Install BlackCat CMS on Ubuntu 16.04 | 18.04 | 18.10 with Apache2, MariaDB and PHP 7.2

BlackCat is an easy-to-use, clear and versatile content management system (CMS) that enables you to run nearly all the websites and portals without having to learn HTML and other design skills..

If you want a stable and reliable CMS to run your sites that is easy to use and manage, then BlackCat is a good place to start. It is built on an open source core with support for open standards, which might be very useful in helping you run your digital content.

This CMS platform is designed for ease of use to allow enterprises and business owners to collaborate and automate engaging experiences with users across multiple devices, including mobile.

For more about BlackCat CMS, please check their Homepage

This brief tutorial is going to show students and new users how to install BlackCat CMS on Ubuntu 16.04 / 18.10 and 18.04 LTS.

To get started with installing BlackCat CMS, follow the steps below:

Step 1: Install Apache2 HTTP Server

BlackCat CMS requires a web server and Apache2 HTTP server is the most popular open source web server available today. To install Apache2 server, run the commands below:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

After installing Apache2, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable Apache2 service to always start up with the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop apache2.service
sudo systemctl start apache2.service
sudo systemctl enable apache2.service

Now that Apache2 is installed. to test whether the web server is working, open your browser and browse to the URL below.

If you see the page above, then Apache2 is successfully installed.

Step 2: Install MariaDB Database Server

BlackCat CMS also requires a database server to store its content. If you’re looking for a truly open source database server, then MariaDB is a great place to start. To install MariaDB run the commands below:

sudo apt-get install mariadb-server mariadb-client

After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots.

Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mysql.service
sudo systemctl start mysql.service
sudo systemctl enable mysql.service

Run these on Ubuntu 18.10 and 18.04 LTS

sudo systemctl stop mariadb.service
sudo systemctl start mariadb.service
sudo systemctl enable mariadb.service

Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter
Set root password? [Y/n]: Y
New password: Enter password
Re-enter new password: Repeat password
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]: Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]: Y

Now that MariaDB is installed, to test whether the database server was successfully installed, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

type the root password when prompted.

If you see a similar screen as shown above, then the server was successfully installed.

Step 3: Install PHP 7.2 and Related Modules

BlackCat CMS is a PHP based CMS and PHP is required. However, PHP 7.2 may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories. To run PHP 7.2 on Ubuntu 16.04 and previous, you may need to run the commands below:

sudo apt-get install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php

Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2

sudo apt update

Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules.

sudo apt install php7.2 libapache2-mod-php7.2 php7.2-common php7.2-mysql php7.2-gmp php7.2-curl php7.2-intl php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xmlrpc php7.2-gd php7.2-bcmath php7.2-xml php7.2-cli php7.2-zip

After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open PHP default configuration file for Apache2.

sudo nano /etc/php/7.2/apache2/php.ini

The lines below is a good settings for most PHP based CMS. Update the configuration file with these and save.

file_uploads = On
allow_url_fopen = On
short_open_tag = On
memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 100M
max_execution_time = 360
date.timezone = America/Chicago

Everytime you make changes to PHP configuration file, you should also restart Apache2 web server. To do so, run the commands below:

sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Now that PHP is installed, to test whether it’s functioning, create a test file called phpinfo.php in Apache2 default root directory. ( /var/www/html/)

sudo nano /var/www/html/phpinfo.php

Then type the content below and save the file.

<?php phpinfo( ); ?>

Next, open your browser and browse to the server’s hostname or IP address followed by phpinfo.php

/phpinfo.php

You should see PHP default test page.

Step 4: Create BlackCat CMS Database

Now that you’ve installed all the packages that are required for BlackCat CMS to function, continue below to start configuring the servers. First run the commands below to create a blank BlackCat CMS database.

To logon to MariaDB database server, run the commands below.

sudo mysql -u root -p

Then create a database called blackcat

CREATE DATABASE blackcat;

Create a database user called blackcatuser with a new password

CREATE USER 'blackcatuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';

Then grant the user full access to the database.

GRANT ALL ON blackcat.* TO 'blackcatuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;

Finally, save your changes and exit.

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Download BlackCat CMS Latest Release

To get BlackCat CMS latest release you may want to get it from its download page below. At the time of this writing the current version is 4.1.0.

Extract the downloaded content and copy it to Apache2 root directory.

cd ~/Downloads
sudo unzip -d /var/www/html/blackcat ~/Downloads/blackcatcms_v1.3.3.zip

Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for BlackCat CMS root directory and give Apache2 control.

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

Step 6: Configure Apache2

Finally, configure Apahce2 site configuration file for BlackCat CMS. This file will control how users access WebsiteBaker content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called blackcat.conf

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

Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your own domain name and directory root location.

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin [email protected]
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/blackcat
     ServerName example.com
     ServerAlias www.example.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/blackcat/>
          Options FollowSymlinks
          AllowOverride All
          Require all granted
     </Directory>

     ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
     CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
    
     <Directory /var/www/html/blackcat/>
            RewriteEngine on
            RewriteBase /
            RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
            RewriteRule ^(.*) index.php [PT,L]
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Save the file and exit.

Step 7: Enable the BlackCat CMS and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below

sudo a2ensite blackcat.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2.service

Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see BlackCat CMS setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.

Then follow the on-screen instruction. Go to step two, three and validate that your environement meet the minimum setup.

Set required BlackCat configuration parameters. Some parameters are required to be set before BlackCat installaton. After the installation is complete log in to the administration console and configure remaining parameters. This should be your very first administrator task.

On Step 1, verify that all requiremnts are met and continue