How to Install Redmine with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache

Apache provides the web server you need to run your Redmine installation on Ubuntu. Open your terminal and run the update command followed by the installation command to set up the Apache web server on your 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 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.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu

Install MariaDB

MariaDB gives Redmine the database server required to store all your project data safely on Ubuntu. Open your terminal and run the package manager commands to install the MariaDB database server before you set up your database.

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 Redmine database

A dedicated Redmine database gives the application a secure place to store user accounts, issues, and project files. Log into your MariaDB shell and run the SQL commands to create a database named redminedb alongside a user account with full permissions.

As part of the setup, we will create a redminedb database and a user account called redminedbuser.

The redminedbuser database user receives full access to the redminedb database, ensuring Redmine can read and write all necessary data for its operation.

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

Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.

Install Redmine

Installing Redmine on Ubuntu requires downloading the core application files and setting up the required Ruby dependencies. Run the apt install command in your terminal to add Ruby and the necessary build tools to your system.

First, run the command below to install some package dependencies to support Redmine.

sudo apt install ruby ruby-dev build-essential libssl-dev libreadline-dev zlib1g-dev libcurl4-openssl-dev libmysqlclient-dev libpq-dev  libaprutil1-dev libapr1-dev apache2-dev

Redmine is built on Ruby, so we must install the correct version.

This post will install and manage Ruby versions using RVM (Ruby Version Manager).

First, install the required dependencies for RVM:

sudo apt install gnupg2 curl

Then, install RVM by running the command below.

curl -sSL https://get.rvm.io | bash -s stable
source ~/.rvm/scripts/rvm

If the command above failed, run the command below to import the keys

curl -sSL https://rvm.io/mpapis.asc | gpg2 --import -
curl -sSL https://rvm.io/pkuczynski.asc | gpg2 --import -

Then, rerun the command to install RVM.

Install the latest stable version of Ruby.

rvm pkg install openssl
rvm get head
rvm install ruby 3.3
rvm use ruby 3.3 --default

Continue below to configure Redmine.

Configure Redmine

Configuring Redmine on Ubuntu involves creating a dedicated directory and downloading the official source code package. Create the target folder in your system paths and set the correct web server permissions so the application can run properly.

sudo mkdir /var/lib/redmine
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/lib/redmine

Go and download the Redmine source code using the wget command below. Visit the download page to get the latest version to install.

cd /tmp
wget https://www.redmine.org/releases/redmine-6.0.3.tar.gz

Next, extract the downloaded file and copy the content to Redmine's directory.

tar -xvzf redmine-6.0.3.tar.gz
sudo -u www-data cp -r redmine-6.0.3/* /var/lib/redmine

After that, copy the default database configuration 'config/database.yml.example' to 'config/database.yml'.

sudo -u www-data cp /var/lib/redmine/config/database.yml.example /var/lib/redmine/config/database.yml

Next, open the database.yml configuration file by running the command below.

sudo -u www-data nano /var/lib/redmine/config/database.yml

Then, in the 'production' section, change the details of the MySQL database and user. Type in the database account details created above.

# Default setup is given for MySQL 5.7.7 or later.
# Examples for PostgreSQL, SQLite3 and SQL Server can be found at the end.
# Line indentation must be 2 spaces (no tabs).

production:
  adapter: mysql2
  database: redminedb
  host: localhost
  username: redminedbuser
  password: "Type_password_here"
  # Use "utf8" instead of "utfmb4" for MySQL prior to 5.7.7
  encoding: utf8mb4
  variables:
    # Recommended `transaction_isolation` for MySQL to avoid concurrency issues is
    # `READ-COMMITTED`.
    # In case of MySQL lower than 8, the variable name is `tx_isolation`.
    # See https://www.redmine.org/projects/redmine/wiki/MySQL_configuration
    tx_isolation: "READ-COMMITTED"

Save the file and exit the editor when you are finished.

Install bundler by running the command below.

sudo gem install bundler

Next, change to Redmine's directory and run the bundler command to install Ruby dependencies for the Redmine application.

cd /var/lib/redmine
sudo bundle config set --local without 'development test'
sudo bundle install

Once Redmine dependencies are installed, run the following command to generate the Redmine secret token and migrate the database.

sudo -u www-data bin/rake generate_secret_token
sudo -u www-data bin/rake db:migrate RAILS_ENV="production"

In the following screenshot, you can see the Redmine secret token is generated and the process of Redmine database migration.

You load the default Redmine data into your Redmine installation by running the command `bundle exec rake redmine:load_default_data RAILS_ENV=production`. When the command asks you to choose a language, type `en` for English to proceed.

sudo RAILS_ENV=production bundle exec rake redmine:load_default_data

Next, install  Phusion Passenger, which runs Rails applications like Redmine on Apache.

sudo gem install passenger

Then, execute the following command to build and install the module for Apache.

sudo passenger-install-apache2-module --auto --languages ruby

Run the command below to verify that the module is added to Apache.

sudo passenger-install-apache2-module --snippet

Take notes of the output, as you will need it in the configuration file below.

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

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

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

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

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName redmine.example.com
  ServerAdmin admin@example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/lib/redmine/public

<Directory "/var/lib/redmine/public">
  Require all granted
</Directory>

# Basic configuration for Passenger. Use the info gathered from running #the passenger command and update the lines below.

LoadModule passenger_module /var/lib/gems/3.2.0/gems/passenger-6.0.25/buildout/apache2/mod_passenger.so
<IfModule mod_passenger.c>
  PassengerRoot /var/lib/gems/3.2.0/gems/passenger-6.0.25
  PassengerDefaultRuby /usr/bin/ruby3.2
</IfModule>

# Allow access to Redmine's installation directory
<Directory /var/lib/redmine/public>
    Allow from all
    Options -MultiViews
    Require all granted
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Save the file.

You enable the Redmine virtual host and restart the Apache web server by running specific commands. This action makes the Redmine application accessible through your web browser. For example, you might run `sudo a2ensite redmine.conf` to enable the configuration file for Redmine and then `sudo systemctl restart apache2` to apply the changes.

sudo a2ensite redmine.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Redmine

Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS secures your Redmine login and project data with free encryption through Apache. Generate and install your free SSL certificate by following the standard Certbot instructions for your Apache web server 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://redmine.example.com

The Redmine portal should appear.

Login with credential:

• Username: admin
• Password: admin

That should do it!

Conclusion

Installing Redmine on Ubuntu 24.04 with Apache and MariaDB provides a powerful project management tool for team collaboration. Following the steps in this guide, you can set up Redmine successfully and enhance your project management capabilities.

• Redmine offers a flexible and open-source solution for effective project management.
• The installation process involves configuring necessary components such as Apache and MariaDB.
• Setting up a dedicated database for Redmine ensures data integrity and security.
• Utilizing Passenger allows Redmine to run efficiently on the Apache server.
• Securing your Redmine installation with an SSL certificate enhances security measures.
• The default admin credentials allow you to access and explore Redmine’s features after installation.

With the Redmine installation and Apache configuration steps complete, you can use Redmine for better project tracking and team collaboration.