‍Joomla is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows users to create and manage websites. If you are using Ubuntu 23.10 as your operating system, you can easily install and set up Joomla to start building your website. In this article, we will guide you through the step-by-step process of installing Joomla on Ubuntu 23.10.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have the following prerequisites:

1. Ubuntu 23.10 installed on your system.
2. Apache web server installed and running.
3. PHP installed on your system.
4. MariaDB installed and configured.

If you haven’t installed these prerequisites yet, don’t worry. We will guide you through the installation process as we proceed.

Step 1: Update System

Before installing any new software, it’s always a good idea to update your system to ensure you have the latest packages. Open your terminal and run the following command to update your system:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Apache and PHP

Joomla requires a web server with PHP support. We will install Apache web server and PHP on our Ubuntu system. Run the following command to install Apache, PHP, and other necessary packages:

sudo apt install apache2 libapache2-mod-php openssl php-imagick php-gd php-imap php-intl php-json php-ldap php-mbstring php-mysql php-pgsql php-smbclient php-ssh2 php-sqlite3 php-xml php-zip

Once the installation is complete, verify the Apache version by running the following command:

apache2-version

You should see the Apache version information displayed on your terminal.

Start the Apache web server and enable it to start automatically on system boot by running the following commands:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

To verify if Apache is running properly, run the following command:

sudo systemctl status apache2

You should see the status of Apache as “active” and no errors reported.

Next, verify the PHP installation by running the following command:

php -v

You should see the PHP version information displayed on your terminal.

Step 3: Install MariaDB

Joomla requires a database to store its data. We will install MariaDB, a popular open-source database management system, on our Ubuntu system. Run the following command to install MariaDB:

sudo apt install mariadb-server

During the installation process, you will be prompted to set a password for the MariaDB root user. Make sure to choose a strong password and remember it for future use.

After the installation is complete, run the following command to secure your MariaDB installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

You will be prompted to enter the MariaDB root password you set during the installation. Follow the on-screen prompts to secure your MariaDB installation.

Step 4: Create a Joomla Database

Now that we have MariaDB installed and secured, let’s create a database for Joomla. Open your terminal and log in to MariaDB as the root user by running the following command:

mysql -u root -p

Enter the MariaDB root password when prompted.

Once you are logged in, run the following commands to create a new database, create a user, and grant privileges to the user:

CREATE DATABASE joomla;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON joomla.* TO 'joomla_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPassword';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Make sure to replace ‘StrongPassword’ with a strong password of your choice.

Step 5: Download and Extract Joomla

Now it’s time to download the latest version of Joomla from the official website. Open your terminal and run the following command to download Joomla:

wget https://github.com/joomla/joomla-cms/releases/download/5.0.0/Joomla_5.0.0-Stable-Full_Package.zip

Once the download is complete, create a directory called “joomla” under the “/var/www/html” directory by running the following command:

sudo mkdir /var/www/html/joomla

Next, extract the downloaded Joomla package to the “joomla” directory by running the following command:

sudo unzip Joomla_5.0.0-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d /var/www/html/joomla

After extracting the files, change the ownership of the “joomla” directory to the Apache user by running the following command:

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

Set the appropriate permissions on the “joomla” directory by running the following command:

sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/joomla

Step 6: Configure Apache for Joomla

To configure Apache to serve Joomla webpages, we need to create a virtual host file specifically for Joomla. Run the following command to create a new virtual host file for Joomla:

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

In the nano editor, enter the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin admin@dev.domainhere.info
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/joomla/
ServerName dev.domainhere.info
ServerAlias www.dev.domainhere.info
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

<Directory /var/www/html/joomla/>
Options FollowSymlinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Make sure to replace “dev.domainhere.info” with your actual domain name.

Save and exit the file by pressing Ctrl+X, followed by Y and Enter.

Enable the virtual host file by running the following command:

sudo a2ensite joomla.conf

Enable the Apache rewrite module by running the following command:

sudo a2enmod rewrite

Restart the Apache web server to apply the changes by running the following command:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 7: Install SSL Certificate

To secure your Joomla website with SSL/TLS encryption, we will install an SSL certificate from Let’s Encrypt. Run the following commands to install certbot via snapd:

sudo apt install snapd
sudo snap install core; sudo snap refresh core
sudo snap install --classic certbot
sudo ln -s /snap/bin/certbot /usr/bin/certbot

Since we are using Apache as our web server, run the following command to obtain and install the SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --apache

Follow the on-screen prompts to obtain and install the SSL certificate. The Certbot will automatically take care of renewing the certificate before it expires.

After the certificate installation is complete, reload the Apache web server by running the following command:

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Now, when you access your Joomla website, it should automatically redirect to the HTTPS version.

Step 8: Joomla Configuration

Finally, let’s configure Joomla to set up the remaining aspects of your website. Open your web browser and enter your Joomla website’s domain name. You will be prompted to set up the language and site name.

Enter the required details, such as username, user account, super user password, and email address. Then, click on the “Setup Database Connection” button.

Enter the database information that we configured earlier, including the username and password. Click on the “Next” button to proceed.

You will now be redirected to the Joomla administrator dashboard, where you can start customizing your website and adding content.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed and configured Joomla on Ubuntu 23.10. You can now start building your website and take advantage of Joomla’s powerful features and flexibility.

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Conclusion

In this article, we have walked you through the step-by-step process of installing Joomla on Ubuntu 23.10. We have covered the installation of the required software, configuration of the web server and database, downloading and extracting Joomla, configuring Apache, installing an SSL certificate, and configuring Joomla itself.

By following these steps, you can easily set up Joomla on your Ubuntu system and start building your website. Joomla offers a user-friendly interface and a wide range of features, making it an excellent choice for both beginners and experienced website builders.