How to Install Lychee with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04
Lychee with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04 creates a private, self-hosted web space to store, sort, and share your photos directly from your browser. Lychee is a free photo management tool that lets you keep all your digital pictures organized in one place without relying on cloud services.
Pairing Lychee with the Apache web server gives you a reliable way to access your entire photo library from any device. Setting this up on Ubuntu 24.04 takes just a few steps, and this guide shows you how to get everything working.
Install Apache with `sudo apt install apache2`, then MariaDB with `sudo apt install mariadb-server`. Create a database for Lychee, install PHP with `sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php`, and download Lychee files.
Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu
To install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu for your Lychee website, open your terminal and run the update and install commands. Apache is the web server that makes your site available to visitors. Running these terminal commands sets up the core software needed to serve web pages from your Ubuntu system.
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.
Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu
To install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu for storing your Lychee data, use the package manager in your terminal. MariaDB provides the reliable database storage required to keep track of all your photo management information, user accounts, and settings on your server.
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 Lychee database
To create a Lychee database within MariaDB, log into the database command line and run SQL queries to set up a dedicated database and user account. This gives Lychee a secure, isolated space to store all your photo management data and configuration details.
As part of the setup, we will create a lycheedb database and a user account called lycheedbuser.
Finally, we’ll grant the lycheedbuser full access to the lycheedb 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 lycheedb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER lycheedbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON lycheedb.* TO lycheedbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit
Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux
To install PHP on Ubuntu Linux along with the necessary extensions, run the package installation command in your terminal. Lychee is built using PHP, so you need the language processor and specific modules installed on your system to make the application run properly.
Then, run the commands below to install the latest PHP version.
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-bcmath php-json php-sqlite3 php-soap php-zip
Additional help on installing PHP
Download Lychee files
To download Lychee files and get the latest version of the software for your server, grab the archived package link from the official download page. Placing these files in your web server directory allows Apache to access and load the application in your browser.
To always install the latest version, check the download page for Lychee. Get the download link and download the archived package to your computer. Then, extract it.
First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download the Lychee files. Next, extract the content into the Lychee folder in the Apache root directory.
This will allow the Apache web server to interact safely with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your Lychee installation.
cd /tmp/
wget https://github.com/LycheeOrg/Lychee/releases/download/v6.2.0/Lychee.zip
sudo unzip Lychee.zip -d /var/www
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/Lychee
Next, run the command below to copy the '.env' file for Lychee and modify it using the 'nano' editor.
sudo -u www-data cp /var/www/Lychee/.env.example /var/www/Lychee/.env
sudo -u www-data nano /var/www/Lychee/.env
Change the default APP_URL to match your domain name and the database info created above.
# Lychee domain URL
APP_URL=https://lychee.example.com
# DB_CONNECTION can be sqlite, mysql or pgsql. For sqlite the other entries are
# *not* be left blank.
DB_CONNECTION=mysql
DB_HOST=localhost
DB_PORT=3306
DB_DATABASE=lycheedb
DB_USERNAME=lycheedbuser
DB_PASSWORD=type_password_here
DB_LOG_SQL=false
DB_LOG_SQL_EXPLAIN=false #only for MySQL
Save the file and exit the editor.
Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Apache web server below to serve the Lychee content.
Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for Lychee.
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/lychee.conf
Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Apache server block.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName lychee.example.com
ServerAlias www.lychee.example.com
ServerAdmin admin@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/Lychee/public
<Directory /var/www/Lychee/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 enable the Lychee virtual host by running the `a2ensite lychee.conf` command. Afterward, you restart the Apache web server with the `systemctl restart apache2` command to apply these Lychee configuration changes.
sudo a2ensite lychee.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Lychee
To set up Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Lychee and secure your website with HTTPS, use an automated certificate tool with your Apache server. A free SSL certificate protects your login details and personal data, ensuring a safe connection for anyone visiting your photo gallery.
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://lychee.example.com
A Lychee installation wizard page should appear. Click next to continue.
Ensure the information in the .env file is correct. Then, click Install.
Fix any errors and set up an account.
Create an admin account.
Lychee should be installed and ready to use.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
Installing the Lychee Photo Management system on Ubuntu can significantly enhance your photo organization and sharing experience. Here are the key points to remember:
- User-Friendly Interface: Lychee offers an intuitive platform for managing your photo gallery efficiently.
- Strong Dependencies: The installation requires effective installation of Apache, MariaDB, and PHP.
- Database Configuration: A dedicated database and user account is essential for Lychee's smooth operation.
- Web Hosting: Configuring a virtual host for Apache allows you to serve Lychee from a specific domain.
- Secure Access: Implementing SSL/TLS certificates via Let’s Encrypt ensures secure connections to your gallery.
- Easy Setup Wizard: The Lychee installation wizard simplifies users' final configuration.
- Self-Hosting Control: Installing Lychee on your server gives you complete control over your media files.
Following the steps outlined will give you a robust platform to manage and enjoy your photo collection.
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About the Author
Richard
Tech Writer, IT Professional
Richard is a writer at Geek Rewind who turns complex IT tasks into clear, step-by-step guides. He draws on years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations, focusing on Windows, Linux and WordPress: the problems people actually run into, and the fixes that work. His server and WordPress guides come from systems he runs himself. Richard builds and maintains the platform behind Geek Rewind, from its Ubuntu servers and Nginx configuration to its custom WordPress plugins. Many new tutorials start with readers' questions, and he's always glad to answer them in the comments.
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