How to Install Mautic with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

To install Apache on Ubuntu 24.04 for your Mautic setup, open your terminal and update your package list. Run the command sudo apt install apache2 to download and set up the Apache HTTP server software. This web server makes your Mautic application available online so visitors can load your pages.

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.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu

Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu

To install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu 24.04, open your terminal and run the standard package installation commands. MariaDB securely stores all your Mautic contact lists, campaign details, and application data in a dedicated database 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 Mautic database

To create a Mautic database and user, log into your MariaDB prompt and run SQL commands to set up a dedicated database named mauticdb along with a user called mauticdbuser. Giving this user full permissions ensures Mautic can read and write its data correctly.

The `mauticdbuser` account receives full access to the `mauticdb` database, which allows Mautic to manage its data. This specific database access is crucial for Mautic's operational functions after Mautic installation on Ubuntu 24.04.

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 mauticdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER mauticdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON mauticdb.* TO mauticdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu 24.04 for your Mautic installation, run the package manager command in your terminal to get PHP and all required extensions. Mautic relies on PHP and these specific modules to run its code and process your marketing campaigns 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 php-ldap php-imap php-redis

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download Mautic files

To download Mautic files onto your Ubuntu 24.04 server, use Git and Composer to fetch the official source code package. Installing these developer tools and running their download commands places the application files in your web directory, ready for the web installer.

First, install Composer, git, and curl packages by running the command below.

sudo apt install git curl
sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/bin --filename=composer

Then, run the commands below to install Composer and use it to download Mautic content.

cd /var/www/
sudo git clone https://github.com/mautic/mautic.git
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mautic/
cd mautic
sudo -u www-data composer install

If the steps above fail because npm is missing, run the command below to install it, then rerun the Composer install command.

sudo apt-get install npm
sudo mkdir /var/www/.npm
sudo chown -R 33:33 /var/www/.npm

Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Apache web server below to serve the Mautic content.

Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for Mautic.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/mautic.conf

Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Apache server block.

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName mautic.example.com
  ServerAdmin admin@example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/mautic
    
  <Directory /var/www/mautic/>
       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 can enable the Apache virtual host by running `sudo a2ensite mautic.conf` and restart the Apache server with `sudo systemctl restart apache2`. This action makes Mautic accessible on your server.

sudo a2ensite mautic.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mautic

To set up Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mautic on Ubuntu 24.04, install Certbot and configure your Apache web server to force secure HTTPS connections. This encrypts traffic between your visitors and your server, protecting sensitive contact and campaign data.

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://mautic.example.com

The Mautic installation wizard should appear.

Click Next to begin the installation.

Type in the database name and password, then click Next.

Create an admin account and continue.

Mautic should be ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Installing Mautic with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04 gives businesses a powerful open-source marketing automation tool.
• Integrating Apache, MariaDB, and PHP creates a robust marketing campaign management environment.
• Key steps include:
  • Setting up the Apache web server and configuring it to serve Mautic.
  • Installing the MariaDB database and creating a designated database for Mautic.
  • Installing PHP and its necessary extensions to support Mautic's functionalities.
  • Downloading Mautic files and configuring virtual host settings for seamless operation.
  • Securing your installation with SSL/TLS using Let’s Encrypt for enhanced security.
• Following the installation wizard ensures you can set up your Mautic account quickly and efficiently.
• With Mautic up and running, you can engage with your audience more effectively and manage your marketing strategies in a more controlled environment.