How To Install Nextcloud on Linux Mint 22

Installing Apache

To install Apache, open your terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt install apache2

This command downloads and installs the Apache web server and its core dependencies. Once the installation is complete, Apache should start automatically. You can verify this by opening your web browser and navigating to http://localhost. You should see the default Apache welcome page. If the page does not load, verify the install with the command sudo systemctl status apache2. Check the result for any errors, and correct. Then try to start the service with the command sudo systemctl start apache2. Nextcloud requires a running web server.

Configuring the Firewall

Linux Mint typically uses ufw (Uncomplicated Firewall) to manage firewall rules. To allow access to your Nextcloud server, you need to allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) traffic through the firewall.

sudo ufw allow http
 sudo ufw allow https
 sudo ufw enable

These commands allow HTTP and HTTPS traffic through the firewall and then enable the firewall. After enabling the firewall, check its status by running sudo ufw status. This will show you the list of active rules. Adjust these rules to fit your specific requirements. A firewall is critical to server security.

Enabling the Apache Modules

Nextcloud requires several Apache modules to be enabled. These modules provide essential functionalities for URL rewriting, header manipulation, and more. Enable the following modules using the a2enmod command:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
 sudo a2enmod headers
 sudo a2enmod env
 sudo a2enmod dir
 sudo a2enmod mime
 sudo a2enmod ssl

The rewrite module enables URL rewriting, which is necessary for Nextcloud’s pretty URLs. The headers module allows you to manipulate HTTP headers, which can improve security. The env module allows you to set environment variables, and the dir and mime modules handle directory indexing and MIME type handling, respectively. Be sure the ssl module is enabled for secure communication.

Installing PHP and Required Extensions

PHP is the scripting language that powers Nextcloud. Installing PHP and the necessary extensions is a critical step in the installation process. Make sure you install all required extensions to avoid errors.

Installing PHP

To install PHP and the Apache module, run the following command:

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php

This command installs PHP and the Apache module, which allows Apache to process PHP files. After the installation is complete, you’ll need to install several PHP extensions.

Installing Essential PHP Extensions

Nextcloud requires a number of PHP extensions to function correctly. Install these extensions using the following command:

sudo apt install php-gd php-mysql php-curl php-mbstring php-intl php-gmp php-bcmath php-xml php-imagick php-zip

Each of these extensions provides specific functionalities. php-gd is used for image processing, php-mysql for database connectivity, php-curl for making HTTP requests, php-mbstring for handling multi-byte strings, php-intl for internationalization, php-gmp for arbitrary precision arithmetic, php-bcmath for binary calculator functions, php-xml for XML processing, php-imagick for advanced image manipulation, and php-zip for handling ZIP archives. Without these extensions, Nextcloud will not function correctly.

Configuring PHP

PHP’s behavior is controlled by the php.ini file. You may need to adjust some settings in this file to optimize Nextcloud’s performance. This will help you tailor your Nextcloud instance.

• Adjusting PHP Settings: Open the php.ini file in a text editor. The location of this file varies depending on your PHP version. You can usually find it in /etc/php/[version]/apache2/php.ini.

sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/apache2/php.ini

Modify the following settings:

upload_max_filesize = 10G
 memory_limit = 512M
 post_max_size = 10G
 output_buffering = 0

These settings increase the maximum upload file size, increase the memory limit, adjust the maximum post size, and turn off output buffering. Adjust these values to suit your needs. Large uploads require higher limits.

Restarting Apache

After making changes to the php.ini file, you need to restart Apache to apply the changes. Run the following command:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

This command restarts the Apache web server. Verify the restart was successful to ensure your changes are applied.

Installing and Configuring MariaDB

MariaDB is the database server that Nextcloud uses to store its data. This section guides you through installing and securing MariaDB, and creating a database and user for Nextcloud.

sudo apt install mariadb-server

sudo mysql_secure_installation

sudo mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
 CREATE USER 'nextcloud'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_strong_password';
 GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextcloud'@'localhost';
 FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

exit

cd /tmp
 wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/nextcloud-latest.tar.bz2

wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/nextcloud-latest.tar.bz2.md5
 md5sum -c nextcloud-latest.tar.bz2.md5

sudo tar -xjvf nextcloud-latest.tar.bz2 -C /var/www/html/

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

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName your_domain_or_ip
  DocumentRoot /var/www/html/nextcloud/
 

  <Directory /var/www/html/nextcloud/>
  Require all granted
  AllowOverride All
  Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
  <IfModule mod_dav.c>
  Dav off
  </IfModule>
  SetEnv HOME /var/www/html/nextcloud
  SetEnv HTTP_HOME /var/www/html/nextcloud
  </Directory>
 

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

sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf

sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

sudo systemctl restart apache2

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/nextcloud/

sudo chmod -R 770 /var/www/html/nextcloud/data/

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
 sudo certbot --apache -d your_domain_or_ip

sudo apt install fail2ban
 sudo cp /etc/fail2ban/jail.conf /etc/fail2ban/jail.local
 sudo nano /etc/fail2ban/jail.local

sudo crontab -u www-data -e

*/5 * * * * php -f /var/www/html/nextcloud/cron.php