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    Deployment Guide

    Deploy Joomla!

    Joomla! is a powerful, open-source CMS for building websites and applications. This guide covers deploying Joomla! on RamNode's reliable VPS hosting with Apache, MariaDB, PHP, SSL encryption, and security hardening.

    Ubuntu 24.04 LTS
    LAMP Stack
    ⏱️ 30-45 minutes
    1

    Introduction

    Joomla! is a powerful, open-source content management system (CMS) that enables you to build websites and powerful online applications. With its intuitive interface, extensive extension library, and strong community support, Joomla! is excellent for everything from simple blogs to complex enterprise websites.

    Why Choose Joomla!?

    • User-friendly administration interface
    • Extensive library of extensions and templates
    • Multi-language support built-in
    • Strong access control and user management
    • Active community with regular updates
    • SEO-friendly out of the box
    2

    Prerequisites

    Before beginning the installation, ensure you have the following:

    RequirementMinimumRecommended
    RAM1 GB2 GB+
    Storage20 GB SSD40 GB+ NVMe
    CPU1 vCPU2+ vCPU
    OSUbuntu 24.04 LTS (fresh installation preferred)

    You'll also need root or sudo access, a registered domain name pointed to your VPS IP, and basic familiarity with the Linux command line.

    3

    Initial Server Setup

    Connect to your RamNode VPS via SSH and update the system packages:

    Connect and update
    ssh root@your-server-ip

# Update package lists and upgrade installed packages
apt update && apt upgrade -y

# Set the timezone (adjust to your location)
timedatectl set-timezone America/New_York

# Install essential utilities
apt install -y curl wget unzip software-properties-common

    Create a Sudo User

    For security, create a non-root user with sudo privileges:

    Create user
    # Create new user
adduser joomlaadmin

# Add user to sudo group
usermod -aG sudo joomlaadmin

# Switch to the new user
su - joomlaadmin
    4

    Install Apache Web Server

    Apache is the most widely used web server and works excellently with Joomla!:

    Install Apache
    sudo apt install -y apache2

# Enable required Apache modules
sudo a2enmod rewrite headers expires deflate

# Start and enable Apache
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

# Verify Apache is running
sudo systemctl status apache2

    You can verify the installation by visiting your server's IP address in a browser. You should see the Apache2 Ubuntu default page.

    5

    Install MariaDB Database Server

    MariaDB is a community-developed fork of MySQL with improved performance:

    Install MariaDB
    # Install MariaDB
sudo apt install -y mariadb-server mariadb-client

# Secure the installation
sudo mysql_secure_installation

    During the secure installation process:

    • Switch to unix_socket authentication: N
    • Set root password: Y (choose a strong password)
    • Remove anonymous users: Y
    • Disallow root login remotely: Y
    • Remove test database: Y
    • Reload privilege tables: Y

    Create Joomla! Database

    Create database
    sudo mysql -u root -p
    SQL commands
    -- Create the database
CREATE DATABASE joomla_db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;

-- Create a dedicated user (replace password with your own)
CREATE USER 'joomla_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPassword123!';

-- Grant privileges
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON joomla_db.* TO 'joomla_user'@'localhost';

-- Apply changes
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
    6

    Install PHP and Required Extensions

    Joomla! 5.x requires PHP 8.1 or higher. Ubuntu 24.04 includes PHP 8.3:

    Install PHP
    sudo apt install -y php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-xml \
  php-gd php-curl php-zip php-mbstring php-intl php-json \
  php-bcmath php-soap php-ldap php-memcached php-redis

    Configure PHP Settings

    Edit the PHP configuration file:

    Edit php.ini
    sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/apache2/php.ini

    Update the following values:

    php.ini settings
    memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_time = 300
max_input_vars = 5000
date.timezone = America/New_York
    Restart Apache
    sudo systemctl restart apache2
    7

    Download and Install Joomla!

    Download the latest stable version of Joomla! from the official website:

    Download Joomla!
    # Navigate to web root
cd /var/www/html

# Download latest Joomla! (check https://downloads.joomla.org for current version)
sudo wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla5/5-2-4/Joomla_5-2-4-Stable-Full_Package.zip

# Create Joomla directory
sudo mkdir joomla

# Extract the package
sudo unzip Joomla_5-2-4-Stable-Full_Package.zip -d joomla

# Set proper ownership
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/joomla

# Set directory permissions
sudo find /var/www/html/joomla -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/html/joomla -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

# Clean up
sudo rm Joomla_5-2-4-Stable-Full_Package.zip
    8

    Configure Apache Virtual Host

    Create a dedicated virtual host configuration for your Joomla! site:

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

    Add the following configuration (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain):

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

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

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/joomla_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/joomla_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
    Enable site
    # Enable the Joomla site
sudo a2ensite joomla.conf

# Disable default site (optional)
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf

# Test Apache configuration
sudo apache2ctl configtest

# Reload Apache
sudo systemctl reload apache2
    9

    Configure UFW Firewall

    Secure your server by configuring the UFW firewall:

    Configure firewall
    # Enable UFW
sudo ufw enable

# Allow SSH (important - don't lock yourself out!)
sudo ufw allow ssh

# Allow HTTP and HTTPS
sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'

# Check firewall status
sudo ufw status verbose
    10

    Install SSL Certificate with Let's Encrypt

    Secure your Joomla! site with a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt:

    Install Certbot
    # Install Certbot
sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache

# Obtain and install certificate
sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com

# Test automatic renewal
sudo certbot renew --dry-run

    Certbot will automatically configure Apache to redirect HTTP to HTTPS and set up automatic certificate renewal.

    11

    Complete Joomla! Web Installation

    Open your browser and navigate to https://yourdomain.com to begin the Joomla! web installer.

    Configuration Steps:

    1. Select Language: Choose your preferred language for the installation and admin interface.
    2. Site Configuration: Enter your site name, description, admin email, username, and password.
    3. Database Configuration: Enter the database details created earlier (joomla_db, joomla_user, and your password).
    4. Finalize Installation: Review settings and complete the installation.
    12

    Post-Installation Security Hardening

    Remove Installation Directory

    The Joomla! installer prompts you to delete the installation folder. If it doesn't auto-delete:

    Remove installation
    sudo rm -rf /var/www/html/joomla/installation

    Secure configuration.php

    Protect config
    sudo chmod 444 /var/www/html/joomla/configuration.php

    Configure .htaccess

    Rename htaccess
    # Rename the file
sudo mv /var/www/html/joomla/htaccess.txt /var/www/html/joomla/.htaccess

# Edit to add security rules
sudo nano /var/www/html/joomla/.htaccess

    Add these security rules at the end of the file:

    .htaccess security rules
    # Block access to sensitive files
<FilesMatch "^(configuration\.php|htaccess\.txt|\.htaccess)quot;>
    Require all denied
</FilesMatch>

# Disable directory browsing
Options -Indexes

# Block common exploits
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} (<|%3C).*script.*(>|%3E) [NC,OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} GLOBALS(=|\[|%[0-9A-Z]{0,2}) [OR]
RewriteCond %{QUERY_STRING} _REQUEST(=|\[|%[0-9A-Z]{0,2})
RewriteRule ^.*$ - [F,L]

    Enable Two-Factor Authentication

    Enable 2FA for all administrator accounts through the Joomla! admin panel (System → Users → Manage → Edit User → Multi-factor Authentication).

    13

    Performance Optimization

    Enable Joomla! Caching

    In the Joomla! administrator panel, navigate to System → Global Configuration → System and configure:

    • Cache: ON - Conservative caching
    • Cache Handler: File
    • Cache Time: 15 (minutes)

    Configure OPcache

    Edit OPcache config
    sudo nano /etc/php/8.3/apache2/conf.d/10-opcache.ini

    Add these optimized settings:

    OPcache settings
    opcache.enable=1
opcache.memory_consumption=256
opcache.interned_strings_buffer=16
opcache.max_accelerated_files=10000
opcache.revalidate_freq=60
opcache.fast_shutdown=1
opcache.enable_cli=0
    Restart Apache
    sudo systemctl restart apache2

    Enable Gzip Compression

    Enable Gzip in Joomla! (System → Global Configuration → Server → Gzip Page Compression: Yes) and verify Apache's deflate module:

    deflate.conf
    <IfModule mod_deflate.c>
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/html text/plain text/xml
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE text/css text/javascript
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/javascript application/x-javascript
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/json application/xml
    AddOutputFilterByType DEFLATE application/rss+xml application/atom+xml
</IfModule>
    14

    Configure Automated Backups

    Set up automated backups to protect your Joomla! installation:

    Create backup script
    # Create backup directory
sudo mkdir -p /var/backups/joomla

# Create backup script
sudo nano /usr/local/bin/joomla-backup.sh

    Add the following backup script:

    joomla-backup.sh
    #!/bin/bash
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d_%H%M%S)
BACKUP_DIR="/var/backups/joomla"

# Backup database
mysqldump -u joomla_user -p'StrongPassword123!' joomla_db | gzip > "$BACKUP_DIR/db_$DATE.sql.gz"

# Backup files
tar -czf "$BACKUP_DIR/files_$DATE.tar.gz" -C /var/www/html joomla

# Delete backups older than 7 days
find $BACKUP_DIR -type f -mtime +7 -delete

echo "Backup completed: $DATE"
    Enable backup cron
    # Make script executable
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/joomla-backup.sh

# Add to crontab for daily backups at 2 AM
echo "0 2 * * * root /usr/local/bin/joomla-backup.sh" | sudo tee -a /etc/crontab
    15

    Troubleshooting Common Issues

    Ongoing Maintenance

    • Update Joomla! Core: Check for updates weekly (System → Update → Joomla)
    • Update Extensions: Keep all plugins, modules, and components updated
    • Monitor Logs: Review error logs regularly for security issues
    • Verify Backups: Periodically test backup restoration
    • Server Updates: Run apt update && apt upgrade weekly

    Ready to Deploy Joomla!?

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