[For Ubuntu/Debian] How To Install Joomla

Freya VPS Hosting Team

Introduction

Joomla is a free, open-source content management system (CMS) built on PHP and a backend database, such as MySQL. It offers a wide range of features, making it a flexible CMS right out of the box. Since its launch in 2005, Joomla has become the second most popular CMS on the web.

Requirements

Before you can install Joomla, ensure you have a LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) installed on your virtual server. If not, refer to a [LAMP setup guide.](https://)

Once your user and required software are ready, you can proceed with the Joomla installation!

Step 1: Update Your Server

Before installing Joomla, update your server with the following command:

apt-get update

Step 2: Download Joomla

Create a temporary directory for the Joomla files:

   mkdir temp

Navigate to the new directory:

   cd temp

Download the latest version of Joomla from their website. Currently, the latest version is 3.5.1:

   wget https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/releases/download/3.5.1/Joomla_3.5.1-Stable-Full_Package.zip

Extract the Joomla package to Apache’s default directory (/var/www/html):

   unzip Joomla_3.5.1-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d /var/www/html

Remove the downloaded zip file:

   rm Joomla_3.5.1-Stable-Full_Package.zip

Change the ownership and permissions of the Joomla files:

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

   chmod -R 755 /var/www/html

Restart Apache:

   service apache2 restart

Step 3: Create the Joomla Database and User

Log into the MySQL shell:

   mysql -u root -p

After entering your MySQL root password, create a Joomla database:

   CREATE DATABASE joomla;

Create a new MySQL user for Joomla:

   CREATE USER 'juser'@'localhost';

Set a password for the new user:

   SET PASSWORD FOR 'juser'@'localhost' = PASSWORD('password');

Grant the new user all privileges on the Joomla database:

   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON joomla.* TO 'juser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Refresh MySQL privileges:

   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Exit the MySQL shell:

   exit

Restart Apache:

   service apache2 restart

Step 4: Configure Apache

Enable Apache's rewrite module:

   sudo a2enmod rewrite

Create a new Apache configuration file named joomla.conf:

   touch /etc/apache2/sites-available/joomla.conf

   ln -s /etc/apache2/sites-available/joomla.conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/joomla.conf

Open the configuration file for editing (install nano if needed):

   nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/joomla.conf

Add the following lines to configure your virtual host:

   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin admin@yourdomain.com
       DocumentRoot /var/www/html/
       ServerName your-domain.com
       ServerAlias www.your-domain.com
       <Directory /var/www/html/>
           Options FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
           Order allow,deny
           Allow from all
       </Directory>
       ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/your-domain.com-error_log
       CustomLog /var/log/apache2/your-domain.com-access_log common
   </VirtualHost>

Replace the email address, domain, and other details with your specific information.

Restart Apache:

   service apache2 restart

Step 5: Access the Joomla Installer

Now that the Joomla files are in place, permissions are set, and the MySQL database and user are created, you can complete the installation via your web browser.

Open your browser and navigate to your domain name or server IP address:

   http://your-domain.com

Follow the on-screen instructions to finish the Joomla installation.

Your Joomla CMS is now ready to use!