How to Install Joomla with Apache and Let's Encrypt SSL on Ubuntu 22.04

Step 1: Update Your System

First, ensure your system is up to date by running the following commands to update your package list and upgrade installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This step ensures that your server has the latest security updates, which is especially important when deploying your Joomla site on a VPS Windows Servers environment.

Step 2: Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP

Joomla requires a web server, a database, and PHP. Use the following command to install Apache, MySQL, and PHP along with the required PHP modules:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-curl php-json php-cgi php-xml php-mbstring php-zip php-intl -y

After installation, start and enable Apache and MySQL:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl enable mysql

Step 3: Configure MySQL Database for Joomla

Log in to the MySQL shell to create a database and user for Joomla:

sudo mysql -u root -p

In the MySQL shell, run the following commands to create the Joomla database and user:

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 strong password of your choice.

Step 4: Download and Install Joomla

Next, download the latest Joomla package from the official website. Navigate to the Apache web root and download Joomla:

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 downloaded archive:

sudo apt install unzip
sudo unzip Joomla_3-9-28-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d joomla

Set the correct ownership and permissions for the Joomla directory:

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

Step 5: Configure Apache for Joomla

Now, configure Apache to serve the Joomla site. Create a new virtual host configuration file for Joomla:

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

Add the following configuration to the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin admin@yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/joomla
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com

    <Directory /var/www/html/joomla/>
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Save and close the file. Then, enable the Joomla site and the Apache rewrite module:

sudo a2ensite joomla.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Step 6: Obtain a Free SSL Certificate with Let's Encrypt

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

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

Next, obtain the SSL certificate:

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

Certbot will automatically configure your Apache virtual host to use the SSL certificate. You will now be able to access your Joomla site securely using HTTPS.

Step 7: Complete Joomla Installation

Open your web browser and navigate to http://yourdomain.com to access the Joomla installation page. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up Joomla, providing the database details created earlier.