Nextcloud is a popular open-source file sharing and collaboration platform that allows you to host your own cloud storage service. Installing Nextcloud on an Ubuntu 24.04 server is a straightforward process that will enable you to manage your files securely and efficiently. This guide will walk you through the installation process on your VPS server. For reliable hosting solutions, consider using windowsvps for your next VPS server deployment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, ensure that you have the following:

• A VPS server running Ubuntu 24.04.
• Root or sudo access to the server.
• A registered domain name pointing to your server's IP address (optional, but recommended).
• Apache, PHP, and MySQL/MariaDB installed on your server.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by updating your package list and installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install the necessary packages for Nextcloud:

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php php-xml php-zip php-gd php-curl php-mbstring php-intl php-bcmath php-json php-imagick unzip -y

Step 3: Download Nextcloud

Navigate to the web directory and download the latest version of Nextcloud:

cd /var/www/html
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/nextcloud-24.0.0.zip

Unzip the downloaded file:

unzip nextcloud-24.0.0.zip
rm nextcloud-24.0.0.zip

Step 4: Set Up Directory Permissions

Set the ownership of the Nextcloud directory to the Apache user:

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

Set the correct permissions:

sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/nextcloud

Step 5: Configure Apache for Nextcloud

Create a new Apache configuration file for Nextcloud:

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

Add the following configuration:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/nextcloud

    <Directory /var/www/html/nextcloud>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

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

Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain name.

Step 6: Enable the Nextcloud Site

Enable the new site and rewrite module:

sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite

Then restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 7: Set Up MySQL Database for Nextcloud

Log in to the MySQL shell:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a database and user for Nextcloud:

CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
CREATE USER 'nextclouduser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextclouduser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 8: Complete the Installation via Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to http://yourdomain.com. You should see the Nextcloud setup page. Fill in the database details and create an admin account to complete the installation.

Conclusion

By following these steps, you have successfully installed Nextcloud on your Ubuntu 24.04 VPS server. This powerful self-hosted cloud storage solution allows you to manage your files securely. For optimal performance and reliable hosting, consider utilizing windowsvps for your next VPS server hosting solution.