This article describes the steps to install and use phpBB on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support.
phpBB is a free flat-forum bulletin board software written in PHP. It enables individuals and web admins to set up community bulletin boards in minutes to stay in touch with groups of people or ideas.
phpBB requires the LAMP or LEMP stack to function. However, it is free and easy to set up and maintain. Many reputable online forum communities use this software to run their bulletin boards.
If you’re looking for feature-rich, efficient, and free community bulletin board software, you may consider phpBB.
How to install and use phpBB on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx
As described above, phpBB is a free flat-forum bulletin board software written in PHP. It enables individuals and web admins to set up community bulletin boards in minutes to stay in touch with groups of people or ideas.
Install Nginx
phpBB is PHP-based and requires a webserver. For this article, we will use the Nginx HTTP server.
Run the commands below to install Nginx on Ubuntu Linux.
sudo apt update sudo apt install nginx
Next, run the commands below to stop, start and enable the Nginx service to always start up with the server boots.
sudo systemctl stop nginx.service sudo systemctl start nginx.service sudo systemctl enable nginx.service
Install MariaDB
phpBB also requires a database server to function. MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking for an open-source database server.
To install it, run the commands below.
sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client
After installing, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service to always 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): 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-FPM and Related Modules
phpBB, a PHP-based software, will require the below PHP. To install PHP and related modules, run the commands below
sudo apt install php-fpm 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
After installing PHP, run the commands below to open the Nginx PHP default file.
sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/fpm/php.ini sudo nano /etc/php/7.0/fpm/php.ini
Then change the following lines down in the file and save. You may increase the value to suit your environment.
max_execution_time = 180 max_input_time = 60 memory_limit = 256M upload_max_filesize = 64M
Create phpBB Database
Now that you’ve installed all the required packages, continue below to start configuring the servers.
First, create a phpBB database.
Run the commands below to log on to MariaDB. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above.
sudo mysql -u root -p
Then create a database called phpbb
CREATE DATABASE phpbb;
Create a database user called phpbbuser with a new password
CREATE USER 'phpbbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';
Then grant the user full access to the database.
GRANT ALL ON phpbb.* TO 'phpbbuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Finally, save your changes and exit.
FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Download phpBB Latest Release
Next, continue below to download the phpBB package. To download, run the commands below.
After downloading, run the commands below to extract the downloaded file into the Nginx root directory.
cd /tmp && wget https://www.phpbb.com/files/release/phpBB-3.2.1.zip unzip phpBB-3.2.1.zip sudo mv phpBB3 /var/www/html/phpbb
Change or modify the directory permission to fit the Nginx configuration.
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/phpbb sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/phpbb
Configure Nginx
Finally, configure an Apache virtual host configuration file for phpBB. This file will control how users access phpBB content.
Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called phpbb.conf.
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/phpbb.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.
server {
listen 80;
listen [::]:80;
root /var/www/html/phpbb;
index index.php index.html index.htm;
server_name example.com www.example.com;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ @rewriteapp;
}
location /install/ {
try_files $uri $uri/ @rewrite_installapp;
}
location ~ \.php(/|$) {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.1-fpm.sock; #Ubuntu 17.10
# fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.0-fpm.sock; #Ubuntu 17.04
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
fastcgi_param DOCUMENT_ROOT $realpath_root;
try_files $uri $uri/ /install/app.php$is_args$args;
}
location @rewrite_installapp {
rewrite ^(.*)$ /install/app.php/$1 last;
}
}
Save the file and exit.
Enable the phpBB and Rewrite the Module
After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below.
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/phpbb.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
Restart Nginx by running the commands below to load all the settings above.
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
Finally, open your browser and browse to the server domain name, followed by install.
You should see the phpBB setup wizard complete.
Please follow the wizard carefully.
http://example.com/install
You should see the phpBB setup wizard.
Create an admin account by typing a username and password.
Enter the database connection details and continue
Accept the server configuration settings and continue.
If you do have a mail server, configure it on this page. If not, ignore it and continue
Enjoy!
Run the commands below to delete the install directory
sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/phpbb/install
Congratulation! You have successfully installed the phpBB bulletin board.
