ExpressionEngine is an open source, flexible and extensible content management system (CMS) that can be used to create powerful and dynamic websites and blogs.
ExpressionEngine has a cloud hosting service. however, you can install it on your own servers and always own your content, and can take it with you wherever you go.
If you want a Content Management System (CMS) that is easy to use and manage, then ExpressionEngine CMS is a good place to start. ExpressionEngine CMS 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 ExpressionEngine CMS, please check their Homepage
This brief tutorial is going to show students and new users how to install ExpressionEngine CMS on Ubuntu 16.04 / 18.10 and 18.04 LTS.
To get started with installing ExpressionEngine, follow the steps below:
Step 1: Install Apache2 HTTP Server
ExpressionEngine 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
ExpressionEngine 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
ExpressionEngine 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 ExpressionEngine Database
Now that you’ve installed all the packages that are required for ExpressionEngine to function, continue below to start configuring the servers. First run the commands below to create a blank ExpressionEngine database.
To logon to MariaDB database server, run the commands below.
sudo mysql -u root -p
Then create a database called expressionengine
CREATE DATABASE expressionengine;
Create a database user called expressionengineuser with a new password
CREATE USER 'expressionengineuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'new_password_here';
Then grant the user full access to the database.
GRANT ALL ON expressionengine.* TO 'expressionengineuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'user_password_here' WITH GRANT OPTION;
Finally, save your changes and exit.
FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Step 5: Download ExpressionEngine Latest Release
To get ExpressionEngine latest release you may want to get it from its download page below. At the time of this writing the current version is 5.0.1.
Extract the downloaded content and copy it to Apache2 root directory.
cd ~/Downloads sudo unzip -d /var/www/html/expressionengine ~/Downloads/ExpressionEngine5.0.1.zip
Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for ExpressionEngine root directory and give Apache2 control.
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/expressionengine/ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/expressionengine/
Step 6: Configure Apache2
Finally, configure Apahce2 site configuration file for ExpressionEngine. This file will control how users access WebsiteBaker content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called expressionengine.conf
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/expressionengine.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/expressionengine
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
<Directory /var/www/html/expressionengine/>
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/expressionengine/>
RewriteEngine on
RewriteBase /
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_FILENAME} !-f
RewriteRule ^(.*) index.php [PT,L]
</Directory>
</VirtualHost>
Save the file and exit.
Step 7: Enable the ExpressionEngine and Rewrite Module
After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below
sudo a2ensite expressionengine.conf sudo a2enmod rewrite sudo systemctl restart apache2.service
Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name. You should see ExpressionEngine setup wizard to complete. Please follow the wizard carefully.
Then follow the on-screen instruction. Enter the database connection into you created above as well as the backend admin account. When you’re done, click Install
That’s it!
You can logon to the backend using the admin email address and password created above.
Congratulation! You have successfully installed ExpressionEngine CMS on Ubuntu 16.04 | 18.04 and 18.10.
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