How to Install FossBilling with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04

What is FossBilling?

FossBilling is a free, open-source billing and client management system built for web hosting providers, freelancers, and service-based businesses. It offers tools for invoicing, client registration, support ticketing, domain integration, and payment processing. FossBilling is a modern fork and continuation of the now-abandoned BoxBilling project, with active development and community contributions.

Running FossBilling with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 provides a lightweight, fast, and secure solution for managing clients, services, and payments in a self-hosted environment.

Key Features of FossBilling

Client Management: Register and manage clients, send messages, and view history
Billing and Invoicing: Automate invoice generation, due reminders, and payment processing
Product Management: Sell web hosting, domains, and other digital or physical services
Support Tickets: Built-in ticket system with admin responses and client communication
Domain Integration: Compatible with registrars like Namecheap, ResellerClub, and more
Payment Gateways: Supports PayPal, Stripe, CoinGate, manual payments, and more
Multilingual Support: Interface available in multiple languages
Custom Themes: Admin and client area theming system
Modular Extensions: Easily add plugins or create your own modules

Why Use FossBilling with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04?

Ubuntu 24.04 is an ideal platform for hosting FossBilling due to:

Long-Term Support through 2029
Access to PHP 8.2 or 8.3, required for FossBilling
Improved security defaults and systemd integration
Fast and resource-efficient performance with Nginx and PHP-FPM
Compatibility with MariaDB/MySQL, modern SSL, and caching tools

System Requirements

Component	Minimum Requirement
OS	Ubuntu 24.04 LTS (64-bit)
Web Server	Nginx (or Apache)
PHP Version	PHP 8.1 or higher (8.2+ recommended)
PHP Extensions	`pdo`, `curl`, `mbstring`, `openssl`, `json`, `xml`, `zip`, `gd`, `fileinfo`
Database	MySQL or MariaDB
Memory	512 MB (1 GB+ recommended)
Disk Space	500 MB minimum

Common Use Cases

Web hosting companies managing domain and hosting subscriptions
Freelancers offering digital services or licenses
Resellers who need automated billing and customer management
Startups looking for an alternative to paid SaaS billing platforms
Agencies managing clients and subscriptions internally

Advantages of FossBilling

Free and open-source (MIT License)
No recurring license costs
Fully customizable backend and frontend
User-friendly interface for admins and clients
Active community and regular updates
Easy integration with external systems via API

Nginx-Specific Benefits

Faster performance with lower memory footprint compared to Apache
Better concurrency handling for high-traffic billing portals
Native compatibility with PHP-FPM
Simplified reverse proxy or SSL offloading setups
Easy integration with Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates

Security Best Practices

Enable HTTPS using a valid SSL certificate (Let’s Encrypt or commercial)
Move the admin panel to a custom URL path or restrict by IP
Regularly update FossBilling and PHP extensions
Set correct file and folder permissions (avoid 777)
Use UFW or iptables to restrict external access to the server
Enable fail2ban to prevent brute-force login attempts
Perform regular backups of the database and uploaded files

FossBilling vs Other Billing Systems

Feature	FossBilling	WHMCS	ClientExec	BoxBilling (legacy)
License	Free (MIT)	Paid (commercial)	Paid	Abandoned
Open Source	Yes	No	Partially	Yes
Domain & Hosting Support	Yes	Yes	Yes	Yes
Payment Gateways	10+ integrations	80+ integrations	Limited	Few
Customizability	High	Limited	Moderate	Limited
Community Support	Active	Paid support	Paid support	None
Ideal For	Startups, devs	Enterprises	Mid-size hosts	Not recommended

FossBilling with Nginx on Ubuntu 24.04 is a powerful and flexible solution for anyone looking to run a self-hosted billing and client management platform. It combines the reliability of Ubuntu, the speed of Nginx, and the freedom of open-source software to provide an excellent alternative to expensive commercial systems.

Whether you’re a hosting provider, developer, or digital service agency, FossBilling gives you complete control over your billing workflow, customer data, and platform customization—without recurring fees or vendor lock-in.

Step 1: Create a VPS on Shape.Host

Before you begin, you need a server to host FossBilling. Here’s how to create one using Shape.Host:

Click “Create”, then choose “Instance”.

Select a location close to you or your audience.

Shape.host instance form with the data center location selector highlighted.

Choose Ubuntu 24.04 (64-bit) as the operating system.

Pick a plan with at least 2 CPUs, 4 GB RAM, and 20 GB SSD (recommended for FossBilling).

Shape.host instance form with the operating system image selector highlighted.

Click “Create Instance”.

Shape.host instance form with the Create Instance button highlighted.

Once your instance is ready, note the IP address listed in the Resources section — you’ll need it to connect.

Shape.host Resources dashboard with the server IP address highlighted.

Step 2: Connect to Your Server

Open a terminal and connect using SSH:

ssh root@your_server_ip

Replace your_server_ip with the IP you got from Shape.Host.

If you’re on Windows, use a tool like PuTTY to connect.

Step 3: Install and Start Nginx Web Server

apt update

This refreshes the list of available packages.

Terminal showing APT package management commands and output.

apt install nginx

Installs the Nginx web server.

systemctl start nginx

Starts Nginx immediately.

systemctl enable nginx

Ensures Nginx starts automatically when the server boots.

systemctl status nginx

Displays Nginx’s current status. It should say “active (running)”.

Terminal showing systemd service management commands or output.

Step 4: Install MariaDB (MySQL-Compatible Database)

apt install mariadb-server

Installs MariaDB, a popular database system used by many PHP apps.

systemctl start mariadb
systemctl enable mariadb
systemctl status mariadb

Starts MariaDB and ensures it runs on boot.

Step 5: Set Up the FossBilling Database

mariadb

Opens the MariaDB shell as root. Run the following commands inside:

CREATE DATABASE fossdb;

Creates a new database named fossdb.

CREATE USER fossdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_new_password';

Creates a new database user. Replace 'type_new_password' with a secure password.

GRANT ALL ON fossdb.* TO fossdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;

Gives the user full access to the fossdb database.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Saves the changes and exits the MariaDB prompt.

Terminal showing SQL database and user configuration commands.

Step 6: Install PHP and Dependencies

apt install software-properties-common ca-certificates lsb-release apt-transport-https
add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

These commands prepare your system to install PHP 8.3 from a trusted external repository.

php -V

This checks the current PHP version.

Step 7: Install PHP 8.3 and Modules Needed by FossBilling

apt install php8.3-fpm php8.3-intl php8.3-mysql php8.3-curl php8.3-cli php8.3-zip php8.3-common php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml

Installs PHP 8.3 and modules that FossBilling requires to work.

systemctl start php8.3-fpm
systemctl enable php8.3-fpm

Starts PHP-FPM (FastCGI Process Manager) and enables it at boot.

Step 8: Download FossBilling

cd /tmp
apt install curl unzip

Moves to the temporary directory and installs tools to download and extract files.

curl https://fossbilling.org/downloads/stable -L --output FOSSBilling.zip

Downloads the latest FossBilling release.

Terminal showing curl commands or output during Download FossBilling.

mkdir -p /var/www/fossbilling
unzip FOSSBilling.zip -d /var/www/fossbilling

Creates a web folder and extracts the files into it.

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

Gives ownership of the FossBilling folder to the web server user (www-data).

Step 9: Configure Nginx for FossBilling

nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/fossbilling.conf

Creates a new site configuration file. Paste this (change domain name accordingly):

server {
    listen 80;

    set $root_path '/var/www/fossbilling';
    server_name fossbilling.example.com;

    index index.html index.htm index.php;
    root $root_path;
    try_files $uri $uri/ @rewrite;
    sendfile off;

    include /etc/nginx/mime.types;

    location ~* .(ini|sh|inc|bak|twig|sql)$ {
        return 404;
    }

    location ~ /\.(?!well-known\/) {
        return 404;
    }

    location ~* /uploads/.*\.php$ {
        return 404;
    }

    location ~* /data/ {
        return 404;
    }

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

    location ~ \.php {
        fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_param PATH_INFO       $fastcgi_path_info;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        fastcgi_intercept_errors on;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    location ~* ^/(css|img|js|flv|swf|download)/(.+)$ {
        root $root_path;
        expires off;
    }
}

Enable the site and restart Nginx:

Terminal showing the GNU nano editor and configuration text.

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/fossbilling.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
systemctl restart nginx

Step 10: Install Additional PHP Modules

These are needed for image handling:

apt install php8.3-gd php8.3-imagick php8.3-bz2 -y
apt install imagemagick -y

Restart PHP and Nginx to apply all changes:

systemctl restart php8.3-fpm
systemctl restart nginx

Step 11: Secure the Installation

After completing the web-based setup in your browser:

rm -rfv /var/www/fossbilling/install

Removes the installer for security.

chmod 644 /var/www/fossbilling/config.php

Restricts the configuration file’s permissions.

Step 12: Set Up Cron Jobs

FossBilling uses cron to run automatic tasks like sending invoices.

crontab -u www-data -e

Paste the cron job recommended inside the FossBilling admin panel.

Terminal showing file ownership or permission commands.

✅ Installation Complete!

Now go to:

http://your-server-ip

Or:

http://fossbilling.example.com

Follow the setup wizard in your browser to finish configuration.

FOSSBilling installer welcome screen with license acceptance and setup steps.

Click Next to continue.

FOSSBilling installation requirements checklist.

Type in the database name and user account created above and click Next.

FOSSBilling database configuration form.

Create an administrator account and click Next.

Finally, run the commands below to remove the installation directory and configure a cron job. Then click Finish.

sudo rm -rf /var/www/fossbilling/install
sudo chmod 0644 /var/www/fossbilling/config.php
sudo crontab -u www-data -e
*/5 * * * * php /var/www/fossbilling/cron.php

FOSSBilling installation completion screen and post-installation checklist.

With Shape.Host, you get:

Fast cloud instances with Linux SSD VPS
Full root access
Easy scalability
Perfect environment for FossBilling and other PHP apps

Launch your FossBilling instance today at https://shape.host