Install Mantis Bug Tracker with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

You need a web server to run Mantis Bug Tracker, and Nginx is a good option for Ubuntu 24.04. Installing Nginx is simple using the apt command in your terminal, and this step sets up the web server needed for Mantis to work correctly.

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 that the Nginx web server is running 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

Mantis Bug Tracker needs a database to keep all its information, and MariaDB is a reliable choice for Ubuntu 24.04. Installing MariaDB is easy using the apt command in your terminal, preparing the database system that Mantis will use.

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 Mantis database

After installing MariaDB, you must create a specific database for Mantis Bug Tracker to store its project and issue data. We will create a database named ‘mantisbtdb’ and a user ‘mantisbtdbuser’ with full permissions for Mantis.

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

The `mantisbtdbuser` database user receives full access to the `mantisbtdb` database. This database access allows Mantis Bug Tracker to read and write data. Mantis Bug Tracker needs this data to function correctly after its installation on Ubuntu 24.04.

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 mantisbtdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER mantisbtdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON mantisbtdb.* TO mantisbtdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Mantis Bug Tracker uses PHP, so you need to install PHP and its necessary modules on your Ubuntu 24.04 system. Installing the latest PHP version and all required components is done with a single apt command, making sure PHP is ready for Mantis.

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 Mantis files

You need to download the Mantis Bug Tracker files to your server to get the software. The latest version can be found on the official Mantis BT website. After downloading the archive, you’ll extract it and put it in the right folder on your Ubuntu system.

To always install the latest version, check the download page for Mantis BT. Get the download link and download the archived package to your computer. Then, extract it.

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 Mantis installation.

Nginx root folder permissions must be changed so the Mantis bug tracker can function correctly. To grant the necessary permissions, run the commands `sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mantis` and `sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/mantis`. This ensures the web server can read and write files within the Mantis installation directory.

cd /tmp
wget https://gigenet.dl.sourceforge.net/project/mantisbt/mantis-stable/2.27.1/mantisbt-2.27.1.zip
sudo unzip mantisbt-*.zip
sudo mv mantisbt-2.27.1 /var/www/mantisbt
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mantisbt/

Once you have completed all the above steps, continue configuring the Nginx web server below to serve the Mantis content.

Run the commands below to create a Nginx virtual host file for Mantis.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/mantisbt.conf

Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Nginx server block.

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    root /var/www/mantisbt;
    index  index.php;
    server_name  mantisbt.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.

You enable the Mantis Bug Tracker virtual host and restart the Nginx server by running these commands to apply the web server configuration changes.

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/mantisbt.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mantis

Making your Mantis Bug Tracker secure with HTTPS is important to protect data. You can easily set up a free Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate for Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04. This process makes sure the connection is safe for everyone using your Mantis.

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://mantisbt.example.com

The Mantis installation wizard should appear.

Type in the database name and password, then click Install/Upgrade Database.

Mantis should be ready to use.

Login with temporary account:

Username: administrator
Password: root

That should do it!

Conclusion:

In summary, installing Mantis Bug Tracker with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 involves several key steps:

• Successfully installed the Nginx web server to host Mantis.
• Set up MariaDB as the database server to store Mantis data.
• Created a dedicated database and user for Mantis, ensuring secure access.
• Installed PHP and the necessary extensions for running a PHP application.
• Downloaded and configured Mantis files in the Nginx root directory.
• Set up Nginx virtual host for Mantis to manage requests efficiently.
• Optionally configured Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for securing the Mantis installation.
• Completed the Mantis installation process using the web-based setup wizard.

With these steps, you now have a functional Mantis Bug Tracker set up to help manage your software projects efficiently.