How to Install October CMS on Linux

October CMS is a flexible, open-source content management system (CMS) built on the Laravel PHP framework. It is designed for simplicity, offering developers and content creators an easy way to manage websites without unnecessary complexities. With its user-friendly interface and robust backend, October CMS is ideal for building anything from simple websites to complex web applications.

For Linux users, October CMS provides several advantages. Its lightweight nature ensures efficient performance, even on lower-end servers. Additionally, it integrates seamlessly with the Linux environment, allowing developers to leverage the system’s stability and security. By using a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP), Linux users can set up a powerful web server that takes full advantage of October CMS’s features. This makes it a solid choice for those looking to manage content, develop custom plugins, or create scalable web solutions on a reliable platform.

Installing October CMS on Linux

Step 1: Setting Up the LEMP Stack

Before beginning, ensure your system is up-to-date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Install October CMS on Linux, which thrives on a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP). Here’s how to install each component:

sudo apt install nginx mariadb-server php

• nginx: A web server that serves October CMS.
• mariadb-server: A MySQL-compatible database to store October CMS data.
• php: It’s required to process PHP files more efficiently.

Start and Enable Services:

sudo systemctl start nginx mariadb && sudo systemctl enable nginx mariadb

• systemctl start nginx mariadb: Starts both the Nginx and MariaDB services so they’re actively running.
• systemctl enable nginx mariadb: Configures these services to start automatically every time your system boots.

Step 2: Database Configuration

Secure your MySQL installation and set up a database for October CMS:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

This command walks you through securing your MySQL installation by setting a root password, removing anonymous users, disabling remote root logins, and removing the test database.

Log into MySQL to create a new database and user:

sudo mysql

Opens the MySQL command-line interface (CLI) with superuser privileges to manage databases.

Inside MySQL, execute the following SQL queries to create a database and user for October CMS:

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

• CREATE DATABASE octobercms;: Creates a new database named octobercms where all CMS data will be stored.
• CREATE USER ‘octoberuser’@’localhost’ IDENTIFIED BY ‘your_strong_password’;: Creates a user (octoberuser) with a specified password to access the database.
• *GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON octobercms. TO ‘octoberuser’@’localhost’;**: Gives the new user full access to the octobercms database.
• FLUSH PRIVILEGES;: Ensures that the changes made to privileges take effect immediately.
• EXIT;: Exits the MySQL CLI.

Step 3: Installing October CMS

Navigate to your web directory, download, and extract October CMS:

cd /var/www/html

wget https://octobercms.com/download -O october.zip

unzip october.zip

mv install-master octobercms

• cd /var/www/html: Changes your current directory to the location where web files are stored on your server.
• wget https://octobercms.com/download -O october.zip: Downloads the October CMS package from the official website and saves it as october.zip.
• unzip october.zip: Extracts the downloaded ZIP file.
• mv install-master octobercms: Renames the extracted folder to octobercms for easier access.

Next, set appropriate permissions:

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

• chown -R www-data:www-data: Changes the ownership of all files inside the octobercms folder to the www-data user and group, which Nginx uses to serve web content.
• chmod -R 755: Sets read, write, and execute permissions for the owner, and read and execute permissions for others, ensuring security while allowing Nginx to access the files.

Step 4: Nginx Server Block Configuration

Create a new Nginx configuration file for October CMS:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/octobercms.conf

Opens the Nano text editor to create a configuration file for the October CMS site.

Add this configuration, adjusting `server_name` as needed:

nginx
server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;

    root /var/www/html/octobercms;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php$is_args$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
    }

}

• listen 80;: Tells Nginx to listen on port 80 for HTTP connections.
• server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;: Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name. This line specifies which domain should serve this configuration.
• root /var/www/html/octobercms;: Points to the folder where Octobercms is installed.
• location /: Configures Nginx to attempt to serve files directly. If none are found, it falls back to index.php to handle requests.
• location ~ .php$: Ensures that .php files are handled by PHP via FastCGI.

After that enable the new site:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/octobercms.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

• ln -s: Creates a symbolic link in the sites-enabled directory, effectively activating the October CMS site.
• nginx -t: Tests the Nginx configuration to ensure there are no syntax errors.
• systemctl reload nginx: Reloads Nginx to apply the new configuration.

Step 5: Finalizing Installation Through Browser

Navigate to your domain name, IP address, or localhost in a web browser to complete the October CMS Linux installation:

Follow the on-screen instructions to set up October CMS, including database connection, admin account creation, and initial configuration:

After completing all the steps you should be able to log in to the October CMS by providing the credentials and see the main dashboard:

Conclusion

Installing October CMS on Linux involves setting up a LEMP stack and configuring your web server to handle PHP requests. The process starts with updating your system and installing Nginx, MariaDB, and PHP, followed by setting up a database and securing your MySQL installation. October CMS is then downloaded, extracted, and moved to the appropriate web directory, with permissions properly adjusted for security.

After configuring Nginx to serve the October CMS files, you finalize the installation by accessing your server through a web browser and completing the October CMS setup Linux. This streamlined installation process ensures your Linux distribution server is optimized for both security and performance, allowing you to begin managing your site or application with October CMS in no time.

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