This article explains how to install LimeSurvey with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04.
LimeSurvey is an open-source online survey application allowing users to create and manage surveys easily.
Ubuntu is known for its stability and reliability, making it a popular choice for server environments. Nginx is known for its high performance and low resource consumption.
Using Nginx with Ubuntu for LimeSurvey can result in a robust, efficient, and secure survey application.
Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu
LimeSurvey requires a web server. This post will install and use the Nginx web server to run LimeSurvey.
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 local host or IP address.
http://localhost
When you see the Welcome to nginx!, it means the Nginx HTTP server is successfully installed.
Additional help on installing Nginx on Ubuntu is in the link below.
How to install Nginx on Ubuntu
Install the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu
The next component required to run LimeSurvey is a database server. This post will install and use the MariaDB database server.
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.
Create a LimeSurvey database
Upon successfully installing the MariaDB database server, create a blank database on the server specifically for the LimeSurvey application.
As part of the setup, we will create a limesurveydb database and a user account called limesurveydbuser.
Finally, we’ll grant the limesurveydbuser full access to the limesurveydb 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 limesurveydb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER limesurveydbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON limesurveydb.* TO limesurveydbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit
Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.
Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux
The last component you will need to run LimeSurvey is PHP. The LimeSurvey application is PHP-based and supports the latest versions of PHP.
Then, run the commands below to install the latest PHP version.
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-bcmath php-json php-sqlite3 php-soap php-zip php-ldap php-imap
Additional help on installing PHP
How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux
Download LimeSurvey files
Let’s begin downloading and configuring the LimeSurvey files on Ubuntu Linux.
To always install the latest version, check the download page for LimeSurvey. Get the download link and download the archived package to your computer. Then, extract it.
First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download the LimeSurvey files. Next, extract the content into the LimeSurvey folder in the Nginx root directory.
The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Nginx web server to interact safely with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your LimeSurvey installation.
Next, run the commands below to change Nginx root folder permissions so the LimeSurvey app can function correctly.
cd /tmp
wget https://download.limesurvey.org/latest-5.x/limesurvey5.6.68+240625.zip
sudo unzip limesurvey*.zip -d /var/www/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/limesurvey/
Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Nginx web server below to serve the LimeSurvey content.
Run the commands below to create a Nginx virtual host file for LimeSurvey.
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/limesurvey.conf
Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Nginx server block.
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
root /var/www/limesurvey;
index index.php;
server_name limesurvey.example.com;
access_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.access.log;
error_log /var/log/nginx/example.com.error.log;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
}
location ~ .php$ {
include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
include fastcgi_params;
}
}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/limesurvey.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm
Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for LimeSurvey
You may want to install an SSL/TLS certificate to secure your LimeSurvey site. Secure your LimeSurvey installation with HTTPS from Let’s Encrypt.
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://limesurvey.example.com
The LimeSurvey installation wizard should appear.
Select the installation language and start the installation.
Type in the database name and password, then click Next.
Create an admin account and continue.
LimeSurvey should be ready to use.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
In summary, installing LimeSurvey on Ubuntu with Nginx involves several key steps:
- Nginx Installation: Set up the Nginx web server to host LimeSurvey efficiently.
- Database Setup: Install MariaDB and create a dedicated database for LimeSurvey.
- PHP Installation: Ensure PHP is installed with the necessary extensions to support LimeSurvey’s functionality.
- Download and Configure LimeSurvey: Obtain the latest LimeSurvey files and configure directory permissions for Nginx access.
- Nginx Configuration: Create a virtual host configuration file, enabling Nginx to serve the LimeSurvey application.
- SSL Setup: Secure your installation with Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for enhanced security.
- Installation Wizard: Navigate through the LimeSurvey installation wizard to complete the setup.
These steps will result in a fully functional and secure LimeSurvey installation, allowing you to efficiently create and manage online surveys.
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