CodeIgniter is an open-source PHP framework for building websites. It provides a platform for developers to build projects much faster because you don’t have to write code from scratch. The same also has enormous community support to offer different libraries.
With CodeIgniter, you’re looking at a brilliant tool that helps you gain considerably more focus on the project as a user. The tool aids in reducing the amount of coding-related tasks. That being said, its overall mechanism helps enhance the creative section.
In simple words, CodeIgniter is like a catalyst that plays a pivotal role in improving the overall efficiency. What makes it more impressive is that it is entirely free to use.
Some noteworthy advantages of CodeIgniter include:
- The tool is brilliant in error handling. Not just that, it can deal with bugs pretty much seamlessly.
- CodeIgniter has amazing overall customizability. In fact, it is the sole open-source framework that offers ease of customization.
- Alongside being flexible and customizable, the levels of security it offers is top-notch.
- It features a user-friendly interface. Despite being home to such advanced features, it also boasts operational simplicity.
- The tool is based on MVC or Method View Controller Model.
- CodeIgniter offers better overall optimization.
- It is known to support quick and seamless development.
- The community support in CodeIgniter is also brilliant.
- Offering hassle-free migration, CodeIgniter ensures trouble-free usage.
CodeIgniter 4 is the latest version available. In this article, we will help you figure out how to install CodeIgniter and how to use it on Ubuntu 20.04. So keep reading if you want to know more.
Prerequisites
Before directly installing CodeIgniter, you need to set up a LAMP server first. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Also, as a usual practice, we’ll need to make sure that the system repositories are updated. Let’s review all of them in detail.
Checking For Repository Updates
First, check for any updates using the following command.
Input:
$ sudo apt update
Getting Apache Installed
Installing Apache Web server packages is no big deal. All you need to do is run the following command:
Once done, make sure to run Apache and verify the running status. For this, invoke the enable, start, and status command as you can see below.
Enable Input:
$ sudo systemctl enable apache2
Start Input:
$ sudo systemctl start apache2
Status Input:
$ sudo systemctl status apache2
Installing MariaDB
MariaDB is a relational database management system created from MySQL. It is crucial to install it to get CodeIgniter ready on your system.
Execute the following command to install MariaDB:
Once installation concludes, you can set the password for localhost. From there, you can also configure security settings. However, you’ll need to pass the following command inside the Terminal. Make sure you employ the best-fit configurations.
Input:
$ sudo mysql_secure_installation
Installing PHP On Your System
Just like Apache and MariaDB, getting PHP installed is also crucial. Here is how you can get the job done:
Step 1: Install the Required Dependency
Enter the following commands and install the required dependencies for PHP 8.0:
Step 2: Restart Apache
Now, restart the Apache server so that the changes made get successfully applied.
Input:
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
Step 3: Add More Dependencies
As soon as you’re done restarting Apache, add some other important dependencies.
Input:
Download and Install Curl
The final requisites include curl installation. Simply invoke the following command inside the Terminal:
$ sudo apt install curl
Installing and Creating a CodeIgniter Application
Now that all the prerequisites are sorted, it is time to install CodeIgniter on your system. To aid you to better understand the process, here we will provide you with an easy-to-digest guide.
Step 1: Installing Composer
Composer is a dependency manager for PHP(similar to how NPM works for Node.js). You can use the curl command and install the utility. Input:
Step 2: Creating Igniter App using CodeIgniter
While you’re inside the Terminal, employ the following command to seamlessly create an igniter app.
Input:
$ composer create-project codeigniter4/appstarter CodeApps
Step 3: Configuring MariaDB for CodeIgniter
Start by invoking the following command:
$ sudo mysql -u root -p
From there, make the following alterations:
MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE DATABASE codeigniter4; MariaDB [(none)]> GRANT USER 'dbuser'@'localhost' [The One IDENTIFIED BY] 'your_password'; MariaDB [(none)]> GRANT ALL ON codeigniter4.* to 'dbuser'@'localhost'; MariaDB [(none)]> FLUSH PRIVILEGES; MariaDB [(none)]> quit
After that, edit the database configuration in the following manner:
'DBCollat' => 'utf8_general_ci', 'swapPre' => '', 'encrypt' => false, 'compress' => false, 'strictOn' => false, 'failover' => [], 'port' => 3306, ];
Step 4: Configuring the CodeIgniter Application
Here, you’re looking at the most critical step. Run the sudo nano command to edit App.php.
Input:
$ sudo nano app/Config/App.php
Next, update the baseURL to the domain. You should type in something like this:
public $baseURL = ‘http://www.example.com’
Also, make sure you alter the timezone for your application. Here is how to do it:
public $appTimezone = ‘UTC’
Step 5: Configure Apache server for CodeIgniter
To get the job done, simply use the following set of commands:
Now add the following variable:
Step 6: Restart Apache Server and Apply the Changes
The following commands will help you save the current modifications and restart the Apache server.
Input:
And that’s how you get CodeIgniter ready on your system. Now you can seamlessly access your CodeIgniter app through the same domain. Yes, the one you’ve used earlier (http://www.example.com).
And with that we have successfully installed CodeIgniter and created a basic web app using the same software. We hope this session has been a valuable one for you.
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