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How to Install WhatACart with Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Richard

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This tutorial guides on how to install and configure WhatACart, an open-source eCommerce platform, on Ubuntu server. The instructions include the sequential installation of Apache2 HTTP Server, MariaDB Database Server, and PHP 7.2. Subsequently, a WhatACart database is created followed by downloading and installing WhatACart from GitHub. The final steps involve configuring Apache2 for WhatACart…

This brief tutorial shows students and new users how to install and configure WhatACart on Ubuntu 18.04 | 16.04.

WhatACart is a simple, fast, open-source eCommerce system developed using the YiiChimp framework. YiiChimp framework is written on top of Yii2, and it’s great for building web apps.

WhatACart software has everything that you need to build an eCommerce website for your business to run your stores. It comes with rich sets of features that enable merchants to quickly and easily start selling their products.

On top of other great features, it also comes with modules like Top Rated, Featured Products, Payment Gateway, and more.

For more on WhatACart, please visit its home page.

When you’re ready to get WhatACart working on Ubuntu, please continue with the steps below.

Install Apache2 HTTP Server on Ubuntu

Apache2 HTTP Server is the most popular web server in use. Install it since WhatACart needs it.

To install Apache2 HTTP on the Ubuntu server, run the commands below.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, the commands below can be used 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

To test the Apache2 setup, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address, and you should see the Apache2 default test page as shown below. When you see that, then Apache2 is working as expected.

http://localhost
apache2 ubuntu install

Install MariaDB Database Server

MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking at open-source database servers for Magento. To install MariaDB run the commands below.

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

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

Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

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

Run these on Ubuntu 19.04 and 18.04 LTS

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 by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access.

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

To test if MariaDB is installed, type the commands below to log on to the MariaDB server.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then type the password you created above to sign on. If successful, you should see MariaDB welcome message.

mariadb welcome

Install PHP 7.2 and Related Modules

PHP 7.2 may not be available in 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 7.2

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2

sudo apt update

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-sqlite3 php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-mysql php7.2-gd php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/apache2/php.ini

Then save the changes on the following lines below in the file. The value below is an ideal setting to apply in your environment.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

After making the change above, save the file and closeout.

After installing PHP and related modules, you must restart Apache2 to reload PHP configurations.

To restart Apache2, run the commands below

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

To test PHP 7.2 settings with Apache2, create a phpinfo.php file in the Apache2 root directory by running the commands below

sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php

Then type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Save the file. Then browse to your server hostname followed by /phpinfo.php

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

You should see the PHP default test page.

PHP 7.2 ubuntu nginx

Create WhatACart Database

Now that you’ve installed all the packages required for WhatACart to function continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create a blank Magento database.

To log on to the MariaDB database server, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called whatacart

CREATE DATABASE whatacart;

Create a database user called whatacartuser with a new password

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

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON whatacart.* TO 'whatacartuser'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download and Install WhatACart

To get WhatACart’s latest release, you may use the GitHub repository… Install Composer, Curl, and other dependencies to get started…

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

After installing curl and Composer above, change into the Nginx root directory and download WhatACart packages from GitHub…

cd /var/www/
sudo composer create-project ushainformatique/whatacart whatacart

Next, run the commands below to change the root folder permissions.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/whatacart/
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/whatacart/

Configure Apache2 WhatACart Site

Finally, configure the Apache2 configuration file for WhatACart. This file will control how users access WhatACart content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called whatacart. conf

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/whatacart.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/whatacart
     ServerName example.com

     <Directory /var/www/whatacart/>
          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.

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

Enable the WhatACart Site and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, please enable it by running the commands below, then restart the Apache2 server.

sudo a2ensite whatacart.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Next, open your browser, go to the URL., and continue with the installation.

http://example.com

You should see the WhatACart installation page. Follow the installation wizard to complete the setup.

On the setup screen, make sure all requirements are met. Then continue.

Next, type in your store information.

WhatACart Ubuntu Setup

Switch to the Database tab and enter the database info created above.

WhatACart Ubuntu Setup

After a brief moment, your store should be created and ready to use.

WhatACart Ubuntu Setup

That’s it!

Conclusion:

This post shows you how to install WhatACart on Ubuntu 18.04 | 16.04 and begin selling your products online. If you find any errors, please mention them in the comment section below:

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Richard Avatar
Richard
Richard, the owner and lead writer at Geek Rewind, is a tech enthusiast passionate about simplifying complex IT topics. His years of hands-on experience in system administration and enterprise IT operations have honed his ability to provide practical insights and solutions. Richard aims to make technology more accessible and actionable. He’s deeply committed to the Geek Rewind community, always ready to answer questions and engage in discussions. He enjoys watching football, cheering for the Minnesota Vikings, and spending time with his family when he’s not writing or managing Geek Rewind.

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