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How to Setup Thunder CMS with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux

Richard

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Thunder CMS, an open-source modification of Drupal CMS caters to the business and professional publishing industry. It maintains Drupal’s conventional interface and promotes collaboration in the publishing sector. The article provides detailed steps on how to install Thunder CMS using the Nginx HTTP Server, MariaDB database server, and PHP 7.2-FPM. It also outlines the configuration…

This article explains installing Thunder CMS with Nginx support on Ubuntu Linux.

Thunder is an open-source fork and modified version of Drupal CMS that serves the business and professional publisher’s market.

Setting up Thunder CMS with Nginx on Ubuntu Linux is a great way to build a powerful, flexible website or application. Thunder is an open-source fork of Drupal CMS that is specifically designed for the business and professional publishing industry.

By leveraging the continuous development efforts of the Drupal community, Thunder offers a clean and straightforward administrative area without clutter. With Nginx support, Thunder can be optimized for speed and performance, making it an excellent choice for web admins and users who appreciate Drupal’s classic interface.

Following the steps outlined in the installation guide, you can quickly and easily set up Thunder CMS with Nginx on your Ubuntu Linux server and start building your website or application today.

For more about Thunder, please check their Homepage

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

Install Nginx HTTP Server

Thunder 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 has been installed browse your browser to the URL below to test whether the web server works.

http://localhost
nginx default home page test

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

Install MariaDB Database Server

Thunder 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 service to start 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.

mariadb welcome

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

Install PHP 7.2-FPM and Related Modules.

Thunder 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 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-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.

PHP Test Page

Create Thunder Database

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

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

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then, create a database called Thunder.

CREATE DATABASE thunder;

Create a database user called thunderuser with a new password

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

Then, grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON thunder.* TO 'thunderuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Download Thunder’s Latest Release

You may want to use the GitHub repository to get Thunder’s latest release. 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 Thunder packages from Github.

cd /var/www/html
sudo composer create-project burdamagazinorg/thunder-project thunder
cd /var/www/html/thunder/
sudo composer install

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

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

Configure Nginx

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

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

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

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

    location @rewrite {
               rewrite ^/(.*)$ /index.php?q=$1;
        }

    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;
    }

    location ~ ^/sites/.*/files/styles/ {
               try_files $uri @rewrite;
        }

    location ~ ^(/[a-z\-]+)?/system/files/ {
        try_files $uri /index.php?$query_string;
        }
}

Save the file and exit.

Enable the Thunder and Rewrite Module

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

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

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

http://example.com/

Then, follow the on-screen instructions. Finally, select the installation language and continue.

Thunder CMS Ubuntu Install

Next, type in the database information you created above and continue.

Thunder CMS Ubuntu Install

Next, configure your site info and admin account, then continue

Thunder cms ubuntu

After a moment, Thunder should be installed and ready to use. You should be able to log on with the admin account created above.

thunder cms

That’s it!

Congratulation! You have successfully installed Thunder CMS on Ubuntu 16.04 | 18.04 and 18.10.

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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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