Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing Joomla, update your Alma Linux 8 system to ensure all packages are up to date. Run the following command:

sudo dnf update -y

Keeping your system updated is crucial for performance and security, especially if you're hosting it on a VPS Windows Servers platform.

Step 2: Install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP

Joomla requires a web server, a database, and PHP. You can install Apache, MariaDB, and PHP by running the following command:

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

Start and enable Apache and MariaDB services to run at boot:

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

Step 3: Secure MariaDB Installation

To improve security, run the MySQL secure installation script to set a root password and remove insecure defaults:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the on-screen instructions to configure the root password, remove anonymous users, disallow root login remotely, and remove the test database.

Step 4: Create a Database for Joomla

Log in to MariaDB to create a database for Joomla:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Inside the MySQL shell, run the following commands to create the Joomla database and a user with the appropriate privileges:

CREATE DATABASE joomla_db;
CREATE USER 'joomla_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON joomla_db.* TO 'joomla_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
            

Replace your_password with a secure password.

Step 5: Download and Install Joomla

Download the latest Joomla package from the official Joomla website:

cd /var/www/html
sudo wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla3/3-9-28/Joomla_3-9-28-Stable-Full_Package.zip

Extract the Joomla package:

sudo unzip Joomla_3-9-28-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d /var/www/html/joomla

Set the correct permissions for the Joomla directory:

sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/joomla
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/joomla

Step 6: Configure Apache for Joomla

Create a new virtual host configuration file for Joomla:

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

Add the following content to the file:

    ServerAdmin admin@yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/joomla
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com

    
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    

    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/joomla_error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/joomla_access.log combined

            

Replace yourdomain.com with your domain name.

Save and exit the file, then restart Apache to apply the changes:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 7: Obtain a Free Let's Encrypt SSL Certificate

To secure your Joomla site with HTTPS, use Certbot to obtain a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt. First, install Certbot:

sudo dnf install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

Then, run the following command to obtain the SSL certificate and configure Apache automatically:

sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

Certbot will guide you through the process, and your SSL certificate will be installed and configured.

Step 8: Complete Joomla Installation

Open your web browser and navigate to:

http://yourdomain.com

You will be redirected to the Joomla installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the setup, providing the database information you configured earlier.