How to Install OctoberCMS with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

This article describes the steps to install OctoberCMS on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support.

OctoberCMS is a free, open-source, self-hosted, and secure content management platform based on the Laravel PHP framework. It is simple and modular, built from the ground up to allow webmasters and editors to create powerful and dynamic content websites.

When looking for a great content management system, don’t ignore OctoberCMS. Although WordPress is the king of CMS, OctoberCMS has some benefits that are probably not available on WordPress and other CMS.

This post covers installing the latest version of OctoberCMS on Ubuntu Linux.

How to install October CMS on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support

As described above, OctoberCMS is a free, open-source, self-hosted, and secure content management platform based on the Laravel PHP framework.

Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux with Apache support.

Install Apache

Since a web server is required to run OctoberCMS, install the most popular web server, Apache2.

To do that, run the commands below.

sudp apt update
sudo apt install apache2

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

OctoberCMS also requires a database server to function, and MariaDB is a great place to start when looking for an open-source database server.

To install it, run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service always to start up when the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.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

Install PHP and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu’s default repositories. So to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories.

Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.1

sudo apt update

Run the commands below to install PHP 7.1 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.1 libapache2-mod-php7.1 php7.1-common php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xmlrpc php7.1-soap php7.1-gd php7.1-xml php7.1-intl php7.1-mysql php7.1-cli php7.1-mcrypt php7.1-zip php7.1-curl

After installing PHP 7.1, run the commands below to open the Apache2 PHP default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/apache2/php.ini

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 = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create OctoberCMS Database

Now that you’ve installed all the required packages continue below to start configuring the servers.

First, go and create a blank October CMS 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 october.

CREATE DATABASE october;

Create a database user called octoberuser with a new password

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

Then grant stripeuser full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON october.* TO 'octoberuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download OctoberCMS Latest Release

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

After downloading, run the commands below to create a root directory for OctoberCMS and extract the downloaded file into the Apache2 root directory.

cd /tmp && wget http://octobercms.com/download -O octobercms.zip
sudo unzip octobercms.zip
sudo mv install-master /var/www/html/octobercms

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

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

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure Apache virtual host configuration file for OctoberCMS. This file will control how users access OctoberCMS content.

Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called octobercms.conf.

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

     <Directory /var/www/html/octobercms/>
        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 OctoberCMS and Rewrite Module

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

sudo a2ensite octobercms.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 OctoberCMS setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/install.php

Next, follow the on-screen instructions. You will be asked to input your database configuration, administrative details, and other configuration settings.

When complete, you may sign in and start using OctoberCMS.

Enter the database info and continue.

Create the administrator login for the site and continue

After that, select to install with a theme, sit and relax and wait for the installation to complete.

Enjoy!

Return to http://example.com/backend/ anytime thereafter to sign in.