How to Install Contao on NetBSD

Contao is a free and open-source content management system that allows you to create professional websites without the need for extensive coding knowledge. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the process of installing Contao on NetBSD, a Unix-like operating system.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation process, make sure your NetBSD server meets the following requirements:

• NetBSD 6.0 or higher
• Webserver (e.g., Apache or Nginx)
• PHP 5.6 or higher (with PDO and GD extensions)

Step 1: Install Apache and PHP

Contao is a web-based application, and therefore requires a web server software and PHP to run. To install Apache and PHP, run the following commands:

pkgin -y install apache php

Once the installation is complete, start the Apache web server:

/usr/pkg/etc/rc.d/httpd start

Step 2: Create a Database

Contao requires a database to store its content. To create a new database, run the following command:

mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE contao;

You can replace "contao" with your preferred database name.

Step 3: Install Contao

To install Contao, follow these steps:

1. Download the latest Contao package from their official website: https://contao.org/en/download.html

2. Extract the downloaded ZIP archive to your web server's document root directory. For example:

   unzip contao-4.9.14.zip -d /var/www/
   

3. Change the ownership of the files to the web server user:

   chown -R www /var/www/contao-4.9.14/
   

4. Create a symbolic link to the Contao's system folder:

   ln -s /var/www/contao-4.9.14/system /var/www/html/
   

5. Rename the Contao folder to a user-friendly name, e.g., "mywebsite":

   mv /var/www/contao-4.9.14 /var/www/mywebsite
   

Step 4: Configure Contao

After the installation, you need to configure Contao to connect to your database. To do this, open the app/config/config.yml file in your favorite text editor and modify the following lines:

# Doctrine Configuration
doctrine:
    dbal:
        dbname:       contao
        user:         root
        password:     password
        host:         127.0.0.1
        driver:       pdo_mysql
        charset:      UTF8

Replace the dbname, user, password, and host values with your database details.

Step 5: Access Contao

To access Contao, open your web browser and navigate to your server's IP address, followed by the folder name you designated in Step 3. For example:

http://192.0.2.1/mywebsite/

You should see the Contao installer page. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Contao on NetBSD. You can now start creating your website using the powerful features of Contao.

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