How to Install Monica on Void Linux

Monica is a powerful open-source personal relationship management software that helps individuals and businesses organize and manage their interactions with customers, friends, and family. In this tutorial, you'll learn how to install Monica on Void Linux.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation of Monica, we need the following:

• A running instance of Void Linux.
• Access to the command line interface (CLI).
• Basic knowledge of using the CLI.

Step 1 - Update the System

Before installing Monica on your system, you need to make sure your packages and repositories are up to date. To do this, run the following command in the CLI:

sudo xbps-install -Suy

This command will update all installed packages and their repositories.

Step 2 - Install Required Dependencies

Now, we need to install the necessary dependencies required for Monica to run. These dependencies include web server, PHP, database server and others. To install these dependencies, execute the following command:

sudo xbps-install -y nginx php74 php74-fpm php74-pdo_mysql sqlite sqlite-devel php74-sqlite3 php74-openssl php74-curl

This command will install all the required dependencies for Monica.

Step 3 - Download and Install Monica

To download and install Monica, follow the steps below:

1. First, clone the Monica repository into the /var/www/ directory:

   cd /var/www/
   sudo git clone https://github.com/monicahq/monica.git monica
   

2. Next, switch to the directory where the Monica repository was cloned and run the following command:

   cd monica
   sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
   sudo php composer.phar install --no-dev --no-ansi --no-interaction --no-scripts --optimize-autoloader
   

   This will download and install all the necessary dependencies using Composer.

3. Next, create a .env file and configure it according to your environment. To do so, run the following command:

   sudo cp .env.example .env
   sudo vim .env
   

   Update the configuration parameters such as database details, email settings and others.

4. Next, set proper file permissions for the Monica application:

   sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/monica
   sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/monica/storage
   

Step 4 - Configure Nginx and PHP-FPM

Finally, we need to configure Nginx and PHP-FPM to support Monica. To do this, follow the steps below:

1. Open the Nginx default site configuration file:

   sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/default
   

2. Replace the file content with the following:

   server {
       listen 80 default_server;
       listen [::]:80 default_server;
   
       root /var/www/monica/public;
       index index.php index.html;
   
       server_name _;
   
       location / {
           try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
       }
   
       location ~ \.php$ {
           include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
           fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php-fpm.sock;
       }
   
       location ~ /\.ht {
           deny all;
       }
   }
   

3. Restart the Nginx server to apply the new configuration:

   sudo systemctl restart nginx
   

4. Open the PHP-FPM configuration file:

   sudo vim /etc/php74/php-fpm.d/www.conf
   

5. Change the following lines in the file:

   user = www-data
   group = www-data
   listen = /run/php-fpm.sock
   

6. Save and exit the configuration file.

7. Finally, restart the PHP-FPM service:

   sudo systemctl restart php74-fpm.service
   

Step 5 - Access Monica

Monica should now be accessible at http://localhost/ in your web browser. You can log in with the administrator credentials, which you set in the .env file.

Congratulations! You’ve successfully installed Monica on Void Linux using the Nginx web server, PHP-FPM, and SQLite. You can now use Monica to manage your personal relationships, customer interactions, and more.

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!