How to install Nextcloud with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

To run Nextcloud, you’ll need a web server, and we’ll use Apache for this guide on Ubuntu 24.04.

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 MariaDB database server on Ubuntu Linux

Nextcloud needs a database to store its information, so we’ll install MariaDB on your Ubuntu Linux 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 Nextcloud database

After setting up MariaDB, we need to create a specific database for Nextcloud, which we’ll call ‘nextclouddb’ and set up a user for it.

As part of the setup, we will create a database named ‘nextclouddb‘ and a corresponding user account called ‘nextclouddbuser.’

Finally, we’ll grant the nextclouddbuser full access to the nextclouddb 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 nextclouddb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER nextclouddbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON nextclouddb.* TO nextclouddbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Nextcloud is built using PHP, so we need to install it on your Ubuntu Linux system along with the necessary extensions.

Then, install PHP using the command below.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-intl php-mysql php-curl php-cli php-zip php-xml php-gd php-gmp php-common php-mbstring php-xmlrpc php-json php-sqlite3 php-ldap php-imap php-pgsql php-ssh2 php-soap php-zip

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download Nextcloud files

Now it’s time to get the Nextcloud software itself by downloading the latest files for your Ubuntu Linux installation.

Nextcloud download page

Always check the download page for the latest release. Replace the download link below with the current so you have the latest version.

First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download Nextcloud files. After unzipping the file, move the content into the Nextcloud folder in the Apache root directory.

The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Apache web server to safely interact with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your Nextcloud installation.

wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.zip -P /tmp
sudo unzip /tmp/latest.zip -d /var/www
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/nextcloud/

Once all the steps are done, configure the Apache webserver to serve the Nextcloud content.

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

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

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

Alias /nextcloud "/var/www/nextcloud/"

<Directory /var/www/nextcloud/>
  Options +FollowSymlinks
  AllowOverride All

 <IfModule mod_dav.c>
  Dav off
 </IfModule>

 SetEnv HOME /var/www/nextcloud
 SetEnv HTTP_HOME /var/www/nextcloud

</Directory>

Save the file.

Then, run the commands below to enable the virtual host and restart the Apache server.

sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf
sudo a2enmod env rewrite dir mime headers setenvif ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Nextcloud

Securing your Nextcloud installation with HTTPS is important, and we’ll set up a free SSL/TLS certificate using Let’s Encrypt with Apache on Ubuntu.

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://localhost/nextcloud

A Nextcloud installation wizard page should appear. Create an administrator account and password, enter the database name, database account name, and password created above, and click Install.

Your Nextcloud site should be ready to use.

Set up a reverse proxy for Nextcloud

If you want to use a custom domain name for your Nextcloud, setting up a reverse proxy with Apache is a good option.

The links below should help you set that up.

• Set up reverse proxy with Nginx
• Set up reverse proxy with Apache

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• In this comprehensive guide, you learned how to install Nextcloud with Apache support on Ubuntu 24.04, setting up a reliable platform for hosting cloud storage and collaboration services.
• By leveraging the stability and security of the Apache web server and the robustness of Ubuntu as the operating system, you’ve ensured a reliable cloud hosting solution.
• The step-by-step instructions covered the installation of the Apache HTTP server, MariaDB database server, PHP, and Nextcloud files, the setup of Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS, and the option to configure a reverse proxy for Nextcloud using Nginx or Apache.
• This guide provides a solid foundation for creating your Nextcloud site and offers additional resources for further customization and optimization of your setup.