Install LimeSurvey on Ubuntu 24.04 Using Nginx

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

Installing 💿 the Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu creates the web server needed to host your LimeSurvey application and handle incoming visitor traffic. You can install Nginx on your Ubuntu 24.04 server by updating your package list and running the standard apt installation command in the terminal.

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

Installing the MariaDB database server on Ubuntu provides the relational database system required to store all your survey questions, responses, and user accounts. You can set up MariaDB on your Ubuntu 24.04 server using the package manager in your terminal to securely manage your LimeSurvey data.

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 LimeSurvey database

Creating a dedicated LimeSurvey database in MariaDB gives your survey platform a secure, isolated space to store all application data. You need to log into the MariaDB command-line interface as the root user and run SQL commands to set up the new database and a dedicated database user with proper permissions.

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

The user grants the limesurveydbuser full access to the limesurveydb database. This specific database permission is essential for the LimeSurvey application, version 6.4.10, to function correctly by allowing it to read and write all data within 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

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Installing PHP on Ubuntu Linux gives your server the programming language runtime required to execute the LimeSurvey codebase. You must install PHP along with the specific extensions that LimeSurvey needs, such as MySQL and GD modules, using the terminal on your Ubuntu 24.04 server.

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

Downloading the latest LimeSurvey files gets the core application source code onto your Ubuntu 24.04 server so you can configure it with Nginx. You can grab the official archive package directly from the LimeSurvey website and extract it into your web server directory.

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.

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.

Nginx root folder permissions require changes to allow the LimeSurvey app to function correctly. Run the commands below to update these permissions, ensuring LimeSurvey can access necessary files and operate as expected.

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.

To activate your LimeSurvey virtual host, run the commands that follow, then restart the Nginx web server. This ensures Nginx loads your new configuration for LimeSurvey version 6.4.0.

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

Setting up a Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate secures your LimeSurvey website with HTTPS encryption to protect sensitive survey responses in transit. You can generate and install this free certificate for your Nginx server on Ubuntu 24.04 using the Certbot utility tool.

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.