How to Install Drupal on Ubuntu

by Empire November 20, 2024

Installing Drupal on Ubuntu involves several steps, including setting up a web server, a database server, and PHP. Here’s a step-by-step guide to help you install Drupal on your Ubuntu system:

Step 1: Update Your System

Open your terminal and update your package index:

sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install Apache, MySQL (or MariaDB), and PHP along with the necessary PHP extensions:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php php-xml php-mbstring php-curl php-zip php-gd php-json

Step 3: Start and Enable Apache and MySQL

Make sure Apache and MySQL services are running and set to start on boot:

sudo systemctl start apache2 sudo systemctl enable apache2  sudo systemctl start mysql sudo systemctl enable mysql

Step 4: Create a MySQL Database and User for Drupal

Log into MySQL:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database and user for Drupal. Replace drupal_db, drupal_user, and password with your preferred database name, username, and password:

CREATE DATABASE drupal_db; CREATE USER 'drupal_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password'; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON drupal_db.* TO 'drupal_user'@'localhost'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;

Step 5: Download Drupal

Navigate to the /var/www/html directory and download the latest version of Drupal:

cd /var/www/html sudo wget https://www.drupal.org/download-latest/tar.gz -O drupal.tar.gz

Extract the downloaded file:

sudo tar -xvzf drupal.tar.gz sudo mv drupal-* drupal

Step 6: Set Permissions

Set the proper permissions for the Drupal directory:

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

Step 7: Configure Apache

Create a new configuration file for your Drupal site:

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

Add the following configuration, replacing example.com with your domain name or IP address:

<VirtualHost *:80>     ServerAdmin admin@example.com     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/drupal     ServerName example.com     <Directory /var/www/html/drupal>         AllowOverride All     </Directory>     ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log     CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined </VirtualHost>

Step 8: Enable the New Site and Rewrite Module

Enable the new site configuration and the rewrite module:

sudo a2ensite drupal.conf sudo a2enmod rewrite

Step 9: Restart Apache

Restart Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 10: Complete the Drupal Installation via Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to http://your_domain_or_IP/drupal.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.
You’ll need to select the language, set up the database (use the database name, username, and password you created earlier), and configure the site settings.

Step 11: Secure Your Installation (Optional)

For a production environment, consider securing your installation by:

Setting up HTTPS with a tool like Certbot.
Configuring firewall rules.
Regularly backing up your database and files.