How to Install Kimai on Linux Mint

Kimai is a free and open-source time-tracking application that can be used for personal and business purposes. In this tutorial, we will learn how to install Kimai on Linux Mint Latest.

Prerequisites

• A Linux Mint OS system with sudo access
• Apache server installed and running on the system
• MySQL database installed and configured on the system
• PHP installed and configured on the system

Step 1: Install Required PHP Extensions

Kimai requires several PHP extensions to function. Install the following packages using the apt package manager:

sudo apt install -y php-curl php-zip php-xml php-intl php-mysql php-gd

Step 2: Download and Install Kimai

1. Visit https://www.kimai.org/download.html to download the latest version of Kimai.

2. Extract the downloaded file using the following command:

   tar -xvzf kimai-2.2.2.zip

Step 3: Configure the Apache Web Server

1. Create a new Apache configuration file for Kimai:

   sudo vi /etc/apache2/sites-available/kimai.conf

2. Add the following content to the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/kimai/public

    <Directory /var/www/kimai/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Order allow,deny
        allow from all
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Make sure to replace example.com with your domain name.

3. Enable the Apache virtual host configuration and restart the service:

   sudo a2ensite kimai.conf 
   sudo systemctl restart apache2
   

Step 4: Create a MySQL Database

1. Log in to the MySQL server:

   sudo mysql -u root -p

2. Create a new database for Kimai:

   CREATE DATABASE kimai;

   Replace "kimai" with your desired database name.

3. Create a new MySQL user for Kimai:

   CREATE USER 'kimai'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

   Replace "password" with a strong password.

4. Grant privileges to the new user for the Kimai database:

   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON kimai.* TO 'kimai'@'localhost';

5. Flush the privileges and exit the MySQL shell:

   FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;

Step 5: Configure Kimai

1. Rename the ".env.dist" file to ".env":

   cd kimai-2.2.2 mv .env.dist .env

2. Edit the ".env" file and update the following values:

APP_ENV=prod
APP_SECRET=some-secret-string
DATABASE_URL=mysql://kimai:password@localhost/kimai

Replace "some-secret-string", "kimai", and "password" with your desired values.

Step 6: Install Dependencies and Run Kimai

1. Change the ownership of the Kimai folder:

   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/kimai

2. Change the directory to the Kimai folder and install dependencies:

   cd /var/www/kimai composer install --no-dev -o

3. Run the database migration command:

   php bin/console doctrine:migrations:migrate

4. Finally, open your web browser and enter the URL http://example.com (replace "example.com" with your own domain name). The Kimai installation wizard will guide you through the setup process.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Kimai on your Linux Mint system.

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!