How to Install HorizontCMS with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to install HorizontCMS on Ubuntu 18.04 | 16.04 with an Apache2 HTTP server.

HorizontCMS is an open-source, responsive Content Management System (CMS) built on Laravel 5.7, VueJs 2.6, and Bootstrap 3.4, which you can use to build your next-generation websites and blogs.

This lightweight CMS platform provides end-users with the tools to extend and build a sustainable web presence with one click, making it easy to learn for users and simple to code for developers.

For more about HorizontCMS, please check its homepage

To get started with installing HorizontCMS, follow the steps below:

Install Apache2 HTTP Server on Ubuntu

Apache2 HTTP Server is the most popular web server, so install it since HorizontCMS needs it.

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 test the Apache2 setup, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address. You should see the Apache2 default test page, as shown below. When you see that, then Apache2 is working as expected.

http://localhost

Install MariaDB Database Server

HorizontCMS also needs a database server to store its content. The MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking at open-source databases with HorizontCMS.

To install MariaDB, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get 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

After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access.

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 7.1 and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories. To install it, you must get it from third-party repositories.

Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.1

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt update

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-sqlite php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-mysql php7.2-gd php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini

Then, save the changes on the following lines below in the file. The value below is an ideal setting to apply in your environment.

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.

Create HorizontCMS Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers. First, create a HorizontCMS database.

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 horizontcms

CREATE DATABASE horizontcms;

Create a database user called horizontcmsuser with a new password

CREATE USER 'horizontcmsuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then grant the user full access to the horizontcms database.

GRANT ALL ON horizontcms.* TO 'horizontcmsuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

After installing PHP and related modules, you must restart Apache2 to reload PHP configurations.

To restart Apache2, run the commands below

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

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.

Download HorizontCMS Latest Release

To get HorizontCMS’s latest release, you may want to use the GitHub repository. 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

After installing curl and Composer above, change into the Apache2 root directory and download HorizontCMS packages from Github.

cd /var/www/
sudo git clone https://github.com/ttimot24/HorizontCMS.git horizontcms
cd /var/www/horizontcms
sudo composer install

After that, run the commands below to set the correct permissions for HorizontCMS to function.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/horizontcms/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/horizontcms/

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for HorizontCMS. This file will control how users access HorizontCMS content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called horizontcms. conf

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/horizontcms.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/horizontcms
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/horizontcms/>
        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 HorizontCMS and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.

sudo a2ensite horizontcms.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see the HorizontCMS default setup wizard.

http://example.com/

Click Install HorizontCMS to begin the installation.

Confirm your installation language, enter the database information created above, and continue.

Next, you will be prompted to create an admin account.

After that, the site should be installed and ready to use. Log on to the backend and begin building your site.

The default theme and layout are out of the box.

Conclusion:

You have learned to install HorizontCMS on Ubuntu with an Apache2 HTTP server. If you find any error above, please leave a comment below.

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