How to Setup ExpressionEngine with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

The post provides a detailed guide on how to set up ExpressionEngine, an open-source CMS, on Ubuntu, running on Nginx HTTP and PHP 7.2-FPM. It includes specific steps to install necessary services such as Nginx HTTP Server, MariaDB Database Server, and PHP 7.2-FPM. Further, it guides through setting up an ExpressionEngine database, downloading the latest release, setting permissions, configuring Nginx, and finishing with the ExpressionEngine setup wizard.

If you want to run ExpressionEngine with Nginx HTTP and PHP 7.2-FPM support on Ubuntu, the steps below should be a great place to start.

ExpressionEngine is an open-source, flexible, and extensible content management system (CMS) that can create powerful and dynamic websites and blogs.

ExpressionEngine has a cloud hosting service. However, you can install it on your servers, always own your content, and take it wherever you go.

ExpressionEngine CMS is an excellent place to start if you want a Content Management System (CMS) that is easy to use and manage. In addition, ExpressionEngine CMS is built on an open-source core with support for open standards, which might be very useful in helping you run your digital content.

For more about ExpressionEngine CMS, please check their Homepage

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

Install Nginx HTTP Server

ExpressionEngine CMS requires a web server, and the Nginx HTTP server is probably the second most popular open-source web server available today. To install the Nginx server, run the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx

After installing Nginx, the commands below can be used 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

Now that Nginx is installed browse your browser to the URL below to test whether the web server works.

http://localhost

If you see the page above, then Nginx is successfully installed.

Install MariaDB Database Server

ExpressionEngine also requires a database server to store its content. MariaDB is a great place to start if you want a genuinely open-source database server. 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 18.10 and 18.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation.

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

Once MariaDB is installed, run the commands below to test whether the database server was installed.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Type the root password when prompted.

The server was successfully installed if you see a similar screen.

Install PHP 7.2-FPM and Related Modules

ExpressionEngine CMS is a PHP-based CMS, and PHP is required. However, PHP 7.2-FPM may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories. To run PHP 7.2-FPM on Ubuntu 16.04 and previous, you may need to run the commands below:

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

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM

sudo apt update

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

sudo apt install php7.2-fpm php7.2-common php7.2-mysql php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-gd php7.2-bcmath php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open Nginx’s PHP default configuration file.

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

The lines below are a good setting for most PHP-based CMS. Update the configuration file with these and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Restarting the Nginx web server whenever you change the PHP configuration file would be best. To do so, run the commands below:

sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Once PHP is installed, create a test file called phpinfo.php in the Nginx default root directory. ( /var/www/html/)

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

Then type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Next, open your browser and browse to the server’s hostname or IP address, followed by phpinfo.php

http://localhost/phpinfo.php

You should see the PHP default test page.

Create ExpressionEngine Database

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

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

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called expressionengine

CREATE DATABASE expressionengine;

Create a database user called expressionengineuser with a new password

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

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON expressionengine.* TO 'expressionengineuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download ExpressionEngine Latest Release

To get ExpressionEngine latest release, you may want to get it from its download page below. At the time of this writing, the current version is 5.0.1.

https://expressionengine.com/

Extract the downloaded content and copy it to the Nginx root directory.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo unzip -d /var/www/html/expressionengine ~/Downloads/ExpressionEngine5.0.1.zip

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for the ExpressionEngine root directory and give Nginx control.

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

Configure Nginx

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

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

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

     client_max_body_size 100M;

     autoindex off;
  
     location / {
        try_files $uri /index.php$is_args$args;
      }

    location ~ \.php$ {
         include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
         fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.2-fpm.sock;
         fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
         include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save the file and exit.

Enable the ExpressionEngine and Rewrite Module

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

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/expressionengine /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo systemctl restart nginx.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see ExpressionEngine setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

http://example.com/admin.php

Then follow the on-screen instruction. Enter the database connection you created above and the backend admin account. When you’re done, click Install.