How to Install BlackCat CMS with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

BlackCat is an easy-to-use, straightforward, and versatile content management system (CMS) that enables you to run nearly all websites and portals without learning HTML and other design skills.

If you want a stable and reliable CMS to run your sites that are easy to use and manage, BlackCat is an excellent place to start. It is built on an open-source core with support for open standards, which might be very useful in helping you run your digital content.

This CMS platform is designed for ease of use to allow enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with users across multiple devices, including mobile.

For more about BlackCat CMS, please check their Homepage

To get started with installing BlackCat CMS, follow the steps below:

Install Apache2 HTTP Server

BlackCat CMS requires a web server, and the Apache2 HTTP server is the most popular open-source web server available today. To install the Apache2 server, run the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the Apache2 service to always start up with the server boots.

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

Now that Apache2 has been installed browse your browser to the URL below to test whether the web server works.

http://localhost

If you see the page above, then Apache2 is successfully installed.

Install MariaDB Database Server

BlackCat CMS also requires a database server to store its content. MariaDB is a great place to start if you want a genuinely open-source database server. To install MariaDB, run the commands below:

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing MariaDB, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the service to start when the server boots.

Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service

Run these on Ubuntu 18.10 and 18.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
New password: Enter password
Re-enter new password: Repeat password
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]: Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]: Y

Once MariaDB is installed, run the commands below to test whether the database server was installed.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Type the root password when prompted.

The server was successfully installed if you see a similar screen.

Install PHP 7.2 and Related Modules

BlackCat CMS is a PHP-based CMS, and PHP is required. However, PHP 7.2 may not be available in Ubuntu’s default repositories. To run PHP 7.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 and previous, you may need to run the commands below:

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2

sudo apt update

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules.

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

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default configuration file for Apache2.

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

The lines below are a good setting for most PHP-based CMS. Update the configuration file with these and save.

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

Every time you change the PHP configuration file, you should restart the Apache2 web server. To do so, run the commands below:

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Once PHP is installed, create a test file called phpinfo.php in the Apache2 default root directory to test whether it’s functioning. ( /var/www/html/)

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

Then, type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Next, open your browser and browse to the server’s hostname or IP address, followed by phpinfo.php

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

You should see the PHP default test page.

Create BlackCat CMS Database

Once you’ve installed all the packages required for BlackCat CMS to function, continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create a blank BlackCat CMS database.

To log on to the MariaDB database server, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called blackcat

CREATE DATABASE blackcat;

Create a database user called blackcatuser with a new password

CREATE USER 'blackcatuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON blackcat.* TO 'blackcatuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download BlackCat CMS Latest Release

To get BlackCat CMS’s latest release, you may want to get it from its download page below. At the time of this writing, the current version is 4.1.0.

https://blackcat-cms.org/page/download.php

Extract the downloaded content and copy it to the Apache2 root directory.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo unzip -d /var/www/html/blackcat ~/Downloads/blackcatcms_v1.3.3.zip

Then, run the commands below to set the correct permissions for the BlackCat CMS root directory and give Apache2 control.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/blackcat/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/blackcat/

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for BlackCat CMS. This file will control how users access WebsiteBaker content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called blackcat.conf.

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

Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location.

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin [email protected]
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/blackcat
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/blackcat/>
          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 and exit.

Enable the BlackCat CMS and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.

sudo a2ensite blackcat.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. Next, you should see the BlackCat CMS setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/

Then, follow the on-screen instructions. Next, go to steps two and three and validate that your environment meets the minimum setup.

Set required BlackCat configuration parameters. Some parameters are required to be set before BlackCat installation. After the installation, log in to the administration console and configure the remaining parameters; this should be your first administrator task.

In Step 1, verify that all requirements are met and continue