How to Install Kimai on macOS

Kimai is a web-based time tracking tool that is suitable for businesses, freelancers, and individuals. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the steps to install Kimai on macOS.

Prerequisites

Before you proceed with the installation process, make sure you have the following prerequisites installed on your system:

• macOS operating system (High Sierra or above)
• Apache web server (installed by default on macOS) or any other web server like Nginx
• PHP (7.1 or higher) with some essential extensions like SQLite or MySQL installed
• Composer (a PHP package manager)

Step 1: Download Kimai

Firstly, you need to download the Kimai package from the official website by visiting the following URL:

https://www.kimai.org/download/

Select the latest version, and download the zip file. Once the download is complete, extract the contents to your preferred location.

Step 2: Install Dependencies with Composer

In the next step, you will use Composer to install dependencies required by Kimai. If you don't have Composer installed, you can download it from the following URL:

https://getcomposer.org/download/

Then, open the Terminal and navigate to the root directory of Kimai where composer.json file exists. Run the following command:

composer install

This command will install all the required dependencies for Kimai, which may take some time.

Step 3: Create a Virtual Host

Before proceeding to the next step, make sure that your Apache server is up and running. If not, then start it.

In this step, you have to create a virtual host for Kimai. To do so, open the Terminal and navigate to the Apache configuration directory. Run the following command to create a new virtual host file:

nano /etc/apache2/other/kimai.conf

Then, enter the following configuration settings:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName kimai.local
    DocumentRoot /path/to/kimai/public

    <Directory /path/to/kimai/public>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Replace /path/to/kimai with your own path where you extracted the Kimai package in the first step. Save the file and exit from the editor.

Next, run the following command to enable the newly created virtual host:

sudo apachectl -k restart

Step 4: Configure Kimai

In this step, you need to configure the Kimai application. Navigate to the Kimai directory in the Terminal and run the following command:

cp .env.dist .env

This command creates a copy of the default environment file. You can rename it to .env.local if you want to configure custom settings.

Then, open the .env file using a text editor:

nano .env

Here, you need to specify the database settings. By default, Kimai uses the SQLite database, which is already installed on macOS.

DATABASE_URL=sqlite:///%kernel.project_dir%/var/data/kimai.sqlite

You can change the database settings depending on your requirements, like the database type, host, username, and password.

Save the changes and exit from the editor.

Step 5: Run the Installation Wizard

In the final step, run the Kimai installation wizard to complete the setup. Open your web browser and navigate to the following URL:

http://kimai.local/installer

The installation wizard will detect the system requirements, database settings, and generate the database schema. Follow the prompts, and complete the installation.

After successful installation, you can access the Kimai application by visiting the following URL:

http://kimai.local/

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Kimai on your macOS system. You can now start tracking your time using Kimai's advanced features.

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!