Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Monica, it’s important to ensure your system is up to date. Run the following commands to update your Debian 11 system:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance, whether you're setting up Monica locally or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Required Dependencies

Monica requires several dependencies, including PHP and a web server. Install Apache, PHP, and other required extensions by running:

sudo apt install apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-curl php-xml php-mbstring php-zip git -y
            

After installation, enable the Apache service to start on boot and make sure it's running:

sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
            

This setup prepares your environment for hosting Monica, whether on a local server or on a Windows VPS hosting UK.

Step 3: Install Composer

Composer is a dependency manager for PHP that Monica requires. Install Composer by running the following commands:

sudo apt install curl php-cli unzip -y
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
            

Verify the Composer installation:

composer --version

Step 4: Download and Install Monica

Navigate to the Apache web directory and download Monica using Git:

cd /var/www/html
sudo git clone https://github.com/monicahq/monica.git
            

Move into the Monica directory and install the PHP dependencies using Composer:

cd monica
composer install
            

Set the correct permissions for the Monica directory:

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

Step 5: Configure the Environment

Copy the example environment file to create your own:

cp .env.example .env

Open the .env file to configure your database settings:

sudo nano .env

Update the database connection settings in the file with the database name, username, and password you will create in the next step.

Step 6: Create a Database for Monica

Log in to MySQL to create a database for Monica:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a database and user for Monica:

CREATE DATABASE monica_db;
CREATE USER 'monica_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON monica_db.* TO 'monica_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
            

Ensure the database is created and accessible by Monica, whether you’re hosting it locally or on a Windows VPS Italy.

Step 7: Run Database Migrations

Go back to the Monica directory and run the migrations to set up the database structure:

php artisan migrate

After the migrations are complete, seed the database with initial data:

php artisan db:seed

Step 8: Configure Apache for Monica

Create a new Apache configuration file for Monica:

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

Add the following configuration, replacing your-domain.com with your actual domain:

    ServerAdmin admin@your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/monica/public
    ServerName your-domain.com
    ServerAlias www.your-domain.com

    
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/monica_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/monica_access.log combined

            

Enable the site and necessary Apache modules, then restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite monica.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2
            

Step 9: Access Monica

Open your web browser and navigate to http://your-domain.com or http://your-server-ip. You should see the Monica welcome page, where you can log in and start using the system.

This setup provides a fully functional personal relationship manager, whether hosted locally or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 10: Secure Monica with Let's Encrypt SSL

To enhance security, you should secure your Monica installation with a Let's Encrypt SSL certificate. Install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

Run Certbot to obtain and configure the SSL certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d your-domain.com -d www.your-domain.com

Certbot will automatically configure Apache to use SSL, ensuring secure access to your Monica instance, whether it's on a local server or hosted on a Windows VPS hosting UK.