Introduction
ImpressPages CMS is an open-source Content Management System (CMS) that features a built-in content editor that allows users to build a personal/business website.
It is a free and user-friendly platform that is MVC-based and written in PHP language with an open-source MySQL/MariaDB database system for storing content.
With ImpressPages, it’s easy to manage content on any device. You also get additional features on this platform including Drag&drop, Inline editing, Multi-language support, Widgets, translations, and Grids.
In this article, we will show you how to install ImpressPages CMS on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS.
Prerequisites
Before you start, make sure you have the following:
- A virtual machine or dedicated server running on Ubuntu 18.04.
- Sudo privileges
- ImpressPage CMS requires a web server (Apache), Database server (MariaDB or MySQL), and PHP. For this reason, you must have the LAMP (Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) stack installed on your Ubuntu 18.04 server. If you have not installed the LAMP stack follow our guide on “How to install the LAMP (Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) stack on Ubuntu 18.04.
If all the above requirements are in place, you are good to go!
Step 1 - Configuring The MariaDB Databases For ImpressPages
The first thing when configuring your database for ImpressPages is securing it. Run the command below to secure MariaDB.
$ sudo mysql_secure_installation
You will be asked to enter your current root password. If you have just installed MariaDB and have not created any password yet, your root password is blank. Just press Enter to continue. Here, you will be required to answer some questions and its recommended you respond with YES for all of them.
Set root password? [Y/n] type Y and press enter New Password: Key in your preferred password and enter to continue. Re-enter new password: Re-enter the password and press enter. Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] type Y and press enter. Disallow root login remotely [Y/n] type Y and press enter Remove test database and access it? [Y/n] type Y and press enter Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] type Y and press enter
Once you secure your databases, execute the command below to log into the MariaDB shell:
$ sudo mysql -u root -p
Enter your root password; the one created when securing your databases and press Enter to continue. By now you should be logged into the MariaDB database shell.
Execute the command below to create a database called impress for ImpressPages:
CREATEDATABASE impress;
Next, run the command below to create a new database user (impressuser) and a new password for the user:
CREATEUSER'impressuser'@'localhost'IDENTIFIEDBY'new_password_here';
Now, the user is created, but you need to grant the user access to the MariaDB database. Execute the command below to accomplish this:
GRANT ALL ON impress.* TO'impressuser'@'localhost'IDENTIFIEDBY'user_password_here'WITHGRANTOPTION;
Finally, run the command below to save the change and quite the MariaDB shell.
FLUSHPRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Step 2 - Installing ImpressPages
Run the command below to download the most recent stable version of ImpressPages from the official website:
$ wget http://download.impresspages.org/ImpressPages_5_0_3.zip
Now, unzip the file you have downloaded with the command below:
$ unzip ImpressPages_5_0_3.zip
Transfer these files to the Apache root directory:
$ sudo cp -r ImpressPages /var/www/html/impress
Next, run the commands below to stipulate the proper privileges to the directory (Impress) we created.
$ sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/impress/ $ sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/impress/
Step 3 - Configuring Apache 2
Now, run the command below to open the Apache2 configuration file and modify its content suit ImpressPages.
$ sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/impress.conf
Include the information below:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin admin@example.com
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/impress
ServerName example.com
ServerAlias www.example.com
<Directory /var/www/html/impress/>
Options FollowSymlinks
AllowOverrideAll
Requireall granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
Now, save and exit the file.
Next, execute the command below to enable rewrite the module and Apache2 virtual host file.
$ sudo a2ensite impress.conf $ sudo a2enmod rewrite
Now, restart Apache to apply the changes:
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
Step 4 - Accessing ImpressPages
Open your browser and enter the URL http://example.com. You should see the page below:
On this page, provide the relevant credentials including your email address and website name, then click Next. The page below will appear:
Enter the relevant details for your database, then click Next to continue. The dialogue box below will pop up.
Take note of your ImpressPages username and password, then select Yes, I understand how to log in next time. The page below will appear:
Next, enter your admin credentials; username and password, then select Login. ImpressPages dashboard should appear as shown below:
That’s it.
Conclusion
Congratulations! Now you have installed ImpressPages successfully on Ubuntu 18.04 LTS. We hope this tutorial will help you with this process and ensure you create beautiful websites with top-notch content.
