How to Install osCommerce with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

To install Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 for your osCommerce store, open your terminal and run the commands sudo apt update and sudo apt install nginx. This downloads and sets up the Nginx web server so it can handle incoming visitor traffic.

To do that, open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the 💿 Nginx web server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

Once Nginx is installed, the commands below can start, stop, and enable the Nginx web server to start automatically when your server boots up.

sudo systemctl stop nginx
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

You can test the Nginx web server by opening your web browser and browsing to the server’s localhost or IP address.

http://localhost

When you see the Welcome to nginx!, it means the Nginx HTTP server is successfully installed.

Additional help on installing Nginx on Ubuntu is in the link below.

How to install Nginx on Ubuntu

Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu

To install MariaDB on Ubuntu 24.04 to store your osCommerce product and customer data, open your terminal and run the database server installation commands. This sets up the database backend required to run your online shop.

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 an osCommerce database

To create an osCommerce database in MariaDB, log into your database shell and run the commands to make a new database named oscdb and a user called oscdbuser. Granting this user full permissions lets your online store save customer orders and product catalogs properly.

As part of the setup, we will create an oscdb database and a user account called oscdbuser.

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

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu 24.04 for osCommerce, run the command sudo apt install php-fpm php-intl php-mysql in your terminal. This installs the PHP processor and all required extensions so your web server can run the osCommerce software code.

Then, run the commands below to install the latest PHP version.

sudo apt install php-fpm 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

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download osCommerce files

To download osCommerce files for your Ubuntu server, visit the official osCommerce website to grab the most current installation package. Extract these website files into your Nginx web root directory so you can run the web-based setup wizard.

To always install the latest version, check the download page for osCommerce. If a new version is available, replace the version number in the link below.

First, navigate to the /Downloads/ directory and download osCommerce files. After unzipping the file, move the content into the osCommerce folder in the Nginx root directory.

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

cd ~/Downloads
sudo unzip osc_*.zip -d /var/www/oscommerce
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/oscommerce

If you can not access the archive above, use the git command to clone the files.

sudo apt install git
sudo mkdir /var/www/oscommerce && cd /var/www/oscommerce
sudo git clone https://github.com/osCommerce/osCommerce-V4.git ./
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/oscommerce

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

Run the commands below to create a Nginx virtual host file for osCommerce.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/oscommerce.conf

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

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    set $yii_bootstrap "index.php";
    root /var/www/oscommerce;
    index  $yii_bootstrap;
    server_name  osc.example.com;

location /furniture {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /furniture/$yii_bootstrap?$args;
    }

    location /printshop {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /printshop/$yii_bootstrap?$args;
    }

    location /admin {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /admin/$yii_bootstrap?$args;
    }

    location /b2b-supermarket {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /b2b-supermarket/$yii_bootstrap?$args;
    }

    location /watch {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
        try_files $uri $uri/ /watch/$yii_bootstrap?$args;
    }

    location / {
        index $yii_bootstrap;
    }


location ~ .php$ {
         include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
         include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save the file.

You enable the virtual host for osCommerce and restart the Nginx server by running the commands `sudo a2ensite oscommerce.conf` and `sudo systemctl restart nginx`. This step makes Nginx serve your osCommerce website.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/oscommerce.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for osCommerce

To set up Let's Encrypt SSL for osCommerce on Nginx, install Certbot and request a free security certificate for your domain name. This enables HTTPS encryption on your Ubuntu server to protect your customers' passwords and payment details.

Please read the post below for additional resources on installing and creating Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates for Nginx.

How to set up Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

Once you have restarted the Nginx web server, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address defined in the Nginx server block.

http://osc.example.com/install/

An osCommerce installation wizard page should appear. Accept and continue the installation.

Ensure all requirements are met and proceed.

Next, enter the database name, account, and password you created above, then click "INSTALL DATABASE."

Next, complete the company details and click the Update database button.

Next, create an admin account.

Finally, click the complete installation button to complete the installation wizard.

Log on to the admin portal to start configuring the site.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

Installing osCommerce with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 is a straightforward process that enables you to create a robust e-commerce platform. After following the installation steps, you will have a reliable environment to manage your online store effectively.

• Successful Installation: Ensure that Nginx, MariaDB, and PHP are correctly installed and configured for optimal performance.
• Database Setup: Create a dedicated database for your osCommerce application and grant necessary permissions to the user account.
• Secure Environment: Implement SSL/TLS certificates using Let’s Encrypt to secure your online transactions and customer data.
• Easy Management: Access the osCommerce admin portal to customize your store and manage products efficiently.
• Ongoing Support: Refer to the additional resources and documentation for troubleshooting and advanced configurations.

Completing these steps allows you to launch your osCommerce e-commerce store and sell your products online confidently, ensuring your online business is ready for customers.