How to Install sysPass Password Manager on Ubuntu

Install the Apache HTTP server

Apache is a web server that shows websites, and you can install it on Ubuntu by first updating your package list with ‘sudo apt update’, then running ‘sudo apt install apache2’.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Next, enable Apache to start automatically when your system boots up:

sudo systemctl enable --now apache2

Open your web browser and navigate to your server’s IP address to check that Apache is running correctly.

Install the MariaDB database server

sysPass needs a database to store your information. We’ll use the MariaDB database server for this:

sudo apt install mariadb-server
sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb

Run the following command to set a root password and remove insecure default settings:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Install PHP

sysPass 2026 requires PHP 8.2 or 8.3. Run these commands to install the necessary modules:

sudo apt install php8.3 php8.3-mysql php8.3-xml php8.3-mbstring php8.3-curl php8.3-gd php8.3-intl php8.3-bcmath libapache2-mod-php8.3 git

General: Composer and SSL Configuration

Composer is a tool that helps install extra bits sysPass needs, and you can install it on Ubuntu by downloading the installer script and running it with PHP.

php -r "copy('https://getcomposer.org/installer', 'composer-setup.php');"
sudo php composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

Securing your connection: It’s crucial to never use a password manager over an unencrypted HTTP connection. Let’s install Certbot to get a free SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache

Follow the on-screen prompts to secure your domain. This sets up an encrypted ‘Virtual Host’ for your site, which is like a dedicated space for your website on the server.

Create a database for sysPass

Log into MariaDB to create the storage area for sysPass:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Once you’re at the MariaDB prompt, run the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE syspassdb;
CREATE USER 'syspassdbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL ON syspassdb.* TO 'syspassdbuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Install sysPass

Now it’s time to install sysPass on your Ubuntu system by first downloading the files using Git, then changing file ownership, and finally running Composer to get the rest of the needed software.

git clone https://github.com/nuxsmin/sysPass.git /var/www/html/syspass
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/syspass
cd /var/www/html/syspass
sudo composer install --no-dev

Now, create the Apache configuration file for sysPass:

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

Add your server details here. Then, enable the site and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite syspass
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Finally, visit your domain in your web browser to complete the setup through the sysPass web portal.

Enter your database credentials, create an administrator account, and click Install. You’re now all set to manage your passwords securely.

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