How to Deploy and Host a Joomla Website on Alibaba Cloud ECS

Key points:

• Joomla! is a popular open source content management system (CMS) that can be hosted on Alibaba Cloud Elastic Computing Service (ECS) with Ubuntu 16.04 installed. This CMS provides multilingual support and other features.
• The process of deploying Joomla! website on Alibaba Cloud ECS includes: setting up the Alibaba Cloud ECS Linux server, installing the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack, configuring Joomla! on ECS, and creating a MySQL database for Joomla! and user.
• For production purposes, it is recommended to use Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for RDS, a paid-on-demand database service that manages management tasks and gives you more time to focus on your core business. This service enhances security and reliability when deploying Joomla websites.

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Joomla! is a free open source content management system (CMS) and one of the most popular CMSs. According to the official website, Joomla! is built on the Model-View-Controller Web Application Framework and can be used independently of CMS, allowing you to build powerful online applications.

One of my personal favorite Joomla! features is its powerful multilingual support and its huge library of language packs. You can also use language extensions to translate the website management backend to help you easily localize your website.

This step-by-step guide will walk you through setting up and deploying the Joomla! website on an instance of Alibaba Cloud Elastic Computing Service (ECS) with Ubuntu 16.04 installed.

Requirements and Prerequisites

Before deploying a Joomla! instance, we need to meet the following requirements. We need to set up an Alibaba Cloud Elastic Computing Service (ECS) Linux server (Ubuntu 16.04) with basic configuration. You should also assign administrator (sudo) permissions to non-root users.

You can refer to this guide to set up your Alibaba Cloud ECS instance. If you don’t have an Alibaba Cloud account, you can sign up for free and enjoy a free trial of $300.

Install Joomla on Ubuntu 16.04 ECS instance

To install Joomla on our server, we first need to install the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) stack.

Step 1: Connect to your server

There are many ways to connect to the server, but for simplicity, I will use the Alibaba Cloud console. To do this, go to the Your Instances section and click Connect in the instance you created. You will be redirected to the terminal.

Enter the username as Root and enter the password you created. If you don't create a password, just press Enter to continue. You are logged in to your server as a system administrator.

All commands in the following sections should be typed in this terminal.

Step 2: Install Apache

To install Apache, type the following command to update your server repository list.

sudo apt-get update

Then install the Apache web server.

sudo apt-get install apache2

Step 3: Install MySQL

Joomla, like most other content management systems, requires MySQL as its backend. So we need to install MySQL and link it to PHP.

To do this, add the following command.

sudo apt-get install mysql-server php7.0-mysql

The system will ask you to enter a MySQL password. Please keep your password properly as you will need it later.

Use the following command to complete the MySQL installation process.

/usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation

The system will ask you to enter the MySQL password you just created. Continue the installation process by making the following selections.

<code>Would you like to setup VALIDATE password plugin ? [Y/N] N
Change the root password ? [ Y/N ] N
Remove anonymous users ? [Y/N] Y
Disallow root login remotely ? [Y/N] Y
Remove test database and access to it ? [Y/N] Y
Reload privilege tables now ? [Y/N] Y</code>

Step 4: Install PHP

Joomla! PHP is required. Execute the following command to install PHP 7.0 and other required PHP modules.

sudo apt-get install php7.0 libapache2-mod-php7.0 php7.0-mcrypt php7.0-xml php7.0-curl php7.0-json php7.0-cgi

Step 5: Confirm LAMP installation

To confirm that the LAMP stack is installed on your Ubuntu 16.04 server, follow these steps.

Open a web browser and navigate to your server's IP address. You will see the Apache2 Ubuntu default page.

Note: To check the public IP address of your server, check your ECS instance dashboard. You will see private and public IP addresses. Use a public IP address to access your website. If you do not see a public IP address, consider setting an elastic IP address.

To confirm the PHP installation on your server, delete the default page and replace it with the following PHP code. To do this, use the following command.

rm /var/www/html/index.html

Replace with a new file:

touch /var/www/html/index.php
nano /var/www/html/index.php

Enter the following example PHP code:

<?php phpinfo();
?>

To check your page, navigate to your web browser and enter your public IP address. If the LAMP stack is correctly installed on your server, you should see information about your PHP installation.

Now use the following command to delete the index.php file:

rm /var/www//html/index.php

Step 6: Install and configure Joomla on ECS!

We are almost done. In this step, we will install Joomla!.

Before downloading and installing Joomla!, we need to open the root directory of the Apache web server.

cd /var/www/html

Then, download the Joomla! installation file.

wget https://downloads.joomla.org/cms/joomla3/3-7.5-Stable-Full-Package.zip

Make sure the version you installed is the latest version.

To unzip the downloaded archive, please install unzip.

sudo apt-get install unzip

Unzip downloaded Joomla Zip file:

unzip Joomla_3-7.5-Stable-Full_Package.zip

If you cannot unzip the .tar.gz file, use the following command:

tar -xvzf Joomla_3-7.5-Stable-Full_Package.tar.gz

Next, activate the .htaccess file by renaming.

mv htaccess.txt .htacess

Then set the appropriate file permissions:

chown -R www-data /var/www/html
chmod -R 755/var/www/html

Step 7: Create MySQL database and users for Joomla!

Joomla! Uses relational databases to store and manage site and user data. In this tutorial, we will use MySQL on our ECS instance. However, for production purposes, I recommend using Alibaba Cloud Apsara DB for improved security and reliability.

Since we have installed MySQL before, we just need to create a database and user for Joomla. To do this, use the following command to log in to your MySQL account.

sudo apt-get update

The system will prompt you to enter the MySQL password created above. After successfully logging in, you will enter the MySQL shell.

Now let's create a database for Joomla!. You can name it as you like. In my following command I used "joomla".

sudo apt-get install apache2

Remember that every command in MySQL ends with a semicolon (;). Create a new user and grant permissions to the database. You can replace "user" and "password" with the username and password of your choice.

sudo apt-get install mysql-server php7.0-mysql

Now, refresh the permissions so that the current MySQL instance understands the latest permission changes we have made. Enter the following command.

/usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation

Use this command to exit MySQL shell:

<code>Would you like to setup VALIDATE password plugin ? [Y/N] N
Change the root password ? [ Y/N ] N
Remove anonymous users ? [Y/N] Y
Disallow root login remotely ? [Y/N] Y
Remove test database and access to it ? [Y/N] Y
Reload privilege tables now ? [Y/N] Y</code>

Now you should go back to the server terminal.

Step 8: Complete the installation process through the web interface

First, we need to restart the Apache web server. Enter the following command to do this:

sudo apt-get install php7.0 libapache2-mod-php7.0 php7.0-mcrypt php7.0-xml php7.0-curl php7.0-json php7.0-cgi

Open your web browser and navigate to your server's public IP address. You will see the Joomla! Web interface. Continue the installation process.

In the Database Configuration section, enter your MySQL username, password, and database. In our case it looks like this:

rm /var/www/html/index.html

Fill in the remaining required information until the installation process is completed. That's it!

Final Thoughts

As mentioned, if you plan to deploy the Joomla website for a production environment, I recommend using Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for RDS. Alibaba Cloud ApsaraDB for RDS (Relational Database Service) is a paid-as-you-can-eat database service that will save you from the management tasks of managing databases. This will give you more time to focus on your core business.

FAQs on Deploying and Hosting Joomla Websites on Alibaba Cloud ECS

What is Alibaba Cloud ECS and why should I use it for my Joomla website?

Ali Cloud Elastic Computing Service (ECS) is a high-performance, stable, reliable and scalable IaaS-level service provided by Alibaba Cloud. It provides virtual servers in the cloud and allows you to have full control over your instances. You can use it to deploy and host your Joomla website because it provides a secure and cost-effective way to run your applications in the cloud. It also provides various instance types to meet your different needs.

How to deploy my Joomla website to Alibaba Cloud ECS?

Deploying your Joomla website to Alibaba Cloud ECS includes several steps. First, you need to create an ECS instance and configure security group rules. Then, you need to connect to the instance and install the web server, PHP, and MySQL. After that, you can download and install Joomla. Finally, you need to configure your Joomla website and connect it to the database.

What are the benefits of hosting my Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS?

Hoing your Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS has many benefits. It provides high performance, stability and scalability. It also provides a secure environment for your website to protect it from common cyber threats. Additionally, it allows you to effectively manage your resources and reduce your IT costs.

How to protect my Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS?

You can protect your Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS by configuring security group rules and using firewalls. You should also keep your Joomla, PHP, and MySQL versions up to date to protect your website from vulnerabilities. Additionally, you should use a strong password and back up your website regularly.

Can I expand my Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS?

Yes, you can expand your Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS. It provides automatic scaling, allowing you to automatically adjust resources based on the traffic of your website. This ensures that your website can handle peak traffic periods before any performance issues arise.

How much does it cost to host my Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS?

The cost of hosting your Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS depends on the instance type you choose and the region where the instance is located. You can view price details on the Alibaba Cloud website.

How to manage my Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS?

You can manage your Joomla website on Alibaba Cloud ECS through the ECS console. It allows you to monitor your instance, manage your resources, and perform various actions such as starting, stopping, and restarting your instance.

Can I migrate my existing Joomla website to Alibaba Cloud ECS?

Yes, you can migrate your existing Joomla website to Alibaba Cloud ECS. You need to back up your website and database, create an ECS instance, install the web server, PHP, and MySQL, recover your website and database, and then update your DNS records.

What support does Alibaba Cloud provide for Joomla website?

Ali Cloud provides comprehensive support for Joomla website. It provides detailed documentation, tutorials and a community forum where you can ask questions and share your experiences. It also offers 24/7 technical support to help you with any issues.

How reliable is the Alibaba Cloud ECS hosting Joomla website?

Ali Cloud ECS is very reliable for hosting Joomla websites. It provides a 99.975% availability guarantee and uses a variety of redundant mechanisms to ensure the stability and reliability of the website. It also provides data backup and disaster recovery solutions to protect your data.

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