Install Symfony 5 on Ubuntu with Apache

This guide helps you ubuntu-linux/" class="sal-link" rel="noopener" target="_blank" data-sal-id="21781">install the Symfony 5 framework on Ubuntu. Symfony is a tool for developers that makes building websites and apps faster. It handles the repetitive coding tasks so you don’t have to.

Why use Symfony? It provides ready-made components that save you time and help you build professional web applications more efficiently.

What happens when done? You will have a working web server running the Symfony framework, ready for you to start building your own web projects.

To learn more, visit the official Homepage website.

Step 1: Install the Apache2 Web Server

Symfony needs a web server to run. Apache2 is a popular choice. Requires admin privileges.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Use these commands to manage the server:

sudo systemctl stop apache2.service
sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable apache2.service

Check if it works by opening your web browser and typing:

http://localhost

Step 2: Install PHP

Symfony is built using PHP. You need to install it and its related modules. Requires admin privileges.

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

sudo apt update

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-sqlite3 php7.2-mysql php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-soap php7.2-ldap php7.2-gd php7.2-bcmath php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

Now, edit your PHP configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/apache2/php.ini

Update the file with these settings and save your changes:

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Restart Apache to apply the new settings:

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Create a test file to make sure PHP is working correctly:

sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php

Add this code to the file and save:

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Open your browser and visit:

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

Step 3: Download Symfony

We will use a tool called Composer to download the framework. Requires admin privileges.

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

Change to the web directory and create your project folder:

cd /var/www/
sudo composer create-project symfony/skeleton symfony5

Set the correct permissions so the server can access the files:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/symfony5/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/symfony5/

Step 4: Configure Apache

Create a configuration file to tell Apache how to serve your Symfony project. Requires admin privileges.

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

Paste this content into the file. Make sure to update your domain name and folder path:

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin admin@example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/symfony5/public
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/symfony5/public/>
          Options FollowSymlinks
          AllowOverride All
          Require all granted
     </Directory>

     ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
     CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Step 5: Enable Symfony

Activate your new configuration and restart the server. Requires admin privileges.

sudo a2ensite symfony.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Visit your site in your browser:

http://example.com/

Your Symfony 5 setup is complete and ready for use.

Summary

In this tutorial, we installed the Apache2 web server, set up PHP, downloaded the Symfony 5 framework using Composer, and configured the server to display your new application. You are now ready to begin developing your web projects.