Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Moodle, make sure your system is up to date by running the following commands:

sudo dnf update -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for security and performance, whether you're running it on a local machine or on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP

Moodle requires a web server, database, and PHP to function. Install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP by running:

sudo dnf install httpd mariadb-server mariadb php php-mysqlnd php-xml php-mbstring php-intl php-json php-zip -y

Start and enable Apache and MariaDB services:

sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 3: Secure MariaDB Installation

Run the MariaDB security script to secure your database:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts to set a root password, remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove the test database.

Step 4: Create a Database for Moodle

Log in to MariaDB and create a database and user for Moodle:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Inside the MariaDB shell, run the following commands:

CREATE DATABASE moodle_db DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'moodle_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON moodle_db.* TO 'moodle_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
            

Replace your_password with a strong password of your choice.

Step 5: Download and Set Up Moodle

Navigate to the Apache web directory and download the latest version of Moodle:

cd /var/www/html
sudo wget https://download.moodle.org/stable39/moodle-latest-39.tgz
sudo tar -xvzf moodle-latest-39.tgz
sudo mv moodle /var/www/html/moodle
sudo mkdir /var/www/html/moodledata
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/html/moodledata
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/moodle /var/www/html/moodledata
            

Step 6: Configure Apache for Moodle

Create a new Apache configuration file for Moodle:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/moodle.conf

Add the following content to the file:

    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/moodle
    DirectoryIndex index.php
    
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    
    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/moodle_error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/moodle_access.log combined

            

Save and close the file. Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 7: Complete Moodle Installation via Web Browser

Open a web browser and navigate to:

http:///moodle

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the Moodle installation. When prompted, enter the database information you created earlier:

• Database name: moodle_db
• Database user: moodle_user
• Password: your_password