How To Install Craft CMS on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Prerequisites

System Requirements

• Operating System: Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
• CPU: Minimum 1 GHz
• RAM: At least 1 GB (2 GB recommended)
• Storage: Minimum 10 GB free space
• PHP: Version 8.2 or higher
• Database: MySQL 8.0.17+, MariaDB 10.4.6+, or PostgreSQL 13+

Server Requirements

• Ubuntu 24.04 LTS installed and updated
• A domain name pointing to your server’s IP address
• Root or non-root user with sudo privileges

Network Requirements

• Stable internet connection for downloading dependencies

Step 1: Update the System

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance. Execute the following commands to update and upgrade your Ubuntu system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This command updates the package list and upgrades installed packages to their latest versions. After completion, verify that your system is fully updated:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install LAMP Stack

The LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP) is essential for running Craft CMS. Follow these steps to install each component:

Installing Apache

sudo apt install apache2 -y

After installation, verify that Apache is running:

sudo systemctl status apache2

Installing MariaDB

sudo apt install mariadb-server -y

Secure your MariaDB installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Create a database and user for Craft CMS:

sudo mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE craftcms;
CREATE USER 'craftuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON craftcms.* TO 'craftuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Installing PHP and Required Extensions

sudo apt install php php-cli libapache2-mod-php php-common php-json php-curl php-gd php-imagick php-mbstring php-mysql php-pgsql php-zip php-intl php-xml -y

Modify PHP settings for Craft CMS compatibility:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.2/apache2/php.ini

Update the following parameters:

• memory_limit = 512M
• post_max_size = 32M
• upload_max_filesize = 32M
• max_execution_time = 360

Save and exit the editor, then restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 3: Install Composer

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP, essential for installing Craft CMS. Install Composer globally using the following command:

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

Verify the installation:

composer --version

You should see an output similar to:

Composer version 2.x.x

Step 4: Download and Install Craft CMS

Navigate to Apache’s web root directory and create a new folder for Craft CMS:

cd /var/www/html
sudo mkdir craftcms
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/craftcms
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/craftcms

Change to the Craft CMS directory and use Composer to create a new Craft CMS project:

cd /var/www/html/craftcms
sudo -u www-data composer create-project craftcms/craft .

The Craft installation wizard will prompt you for database credentials and admin account details. Provide the information for the database and create an admin account as follows:

Welcome to Craft CMS!
Are you ready to begin the setup? (yes|no) [no]: yes

Which database driver are you using? (mysql or pgsql) [mysql]: mysql
Database server name or IP address: [127.0.0.1]: 127.0.0.1
Database port: [3306]: 3306
Database username: [root]: craftuser
Database password: ********
Database name: craftcms
Database table prefix: craft_

Install Craft now? (yes|no) [yes]: yes

Username: admin
Email: superadmin@example.com
Password: ********
Confirm: ********
Site name: My Craft CMS
Site URL: craftcms.example.com
Site language: [en-US]: en-US

*** installed Craft successfully (time: X.XXXs)

Upon successful installation, Craft CMS credentials are saved to the .env file.

Step 5: Configure Apache for Craft CMS

Create a new Apache virtual host file for Craft CMS:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/craftcms.conf

Insert the following configuration, replacing yourdomain.com with your actual domain:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/craftcms/web

    <Directory /var/www/html/craftcms/web&gt;
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
   </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined 
</VirtualHost>

Enable the new site and the rewrite module:

sudo a2ensite craftcms.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 6: Secure Craft CMS with Let’s Encrypt SSL

Securing your website with SSL is essential for protecting data and enhancing SEO. Install Certbot and obtain an SSL certificate:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Follow the interactive prompts to configure your SSL certificate. After successful installation, test the SSL renewal process:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

This ensures that your SSL certificates renew automatically before expiration.

Step 7: Finalize Installation via Web Interface

Access the Craft CMS setup wizard by navigating to http://yourdomain.com in your web browser. Complete the installation by providing the necessary details:

• Database credentials
• Admin username and password
• Site details including name and URL

Upon completion, you will be redirected to the Craft CMS dashboard, confirming a successful installation.

Troubleshooting Common Issues

During installation, you might encounter several common issues. Here are solutions to address them:

Permission Issues

If you receive permission denied errors, ensure that the Craft CMS directory has the correct ownership and permissions:

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

Database Connection Errors

Ensure that your database credentials in the .env file are correct and that the MariaDB/MySQL service is running:

sudo systemctl status mariadb

If the service is not active, start it:

sudo systemctl start mariadb

PHP Version Mismatches

Craft CMS requires PHP 8.2 or higher. Verify your PHP version:

php -v

If the version is outdated, consider upgrading PHP:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.2