How to Install MODX with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This article explains installing MODX with Apache support on Ubuntu Linux.

Installing MODX CMS on Ubuntu Linux allows you to create powerful and dynamic content websites. MODX is an open-source, lightweight, secure, fast content management system based on PHP.

It is designed for ease of use, which makes it an excellent option for web admins and owners who want to manage their websites or blogs. By installing MODX on Ubuntu Linux, you’ll have access to a simple content management platform that is 100% free.

This post covers installing the latest version of MODX, which at the time of writing was 2.6.1

To get started with installing MODX, follow the steps below:

Install Apache2

MODX requires a webserver to function; the most popular web server today is Apache2. So, go and install Apache2 on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, run the commands below to turn off the directory listing.

sudo sed -i "s/Options Indexes FollowSymLinks/Options FollowSymLinks/" /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

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

MODX also requires a database server to function. And 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 installation, the commands below can stop, start, and enable the MariaDB service to start up when the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.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): Just 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

Restart MariaDB server

sudo systemctl restart mariadb.service

Install PHP and Related Modules

MODX is based on PHP, so you’ll need to install it. To install PHP and related modules, run the commands below.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php libapache2-mod-php php-common php-mbstring php-xmlrpc php-soap php-gd php-xml php-intl php-mysql php-cli php-mcrypt php-ldap php-zip php-curl php-sqlite3

After installing PHP, run the commands below to open the Apache2 PHP default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini                 # Ubuntu 17.10
sudo nano /etc/php/7.0/apache2/php.ini                 # Ubuntu 17.04

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 = 240
max_input_vars = 1500

Create MODX Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create the MODX 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 modx

CREATE DATABASE modx;

Create a database user called modxuser with a new password

CREATE USER 'modxuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON modx.* TO 'modxuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download MODX Latest Release

Next, visit the MODX site and download the latest version.

After downloading, run the commands below to extract the downloaded file into the Apache2 root directory.

cd /tmp && wget https://modx.com/download/direct?id=modx-2.6.1-pl.zip
unzip direct?id=modx-2.6.1-pl.zip
sudo mv modx-2.6.1-pl /var/www/html/modx

Then, run the commands below to set the correct permissions for MODX to function.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/modx/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/modx/

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for MODX. This file will control how users access MODX content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called modx.conf.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/modx.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/modx
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/modx/>
        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 MODX and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.

sudo a2ensite modx.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 MODX setup wizard complete.

Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/setup

Then, follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed MODX.

Select your language and continue

Then choose new install and continue

Next, enter the database information you created above and continue

Then click the link to build or test the selection of your database. this will allow you to make the site admin account

Finally, install MODX

Enjoy!

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed MODX CMS on Ubuntu with Apache2, MariaDB, and PHP.