How to Install SuiteCRM with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

Install the Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu to run SuiteCRM. This web server handles incoming requests for your SuiteCRM site. You’ll open your terminal and use simple commands to get Nginx installed and ready to serve your application.

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 is running 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

SuiteCRM needs a database to store all its important information, so we’ll install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu. This database system will hold your customer data and application settings. You can do this by opening your terminal and running a couple of easy commands.

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 SuiteCRM database

Now that MariaDB is installed, you need to create a new database specifically for SuiteCRM to keep its data organized. This involves setting up a database name, a username, and a secure password for access. We will create a ‘suitecrmdb’ database and a user account called ‘suitecrmdbuser’ for this purpose.

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

The `suitecrmdbuser` account receives full access permissions for the `suitecrmdb` database. This database user access lets the SuiteCRM application perform all necessary read, write, and delete operations on the `suitecrmdb` database tables, which is crucial for SuiteCRM's functionality.

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

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

SuiteCRM is built using PHP, so you need to install this programming language on your Ubuntu system for it to work. You can install the latest PHP version and all the needed add-ons by running a few commands in your terminal. Installing PHP is essential for SuiteCRM to function correctly on Ubuntu Linux.

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 php-ldap php-imap

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download SuiteCRM files

To get SuiteCRM up and running, you’ll need to download the latest version’s files from their official website. After downloading, you’ll extract these files into the correct folder on your Ubuntu server. Always check the SuiteCRM download page for the most current version to download.

To always install the latest version, check the download page for SuiteCRM. Get the download link and download the archived package to your computer. Then, extract it.

First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download the SuiteCRM files. Next, extract the content into the SuiteCRM 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 SuiteCRM installation.

SuiteCRM needs specific file permissions on your Nginx root folder to work correctly. Run the following commands to grant these permissions, ensuring your SuiteCRM application can store and access its files without errors.

cd /tmp
wget https://suitecrm.com/download/148/suite87/564667/suitecrm-8-7-1.zip
sudo unzip suitecrm-*.zip -d /var/www/suitecrm
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/suitecrm/

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

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

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

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

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    root /var/www/suitecrm/public;
    index  index.php;
    server_name  suitecrm.example.com;

    access_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.error.log;

    location / {
        try_files $uri /index.php$is_args$args;
    }

    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 can enable the Nginx virtual host by running the `sudo a2ensite suitecrm.conf` command. Then, you restart the Nginx server with the `sudo systemctl restart nginx` command to apply these changes.

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

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for SuiteCRM

Make your SuiteCRM site secure with HTTPS by setting up a free SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt with Nginx on Ubuntu. This process encrypts the data sent between your server and visitors, protecting sensitive information. Follow the linked resources to install and create Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates for Nginx.

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://suitecrm.example.com

SuiteCRM installation wizard should appear.

sudo sed -i "s/memory_limit = .*/memory_limit = 512M/" /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini
sudo sed -i "s/upload_max_filesize = .*/upload_max_filesize = 12M/" /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini
sudo systemctl reload php8.3-fpm

Next, type in the database name, account name, password, and the admin account and password for the portal.

SuiteCRM should be installed and ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

Installing SuiteCRM with Nginx on Ubuntu provides a powerful solution for managing customer relationships. Following the steps outlined in this article, you can set up an efficient environment for your SuiteCRM instance. Here are the key takeaways:

• SuiteCRM is a robust open-source CRM alternative to SugarCRM.
• Nginx is an efficient web server that hosts SuiteCRM applications.
• MariaDB is required to handle the database needs for SuiteCRM.
• 💿 Installing PHP is essential for running the SuiteCRM application effectively.
• Proper setup of file permissions ensures secure interaction between Nginx and SuiteCRM.
• Configuring SSL/TLS enhances the security of your SuiteCRM installation for safe data transmission.
• Following the SuiteCRM installation wizard helps complete the setup process and ensures everything is configured correctly.

With SuiteCRM installation steps complete, you can use the software to effectively enhance your customer relationship management. The SuiteCRM application offers tools for tracking leads, managing sales, and providing customer support, all within one system.