How to install Bolt CMS with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This article describes the steps to install Bolt CMS on Ubuntu Linux.

Bolt CMS is a great choice for those who want a lightweight and simple content management system for their websites or blogs. It’s based on PHP, making it easy to install and use and free to use.

Installing Bolt CMS with Apache on Ubuntu Linux provides users an accessible and reliable platform for creating and managing their websites or blogs. Apache is a widely used web server that is easy to install and configure, making it a popular choice for hosting web applications.

On the other hand, Bolt CMS is a lightweight and user-friendly content management system built on PHP. By installing Bolt with Apache on Ubuntu, users can take advantage of the power of these tools to create dynamic and responsive websites that are easy to manage and maintain.

Additionally, Ubuntu is a stable and secure operating system well-suited for hosting web applications, making it an ideal choice for running Bolt CMS.

This post covers installing the latest version of Bolt, which at the time of writing is 3.4.2

How to install Bolt CMS on Ubuntu Linux

As described above, Bolt is a sophisticated, lightweight, and simple content management system based on PHP.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux.

Install Apache2

Bolt requires a webserver to function; the most popular web server today is Apache2. So, go and install Apache2 on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Next, run the commands below to stop, start, and enable the Apache service to always start up with the server boots.

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

Install MariaDB

Bolt also requires a database server to function. And MariaDB database server is a great place to start. To install it, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

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

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

After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server.

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

Restart MariaDB server

sudo systemctl restart mariadb.service

Install PHP and Related Modules

Bolt is based on PHP, so you’ll need to install it. To install PHP and related modules, run the commands below.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php libapache2-mod-php php-common php-mbstring php-xmlrpc php-soap php-gd php-xml php-intl php-mysql php-cli php-mcrypt php-ldap php-zip php-curl php-sqlite3

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

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini # Ubuntu 17.10
sudo nano /etc/php/7.0/apache2/php.ini # Ubuntu 17.04

Then change to the following lines below in the file and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
max_execution_time = 240
max_input_vars = 1500

Create Bolt Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create the Bolt database.

Run the commands below to log on to the database server. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called Bolt.

CREATE DATABASE bolt;

Create a database user called boltuser with a new password

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

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON bolt.* TO 'boltuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download Bolt’s Latest Release

Next, visit the Bolt site and download the latest version.

After downloading, run the commands below to extract the downloaded file into the Apache2 root directory.

cd /tmp && wget http://bolt.cm/distribution/bolt-latest.tar.gz
tar -zxvf bolt-latest.tar.gz
sudo mv bolt-v3.4.2 /var/www/html/bolt

Install Composer for Bolt

Once you have downloaded the Bolt package, run the commands below to install Composer. This will allow you to install the required packages to run Bolt.

cd /var/www/html/bolt
sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php
sudo cp /var/www/html/bolt/composer.json.dist /var/www/html/bolt/composer.json
sudo php composer.phar install

Then, run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Bolt to function.

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

Configure Bolt Database

Next, run the commands below to create a Bolt database connection file.

sudo nano /var/www/html/bolt/app/config/config.yml

Then, add the lines below into the config.yml and save.

database:
  driver: mysql
  username: boltuser
  password: password_here
  databasename: bolt

Configure Apache2

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

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/bolt.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 admin@example.com
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/bolt/public
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/bolt/>
        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 Bolt and Rewrite Module

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

sudo a2ensite bolt.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite

Restart Apache2 by running the commands below to load all the settings above.

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

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

http://example.com

Then, follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed Bolt.

After creating the first user, you should be logged into the admin dashboard.

Enjoy!

http://example.com/bolt/login

Conclusion:

This post showed you how to install Bolt CMS on Ubuntu Linux. Please use the comment form below if you find any errors above or have something to add.