB, run the commands below.
sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client
After installing MariaDB, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the service to start when the server boots.
Run these on Ubuntu
sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service sudo systemctl start mariadb.service sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service
sudo mysql_secure_installation
When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.
- Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
- Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
- New password: Enter password
- Re-enter new password: Repeat password
- Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
- Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
- Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]: Y
- Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]: Y
Restart MariaDB server
To test if MariaDB is installed, type the commands below to log on to the MariaDB server.
sudo mysql -u root -p
Then, type the password you created above to sign on. If successful, you should see a MariaDB welcome message.
Install PHP 7.2 and Related Modules
Installing PHP 7.2 and its required extensions gives your server the scripting language needed to run the application during your GLPI installation Ubuntu procedure. Because this version is not part of the standard software sources, you must add an external software repository before running the installation commands.
Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.2
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2
sudo apt update
Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules.
sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-mysql php7.2-gd php7.2-imap php7.2-ldap php-cas php7.2-bcmath php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip php7.2-sqlite3
After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2.
sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/apache2/php.ini
file_uploads = On allow_url_fopen = On short_open_tag = On memory_limit = 256M upload_max_filesize = 100M max_execution_time = 360 max_input_vars = 1500 date.timezone = America/Chicago
After making the change above, please save the file and close it.
To test PHP 7.2 settings with Apache2, create a phpinfo.php file in the Apache2 root directory by running the commands below
sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php
Then, type the content below and save the file.
<?php phpinfo( ); ?>
Save the file. Then browse to your server hostname followed by /phpinfo.php
http://localhost/phpinfo.php
You should see the PHP default test page.

Create GLPI Database
Creating a dedicated database inside MariaDB gives the helpdesk software a place to store system records as part of your GLPI installation Ubuntu tasks. You log into the database command-line interface using your root credentials and run a simple SQL query to set up the empty database.
To do that, run the commands below to log on to MariaDB. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.
sudo mysql -u root -p
Then, create a database called glpi
CREATE DATABASE glpi;
Create a database user called glpiuser with a new password
CREATE USER 'glpiuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';
Next, grant the user full access to the glpiuser database.
GRANT ALL ON glpi.* TO 'glpiuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Finally, save your changes and exit.
FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Download GLPI's Latest Release
Downloading the latest stable release archive directly from the official project source provides the actual application files required for your GLPI installation Ubuntu setup. You fetch the compressed package using your terminal and extract it into the correct web server directory.
You can use the commands below to download the current latest version. At the time of this writing, the current version is at 9.4.5.
cd /tmp wget https://github.com/glpi-project/glpi/releases/download/9.4.5/glpi-9.4.5.tgz tar -xvf glpi-9.4.5.tgz sudo mv glpi /var/www/glpi
Since you just ran the web server as root, you should ensure the www-data user and group own any newly created files.
To do that, run the commands below:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/glpi/ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/glpi/
Configure Apache2
Configuring Apache2 with a new virtual host file tells the web server how to serve the application files to users browsing your helpdesk portal during your GLPI installation Ubuntu workflow. You create a custom configuration file in the sites directory and add the required server path settings.
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/glpi.conf
Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin admin@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/glpi
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
<Directory /var/www/glpi/>
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 and exit.
Enable the GLPI and Rewrite the Module
After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.
sudo a2ensite glpi.conf sudo a2enmod rewrite sudo systemctl restart apache2.service
Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name or hostname. This is often localhost but can be a hostname or IP address. Your server admin or hosting company will have this information available.
http://example.com/

Select the language and continue.

After that, click Install to begin the installation.

Next, type in the server hostname, database user, and password.

Select the database you created earlier and continue

After a brief moment, the platform should be installed and ready to use.
Login and begin managing your platform.
Admin Username: pi Password: pi

Finally, run the commands below to delete the install directory.
sudo rm -rf /var/www/glpi/install/
Conclusion:
You have learned how to install the GLPI ITSM platform on Ubuntu with an Apache2 HTTP server. If you find any errors above, please leave a comment below.
Thanks,
You may also like the post below:
How to install GLPI agent in Ubuntu?
So the system can update the latest package. List. Next install the required packages so the GLPI agent can install and run properly on the system.
How to update GLPI on Ubuntu?
Open the GLPI installation's URL in your browser or use the php bin/console db:update command line tool from inside the GLPI installation's directory to initiate the update. This process may take some time.
Where is the GLPI config file?
GLPI configuration will be stored in /etc/glpi , just copy the contents of the config directory to this place. GLPI requires read rights on this directory to work; and write rights during the installation process.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard, a writer for Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast who loves breaking down complex IT topics into simple, easy-to-understand ideas. With years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, he’s developed a knack for offering practical tips and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He's deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions.
I completed all the steps up to step 7 and when I enter http://localhost / http://myip or http://myaddress I getting page: “Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page”.
OS: Ubuntu 20.04
GLPI: 9.4.6
execute systemctl restart apache2 after configure vhost
got same problem, after executing restart still Apache2 Ubuntu Default Page”.
You need a dns record that matches whatever you put in the glpi.conf… else you could probably move the whole directory to where the default page is currently located /var/www/html/. Read on Apache virtual blocks and file locations.
je trouve des erreur appache2 port80
Thank you sir. all worked for me.
Thanks a lot this was very helpful especially for a Linux beginner like me
I can navigate to the first installation page and select the language and I then get a 500 error. Any ideas?
Thanks for the solid guide, here are the things I changed when creating my server
After creating the database need to add permissions to timezone or will show error under users
GRANT ALL ON mysql.time_zone_name TO ‘glpiuser’@’localhost’ WITH GRANT OPTION;
after exiting mysql need to populate timezones
mysql_tzinfo_to_sql /usr/share/zoneinfo | sudo mysql -u root -p mysql
Code for getting latest version of glpi automatically
glpiurl=$(curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/glpi-project/glpi/releases/latest | grep ‘browser_’ | cut -d\” -f4)
wget $glpiurl
tar -xvf $(echo $glpiurl | tr ‘/’ ‘\n’ | tail -n1 )
sudo mv glpi /var/www/glpi
I used php 7.4 from the default repo
sudo apt -y install php libapache2-mod-php php-common php-gmp php-curl php-intl php-mbstring php-xmlrpc php-mysql php-gd php-imap php-ldap php-cas php-bcmath php-xml php-cli php-zip php-sqlite3 php-bz2 to install