Install Mautic with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Nginx HTTP server on Ubuntu

Mautic needs a web server to run, and we’ll use Nginx for this guide. Installing Nginx on Ubuntu is straightforward using the apt package manager. Open your terminal and run these commands to get Nginx set up.

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 localhost 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

Mautic also needs a database to store its information, and we’ll use MariaDB for this. Installing MariaDB on Ubuntu is simple with the apt command. Just open your terminal and type these commands to get the database server running.

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 Mautic database

Now that MariaDB is installed, we need to create a specific database for Mautic to use. We’ll set up a database named ‘mauticdb’ and a user called ‘mauticdbuser’ to manage it. This ensures Mautic has its own secure space for data.

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

Finally, we’ll grant the mauticdbuser full access to the mauticdb 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 mauticdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER mauticdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON mauticdb.* TO mauticdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Ensure to replace ‘type_your_password_here ‘with your password.

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Mautic is built using PHP, so we need to install it on your Ubuntu system. This guide will help you install the necessary PHP components using the apt command. Open your terminal and run the following command to get PHP ready.

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 php-redis

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download Mautic files

With our server components ready, it’s time to download the Mautic application files. We’ll first install essential tools like Composer, git, and curl using apt. Then, we’ll use Composer to download the latest Mautic version directly to your server.

First, install Composer, git, and curl packages by running the command below.

sudo apt install git curl
sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/bin --filename=composer

Then, run the commands below to install Composer and use it to download Mautic content.

cd /var/www/
sudo git clone https://github.com/mautic/mautic.git
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/mautic/
cd mautic
sudo -u www-data composer install

If the steps above fail because npm is missing, run the command below to install it, then rerun the Composer install command.

sudo apt-get install npm
sudo mkdir /var/www/.npm
sudo chown -R 33:33 /var/www/.npm

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

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

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

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

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    root /var/www/mautic;
    index  index.php;
    server_name  mautic.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/mautic.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for Mautic

To keep your Mautic site secure, it’s a good idea to set up an SSL certificate using Let’s Encrypt. This will allow your site to use HTTPS, making connections safe. We’ll guide you through setting up Let’s Encrypt with Nginx for Mautic.

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://mautic.example.com

The Mautic installation wizard should appear.

Click Next to begin the installation.

Type in the database name and password, then click Next.

Create an admin account and continue.

Mautic should be ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• Mautic Installation: Successfully installed Mautic on Ubuntu using the Nginx server, enabling robust marketing automation capabilities.
• Components Covered: Configured necessary components, including Nginx, MariaDB, and PHP, for seamless operation of Mautic.
• Database Created: Established a dedicated database and user for Mautic, ensuring secure data management.
• SSL Configuration: Enhanced security by considering the installation of SSL/TLS certificates through Let’s Encrypt for encrypted data transfer.
• User-Friendly Setup: The installation wizard guides users through the final steps, ensuring the setup process is straightforward and efficient.
• Next Steps: Explore Mautic features to maximize marketing automation strategies and engagement with audiences effectively.