How to Install Mantis Bug Tracker on Ubuntu with Apache
Mantis Bug Tracker is a free, web-based tool that lets your team track software bugs and tasks in one place. Running this tracking system on Ubuntu 24.04 with the Apache web server gives you a reliable way to manage projects on local network hardware or a cloud virtual machine.
The setup process takes about 20 minutes and requires a PHP environment, a database, and an Apache web server connection to get your hosting server running.
Install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP using apt commands. Create a Mantis database and user in MariaDB. Download Mantis and extract it to your Apache web root.
Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu
To install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu for your Mantis Bug Tracker installation, open your terminal and run the command sudo apt update followed by sudo apt install apache2. This installs the web server software required for your browser to load and display the Mantis web interface correctly on your server.
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 local host 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 Mantis Bug Tracker, open your terminal and run the command sudo apt install mariadb-server. This sets up the database engine needed to store all your bug reports, user accounts, and project settings securely on your local system.
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 Mantis database
To create a Mantis database in MariaDB, log into your database console and run the commands to create a database named mantisbtdb along with a dedicated user account. Giving this user full control over the new database allows the bug tracker to save and read data without permission errors.
As part of the setup, we will create a mantisbtdb database and a user account called mantisbtdbuser.
Finally, we’ll grant the mantisbtdbuser full access to the mantisbtdb 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 mantisbtdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER mantisbtdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON mantisbtdb.* TO mantisbtdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit
Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux
To install PHP on Ubuntu Linux for Mantis Bug Tracker, run the command sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-intl php-mysql php-curl in your terminal. This installs the required PHP programming language along with all necessary extensions so the web server can process the application scripts.
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 php-ldap php-imap
Additional help on installing PHP
Download Mantis files
To download Mantis Bug Tracker files on your Ubuntu system, visit the official download page to grab the link for the latest archived package. Use your terminal to download and extract these files into your web server directory so you can begin the browser-based setup.
Get the download link and download the archived package to your computer. Then, extract it.
First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download the Mantis files. Next, extract the content into the Mantis folder in the Apache root directory.
The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Apache web server to interact safely with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your Mantis installation.
Apache root folder permissions require modification for the Mantis app to function correctly. Run the following commands to grant these necessary permissions, ensuring Mantis can create and manage its files, for example, by allowing it to save uploaded screenshots to the `/var/www/html/mantis/images` directory.
cd /tmp
wget https://gigenet.dl.sourceforge.net/project/mantisbt/mantis-stable/2.27.1/mantisbt-2.27.1.zip
sudo unzip mantisbt-*.zip
sudo mv mantisbt-2.27.1 /var/www/mantisbt
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mantisbt/
Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Apache web server below to serve the Mantis content.
Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for Mantis.
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/mantisbt.conf
Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Apache server block.
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName mantisbt.example.com
ServerAdmin admin@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/mantisbt
<Directory /var/www/mantisbt/>
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.
Enable the Mantis Bug Tracker virtual host using the `a2ensite mantis.conf` command and then restart the Apache web server with `systemctl restart apache2.service` to apply the changes.
sudo a2ensite mantisbt.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mantis
To set up Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mantis Bug Tracker on Ubuntu, use Certbot to generate a free security certificate for your Apache web server. This encrypts traffic between your users' web browsers and the bug tracker to protect sensitive login details and bug reports from snooping.
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://mantisbt.example.com
The Mantis installation wizard should appear.
Type in the database name and password, then click Install/Upgrade Database.
Mantis should be ready to use.
Login with temporary account:
Username: administrator
Password: root
That should do it!
Conclusion:
In conclusion, installing Mantis Bug Tracker on Ubuntu with Apache provides a robust solution for managing bugs and feature requests in software development. Following the outlined steps, you have set up a stable environment that enhances collaboration among team members. Here are the key takeaways:
- Successfully installed Apache as the webserver to host Mantis.
- Deployed MariaDB as the database server to store issues and user data.
- Configured PHP to ensure Mantis runs optimally on your server.
- Downloaded and set up Mantis Bug Tracker files correctly with appropriate permissions.
- Created an Apache virtual host for easier management of your Mantis site.
- Secured your Mantis installation with Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for HTTPS access.
- Ready to track and manage bugs efficiently with your new Mantis bug-tracking system?
Completing the Mantis Bug Tracker installation on Ubuntu with Apache gives you a powerful tool at your fingertips to streamline your development processes, allowing for efficient tracking of software bugs and feature requests, which is crucial for projects with more than 10 developers.
Was this guide helpful?
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.
No comments yet — be the first to share your thoughts!