Mahara is a popular open-source ePortfolio and social networking web application that enables users to create and maintain online portfolios. In this tutorial, we will guide you on how to install Mahara on an Alpine Linux latest distribution.
Before you start installing Mahara, make sure that you have the following prerequisites:
First, update your Alpine Linux system to the latest version using the following command:
sudo apk update && sudo apk upgrade
To run Mahara on your system, you need to install the Apache web server, PHP, and MariaDB server. Run the following command to install all the required packages:
sudo apk add apache2 php7 php7-apache2 mariadb mariadb-client
After installing the packages, enable and start the services using the following commands:
sudo rc-update add apache2 && sudo rc-service apache2 start
sudo rc-update add mariadb && sudo rc-service mariadb start
Log in to the MariaDB server using the following command:
mysql -u root -p
Create a new database and user for the Mahara installation by executing the following MySQL commands:
CREATE DATABASE mahara;
CREATE USER 'maharauser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'maharapassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON mahara.* TO 'maharauser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'maharapassword';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Once done, exit from the MySQL prompt.
Download the latest version of Mahara from its official website using the following command:
sudo wget https://launchpad.net/mahara/21.04/21.04.1/+download/mahara-21.04.1.tar.gz
Extract the downloaded file using the command:
sudo tar xzvf mahara-21.04.1.tar.gz -C /var/www/localhost/htdocs/
Create a new Apache virtual host configuration file for Mahara using the following command:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf.d/mahara.conf
And add the following content to it:
Alias /mahara "/var/www/localhost/htdocs/mahara-21.04.1"
<Directory "/var/www/localhost/htdocs/mahara-21.04.1">
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride None
Require all granted
</Directory>
Save and close the file.
Create a new Mahara configuration file by executing the following command:
sudo cp /var/www/localhost/htdocs/mahara-21.04.1/config-dist.php /var/www/localhost/htdocs/mahara-21.04.1/config.php
Now, edit the config.php file using the following command:
sudo nano /var/www/localhost/htdocs/mahara-21.04.1/config.php
Change the following configuration settings in the file:
$cfg->dbtype = 'mysqli';
$cfg->dbhost = 'localhost';
$cfg->dbname = 'mahara';
$cfg->dbuser = 'maharauser';
$cfg->dbpass = 'maharapassword';
Save and close the file.
Now, access the Mahara web installer by opening a web browser and entering the following URL in the address bar:
http://localhost/mahara/
Provide the necessary details such as Site Title, Admin Username, and Password, and click on the 'Submit' button to complete the installation process.
After completing the installation process, access the Mahara dashboard by entering the following URL in your web browser:
http://localhost/mahara/
Log in with your admin username and password, and start using Mahara.
In this tutorial, we have shown you how to install Mahara on an Alpine Linux latest distribution. Now, you can create and maintain your online portfolios using this powerful and open-source ePortfolio system.
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