This article describes the steps to install InvoicePlane on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support.
InvoicePlane is an open-source, self-hosted application based on PHP managing quotes, invoices, and payments. It is designed from the ground up to allow business owners to create and manage and track their business quotes, invoices, and client payments.
When deciding on free open-source quotes, invoices, and payment platforms, don’t ignore InvoicePlane. This free open-source invoicing and payment platform based on PHP can get the job done.
This post covers installing the latest version of InvoicePlane, which is v1.5.5.
How to install InvoicePlane on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support
As described above, InvoicePlane is an open-source, self-hosted application based on PHP for managing quotes, invoices, and payments.
Install Apache
InvoicePlane requires a webserver to function, and the most popular web server in use today is Apache. 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 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
Install MariaDB
InvoicePlane also requires a database server to function, and the 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 installing, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service always to start up when the server boots.
sudo systemctl stop mysql.service sudo systemctl start mysql.service sudo systemctl enable mysql.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): 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
Install PHP 7.1 and Related Modules
PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu’s default repositories. So to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories.
Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.1
sudo apt-get install software-properties-common sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.1
sudo apt update
Run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.
sudo apt install php7.1 libapache2-mod-php7.1 php7.1-common php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xmlrpc php7.1-soap php7.1-gd php7.1-xml php7.1-intl php7.1-mysql php7.1-cli php7.1-mcrypt php7.1-zip php7.1-curl
After installing PHP 7.1, run the commands below to open the PHP-FPM default file.
sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini
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 = 360 date.timezone = America/Chicago
Create InvoicePlane Database
Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers.
First, go and create a blank InvoicePlane 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 invplanedb
CREATE DATABASE invplanedb;
Create a database user called invplaneuser with a new password
CREATE USER 'invplaneuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';
Then grant invplaneuser full access to the database.
GRANT ALL ON invplanedb.* TO 'invplaneuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Finally, save your changes and exit.
FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Download InvoicePlane Latest Release
Next, visit the InvoicePlane site and download the latest version.
After downloading, run the commands below to create a root directory for InvoicePlane and extract the downloaded file into the Apache2 root directory.
cd /tmp && wget -c -O v1.5.5.zip https://invoiceplane.com/download/v1.5.5 unzip v1.5.5.zip sudo mv ip /var/www/html/invoiceplane
Next, run the commands below to create InvoicePlane default config and .htaccess files.
sudo cp /var/www/html/invoiceplane/ipconfig.php.example /var/www/html/invoiceplane/ipconfig.php sudo cp /var/www/html/invoiceplane/htaccess /var/www/html/invoiceplane/.htaccess
Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for InvoicePlane to function.
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/invoiceplane/ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/invoiceplane/
Configure Apache2
Finally, configure the Apahce2 virtual host configuration file for InvoicePlane. This file will control how users access InvoicePlane content.
Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called invoice plane.conf
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/invoiceplane.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/invoiceplane
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
<Directory /var/www/html/invoiceplane/>
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 InvoicePlane
After configuring the Virtual Host above, please enable it by running the commands below.
sudo a2ensite invoiceplane.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. You should see the InvoicePlane setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.
http://example.com/setup/
Then follow the on-screen instructions. You will be asked to input your database configuration, administrative details, and other configuration settings.
When complete, you may sign in and start using InvoicePlane.
