How to install TYPO3 with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

You’ll need a web server to run TYPO3, and we’ll use Nginx for this guide on Ubuntu 24.04. Installing Nginx is simple using the command line. This section shows you how to get Nginx up and running so your TYPO3 site has a place to live.

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 “Welcome to nginx!” the Nginx HTTP server has been installed.

Additional help on installing Nginx on Ubuntu is in the link below.

How to install Nginx on Ubuntu

Install MariaDB database server on Ubuntu Linux

TYPO3 needs a database to store its information, and MariaDB is a great choice for this on Ubuntu Linux. This part explains how to install the MariaDB database server using simple commands in your terminal. Getting MariaDB set up is a key step before we can create the database for TYPO3.

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 TYPO3 database

Now that MariaDB is installed, it’s time to create a dedicated database for your TYPO3 site. We’ll set up a database named ‘typo3db’ and a user called ‘typo3dbuser’ to manage it. This section guides you through giving that user all the necessary permissions for the ‘typo3db’ database.

As part of the setup, we will create a database named ‘typo3db‘ and a corresponding user account called ‘typo3dbuser.’

Finally, we’ll grant the typo3dbuser full access to the typo3db 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 typo3db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER typo3dbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON typo3db.* TO typo3dbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.

Install PHP-FPM on Ubuntu Linux

TYPO3 is built with PHP, so you’ll need PHP-FPM installed on your Ubuntu Linux system to make it work. This section shows you the exact commands to install PHP-FPM along with all the necessary PHP extensions TYPO3 requires. Having the right PHP setup is crucial for TYPO3 to function correctly.

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-zip

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download TYPO3 files

This part covers downloading the main TYPO3 application files onto your Ubuntu server. We’ll show you where to find the latest version and how to download it. Make sure to check the official TYPO3 download page for the most current release before you begin.

TYPO3 download page

Always check the download page for the latest release. Replace the download link below with the current so you have the latest version.

You may want to use the GitHub repository to get TYPO3’s latest release. Install Composer, Curl, and other dependencies to get started.

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

After installing curl and Composer above, change the directory to the Nginx root directory and download the TYPO3 packages from Github. Always replace the release number with the latest release.

cd /var/www/
sudo composer create-project typo3/cms-base-distribution typo3 ^13
sudo touch /var/www/typo3/public/FIRST_INSTALL
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/typo3

Once all the steps are done, configure the Nginx webserver to serve the TYPO3 content.

Run the commands below to create a Nginx server block file for TYPO3.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/typo3.conf

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

server
{
	listen 80;
	listen [::]:80;
	server_name typo3.example.com;

	root /var/www/typo3/public;
	index index.php;

	error_log /var/log/nginx/typo3.error;
	access_log /var/log/nginx/typo3.access;

	location /
	{
		try_files $uri $uri/ @sfc;
	}

	# Special root site case. prevent "try_files $uri/" + "index" from skipping the cache
	# by accessing /index.php directly
	location =/
	{
		recursive_error_pages on;
		error_page 405 = @sfc;
		return 405;
	}

	location @t3frontend
	{
		# Using try_files for ease of configuration demonstration here,
		# you can also fastcgi_pass directly to php here
		try_files $uri /index.php$is_args$args;
	}

	location @sfc
	{
		# Perform an internal redirect to TYPO3 if any of the required
		# conditions for StaticFileCache don't match
		error_page 405 = @t3frontend;

		# Query String needs to be empty
		if ($args != '')
		{
			return 405;
		}

		# We can't serve static files for logged-in BE/FE users
		if ($cookie_staticfilecache = 'typo_user_logged_in')
		{
			return 405;
		}

		if ($cookie_be_typo_user != '')
		{
			return 405;
		}

		# Ensure we redirect to TYPO3 for non GET/HEAD requests
		if ($request_method !~ ^(GET|HEAD)$ )
		{
			return 405;
		}

		# Disable cache for EXT:solr indexing requests
		if ($http_x_tx_solr_iq)
		{
			return 405;
		}

                charset utf-8;
                default_type text/html;
                try_files /typo3temp/assets/tx_staticfilecache/${scheme}_${host}_${server_port}${uri}/index
          /typo3temp/assets/tx_staticfilecache/${scheme}_${host}_${server_port}${uri}
          =405;
                }

	location /typo3temp/assets/tx_staticfilecache
	{
		deny all;
	}

	location ~ .php$
	{
		fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
		fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
		include fastcgi_params;
		include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
	}
}

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/typo3.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for TYPO3

To keep your TYPO3 website secure, it’s important to set up an SSL/TLS certificate using Let’s Encrypt with Nginx on Ubuntu. This section will guide you through the process of getting and installing a free SSL certificate. Securing your site with HTTPS is a vital step after your TYPO3 installation is complete.

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://typo3.example.com

A TYPO3 installation wizard page should appear. Click the continue button if all requirements are met.

Run the command below to fix some of the problems detected.

sudo sed -i "s/;max_input_vars = .*/max_input_vars = 1500/" /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini
sudo sed -i "s/max_execution_time = .*/max_execution_time = 240/" /etc/php/8.3/fpm/php.ini
sudo systemctl reload php8.3-fpm

Next, enter the database username and password created above and click continue.

Then, select the database on the next page.

Next, create an administrator account and click continue.

Your TYPO3 site should be ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• In this guide, we have successfully set up TYPO3 with Nginx support on Ubuntu 24.04, leveraging Nginx’s high performance and stability along with TYPO3’s flexibility as a content management system.
• The installation involved setting up Nginx, 💿 installing MariaDB for database support, configuring a TYPO3 database, installing PHP-FPM, and ⬇️ downloading and configuring TYPO3 files on Ubuntu Linux.
• To enhance security, we also explored setting up an SSL/TLS certificate for TYPO3 using Let’s Encrypt, which ensures a secure browsing experience for site visitors.
• By following these comprehensive steps, users can seamlessly establish a robust web hosting environment for TYPO3 powered by Nginx on Ubuntu, providing optimal performance and security for their web content.