How to install vTiger CRM with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu

You can install Apache on Ubuntu by opening your terminal and running the package list update command followed by the web server installation command. Apache acts as the underlying web server required to serve your vTiger CRM pages to users over the network.

To do that, open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the 💿 Apache web server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Once Apache is installed, the commands below can start, stop, and enable the Apache web server to start automatically when your server boots up.

sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

You can test that the Apache 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 Apache2 Default Page, it means the Apache HTTP server is successfully installed.

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

How to install Apache on Ubuntu

Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu

You can install MariaDB on Ubuntu by using the terminal to download and set up the database software your system needs. MariaDB stores all your customer records, settings, and application data securely for vTiger CRM.

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 vTiger database

You create a dedicated database and user account in MariaDB so vTiger CRM has an isolated place to store its data. This step requires logging into the database command line to set up the new database name and grant full access permissions to your CRM user.

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

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

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

You install PHP along with its required modules using a single terminal command to make sure your server can run the CRM application code. PHP acts as the scripting language that processes requests and connects vTiger CRM to your database.

Run the commands below to install PHP.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php 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 vTiger files

You download the vTiger CRM application archive directly from the official website into your server directory, extract the contents, and move them to the web root folder. This places the necessary website files where Apache can read and serve them.

If a new version is available, replace the version number in the link below.

First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download vTiger files. After unzipping the file, move the content into the vTiger folder in the Apache root directory.

The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Apache web server to interact safely with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your vTiger installation.

cd /tmp
wget https://phoenixnap.dl.sourceforge.net/project/vtigercrm/vtiger%20CRM%208.2.0/Core%20Product/vtigercrm8.2.0.tar.gz
tar -xvf vtigercrm8.2.0.tar.gz
sudo mv vtigercrm /var/www/vtigercrm
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/vtigercrm

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

Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for vTiger.

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

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

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName vtigercrm.example.com
  ServerAlias www.vtigercrm.example.com
  ServerAdmin admin@example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/vtigercrm
    
  <Directory /var/www/vtigercrm/>
       Options FollowSymlinks
       AllowOverride All
       Require all granted
  </Directory>

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

Save the file.

You can enable the virtual host for vTiger CRM and restart the Apache web server by running specific commands. Enabling the virtual host makes Apache aware of the vTiger CRM configuration, and restarting Apache applies these new settings. This process ensures vTiger CRM is accessible through your web browser.

sudo a2ensite vtigercrm.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for vTiger

You secure your vTiger CRM login and customer data by installing a free Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate for your Apache web server. This certificate encrypts traffic between your users and the server so login details stay private.

Please read the post below for additional resources on installing and creating Let's Encrypt SSL certificates for Apache.

How to set up Let's Encrypt SSL certificate for Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Once you have restarted the Apache web server, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address defined in the Apache server block.

http://vtiger.example.com

A vTiger installation wizard page should appear. Click Install to begin.

Next, enter the database name, database account, and password. Then, create an administrator account and continue.

Confirm the setup info and continue.

On the next screen, create a user account and complete the installation. Then, choose what vTiger CRM features you want to install and continue.

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

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Installing vTiger CRM on Ubuntu with Apache support provides a robust platform for centralizing customer data, thus ensuring complete control and security over valuable customer information.
• The combination of Apache's web server capabilities and Ubuntu's stability and security makes it an ideal environment for hosting vTiger CRM. This enables effective customer relationship management and streamlined sales, marketing, and customer support processes.
• The process involves installing an Apache HTTP server and a MariaDB database server, creating a vTiger database, installing PHP, downloading vTiger files, configuring an Apache web server, and setting up Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for vTiger to secure the installation.
• Through the guided steps in this article, users can successfully set up vTiger CRM on Ubuntu with Apache support, ensuring a reliable solution for their business needs.