How to Install Simple Machines Forum on Alpine Linux Latest

Simple Machines Forum (SMF) is a free and open-source forum software that allows users to create online communities. Alpine Linux is a lightweight Linux distribution that provides a secure and easy-to-use environment. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps required to install Simple Machines Forum on Alpine Linux.

Prerequisites

Before installing Simple Machines Forum, you will need the following:

• A server running Alpine Linux latest version
• A web server (e.g., Apache, NGINX)
• PHP (version 7 or higher)
• MariaDB or MySQL database

Step 1: Install Apache, PHP, and MariaDB

First, update the package list and upgrade any installed packages on your Alpine Linux system by running the following commands:

sudo apk update
sudo apk upgrade

After that, you can install Apache, PHP, and MariaDB packages by running the following command:

sudo apk add apache2 apache2-utils php7 php7-apache2 php7-mysqli php7-json php7-xml php7-gd php7-curl php7-openssl mariadb-client mariadb-server

Step 2: Create a Database for Simple Machines Forum

Once MariaDB is installed, you need to create a new database for Simple Machines Forum. You can do that by running the following command:

sudo mysql -u root -p

After entering your MariaDB root password, create a new database by typing the following command:

CREATE DATABASE smf_db;

Then create a new user and grant that user permissions to access the newly created database by running the following command:

CREATE USER 'smf_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password_here';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON smf_db.* TO 'smf_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Replace your_password_here with the actual password you want to set for the new user.

Step 3: Download and Install Simple Machines Forum

You can download the latest version of Simple Machines Forum from their official website. Use the following command to download the package:

wget https://github.com/SimpleMachines/SMF2.1/archive/refs/tags/SMF_2_1_6.tar.gz

Once the package is downloaded, extract it by running the following command:

sudo tar -xzf SMF_2_1_6.tar.gz -C /var/www/

After extracting, rename the extracted directory to a more friendly name:

sudo mv /var/www/SMF_2_1_6 /var/www/smf

Now set the correct ownership and permissions for the "smf" directory:

sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/smf
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/smf

Step 4: Configure Apache for Simple Machines Forum

Create a new Apache virtual host configuration file for Simple Machines Forum:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf.d/smf.conf

Add the following configuration to the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerAdmin your_email_address
  DocumentRoot /var/www/smf
  ServerName your_domain_name

  <Directory /var/www/smf/>
      Options FollowSymLinks
      AllowOverride All
      Order allow,deny
      allow from all
  </Directory>

  ErrorLog /var/log/apache2/error.log
  CustomLog /var/log/apache2/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Replace your_email_address and your_domain_name with your own values.

Step 5: Restart Apache and Start Simple Machines Forum Installation

After configuring the virtual host for Simple Machines Forum, restart the Apache server:

sudo service apache2 restart

Now open your web browser and navigate to http://your_domain_name, and start the Simple Machines Forum installation process. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Simple Machines Forum on Alpine Linux with Apache, PHP, and MariaDB. You can now use your new forum to create an online community and bring people together.

If you want to self-host in an easy, hands free way, need an external IP address, or simply want your data in your own hands, give IPv6.rs a try!

Alternatively, for the best virtual desktop, try Shells!