How to Install SilverStripe CMS with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

This article describes the steps to install and use SilverStripe CMS on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support.

SilverStripe is an open-source, intuitive, secure, and flexible content management system based on PHP. It is designed from the ground up to allow webmasters and editors to create powerful and dynamic content websites.

When it comes to open-source content management systems, WordPress is the # 1 choice. However, for webmasters and bloggers looking for an alternative, SilverStripe may be able to help.

This post covers installing the latest version of SilverStripe, which at the time of writing is v4.0.1.

How to install SilverStripe on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support

As described above, SilverStripe is an open-source intuitive, secure, and flexible content management system based on PHP.

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

Install Nginx

SilverStripe works with Nginx, and since Nginx is popular, go and install it on Ubuntu by running the commands below:

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

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

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-FPM and Related Modules

PHP 7.1 isn’t available on Ubuntu default repositories… 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-fpm 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 PHP-FPM default file.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.1/fpm/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
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Create SilverStripe Database

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

First, go and create a blank SilverStripe 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 stripedb

CREATE DATABASE stripedb;

Create a database user called stripeuser with a new password

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

Then grant stripeuser full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON stripedb.* TO 'stripeuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download SilverStripe Latest Release

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

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

cd /tmp && wget https://silverstripe-ssorg-releases.s3.amazonaws.com/sssites-ssorg-prod/assets/releases/SilverStripe-cms-v4.0.1.zip
sudo mkdir /var/www/html/silverstripe
sudo unzip SilverStripe-cms-v4.0.1.zip -d /var/www/html/silverstripe

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

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

Configure Nginx

Finally, configure the Nginx site configuration file for SilverStripe. This file will control how users access SilverStripe content.

Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called silverstripe

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/silverstripe

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/silverstripe;
    index  index.php index.html index.htm;
    server_name  example.com www.example.com;

    client_max_body_size 100M;
    
    location / {
           try_files $uri /index.php?$query_string; 
        }

  
    location ~ \.php$ {
         include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.1-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
         include fastcgi_params;
         fastcgi_buffer_size 32k;
         fastcgi_busy_buffers_size 64k;
         fastcgi_buffers 4 32k;
    }
}

Save the file and exit.

Enable the SilverStripe and Rewrite Module

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

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/silverstripe /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Restart Nginx by running the commands below to load all the settings above.

sudo systemctl restart nginx.service
sudo systemctl reload php7.1-fpm.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see the SilverStripe setup wizard complete.

Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/

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 SilverStripe.