Install Zikula on a CentOS VPS

Today we are going to show you how to install Zikula on CentOS. Zikula is an open source PHP application framework and CMS released under the GNU General Public License. The functionality of this PHP application framework and CMS can be expanded using modules and plugins. The installation is straightforward and will take only a couple of minutes from your time. Let’s begin.

First thing you need to do is to log in to your CentOS VPS via SSH and update all your system software to the latest version available. For that purpose you can use the following command:

yum update

Once your system is fully up to date, you can download and extract Zikula on your server. Therefore, you can use the following command to download and extract Zikula in the /opt directory on your server:

cd /opt && wget https://github.com/zikula/core/releases/download/1.3.9/Zikula_Core-1.3.9.build12.tar.gz && tar -xzvf Zikula_Core-1.3.9.build12.tar.gz

Please note that at the moment of writing this tutorial, the latest version of Zikula is 1.3.9.

Then, move the Zikula directory to your /var/www/html directory using the command:

mv Zikula_Core-1.3.9 zikula && mv zikula /var/www/html/ && cd /var/www/html/zikula

You should now edit the .htaccess file located in the Zikula directory.

nano .htaccess

Check if php_flag magic_quotes_gpc off is commented. If not, please comment that line. Save the file and close it.
Now it is time to change the ownership of the Zikula files and directories. For that purpose you can use the following command:

cd /var/www/html/ && chown apache: -R zikula/

The next thing you need to do is to create a MySQL database. Zikula stores its data into a database, which makes this part of the installation process crucial. Log in to your MySQL server using the command:

mysql -u root -p

And execute the following commands in order to create a database, a database user and set a password:

mysql> CREATE DATABASE zikula_db;
mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES on zikula_db.* to 'zikula_user'@'localhost' identified by 'YoUrPaS$w0rD';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
mysql> exit

Of course, you can change the database name, the database username or the password according to your needs.

Next thing you need to do is to access the Zikula installation via web and continue with the online instructions. You need to edit the Apache configuration file and set up your domain name’s DocumentRoot to point to the installation directory which is /var/www/html/zikula. After you make the changes, you need to restart your Apache service. Open your favorite web browser and navigate to:

http://domain.com/install.php

You should be welcomed by the Zikula setup screen and you should follow the online instructions to complete the installation.

Of course you don’t have to do any of this if you use one of our Linux VPS hosting services, in which case you can simply ask our expert Linux admins to install Zikula for you. They are available 24×7 and will take care of your request immediately.

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