How to install Tiki Wiki CMS with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

TikiWiki needs a web server to run, and we’ll use Nginx for this guide on Ubuntu 24.04.

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! page, 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

TikiWiki also needs a database, and we’ll install MariaDB on Ubuntu for this purpose.

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 TikiWiki database

After setting up MariaDB, you need to create a specific database for TikiWiki, which we’ll call ‘tikiwikidb’.

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

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

Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.

Install PHP-FPM on Ubuntu Linux

TikiWiki is built with PHP, so you’ll need to install PHP-FPM on Ubuntu Linux to make it work.

Run the commands below to install PHP-FPM.

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-json php-sqlite3 php-soap php-ldap php-zip

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download TikiWiki files

Now, let’s get the TikiWiki files downloaded and ready on your Ubuntu Linux system.

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

First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download TikiWiki files. After unzipping the file, move the content into the TikiWiki 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 TikiWiki installation.

cd /tmp
wget https://sourceforge.net/projects/tikiwiki/files/latest/download --no-check-certificate
unzip download
sudo mv tiki-*/ /var/www/tikiwiki
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/tikiwiki

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

Run the commands below to create an Nginx server block file for TikiWiki.

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

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

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

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

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
       }

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

}

Save the file.

Then, run the commands below to enable the virtual host and restart the Nginx server.

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

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for TikiWiki

To keep your TikiWiki site secure, we’ll set up a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate using Nginx on Ubuntu.

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://tikiwiki.example.com

A TikiWiki installation wizard page should appear. Select the installation language and click Continue.

On the next page, confirm all requirements are met, then continue.

Next, enter the database name, account, and password and continue.

Next, click the Install button to populate the database.

On the next screen, type in the general settings for the site and click Continue.

Your TikiWiki site should be set up and ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• 💿 Installing Tiki Wiki CMS with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 can significantly enhance the performance and security of your content management system.
• The process involves 💿 installing and configuring Nginx, setting up the MariaDB database server, installing PHP-FPM, ⬇️ downloading TikiWiki files, and securing the installation with Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS.
• Properly configuring each component ensures a seamless setup and allows for the smooth functioning of the Tiki Wiki CMS.
• You can successfully set up a robust and efficient web server configuration for your Tiki Wiki installation by carefully following the steps and additional resources.