Install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11 and start flexibly addressing your online content. Quick access to Drupal 9 will let you create blogs and websites that feature not only vivid customization ability but also bags super-efficient management credentials.
With Drupal 9, you’re looking at an open-source content management utility. Designed and written in PHP, Drupal 9 is meant to help users irrespective of how strong their web programming background is. Loaded with more than 17000 plugins, you can seamlessly create and manage an online home for your content.
How to Install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11
Here, I’ll help you install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11 followed by uncovering the entire process involved in getting the setup configured.
System Requirements
- To install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11 with no issues whatsoever, check if you’ve access to the following;
- PHP (Recommended Version: 7.3+)
- A fully operational Debian system with Sudo privileges
- Database servers (like MySQL, MariaDB, etc.)
- Web Server (Apache, Nginx, etc.)
Step 1: Update System Repositories
Start by making sure your system repositories are updated. For this, all you need to do is launch the Terminal by hitting the “Ctrl+Alt+K” key combination followed by invoking the command as:
$ sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Step 2: Get Vim
Run the following command:
$ sudo apt install wget vim
Step 3: Install LAMP Stack on Debian 11
Now that we’ve updated the system and also installed the required packages, you’re ready to begin and install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11. To do that, we’ll employ the Apache webserver alongside PHP and the MariaDB database.
Launch the Terminal
Run the following command:
$ sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server mariadb-client php libapache2-mod-php php-cli php-fpm php-json php-common php-mysql php-zip php-gd php-intl php-mbstring php-curl php-xml php-pear php-tidy php-soap php-bcmath php-xmlrpc
Step 4: Verify the PHP Version
Next, you’ll need to verify the installed PHP version using the -v flag.
$ php -v
It will probably display an output like:
PHP (version number) (cli) (built: Date_Time) ( NTS ) Copyright (c) The PHP Group Zend Engine v3.4.0, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies with Zend OPcache v(version number), Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies
Step 5: Enable Mod Rewrite for Apache
As soon as you’re done verifying the PHP version, run the following commands and enable the mod-rewrite module for Apache:
$ sudo a2enmod rewrite
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
Before moving any further, make sure to verify if the module has been enabled by invoking the following command:
$ sudo apache2ctl -M | grep rewrite
When it says rewrite_module (shared), it signifies that the process has been successfully concluded.
And this pretty much wraps up the resources installation part.
Step 6: Configure MariaDB
The first step of configuring the installed database should always be securing it by setting the root password. You can do that proceeding as follows:
Launch the “Terminal”.
Start and enable MariaDB by running the following command:
$ sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
Use the following command to start securing the database:
$ sudo mysql_secure_installation
Your system will then come up with several options. You can proceed in the following pattern and finalize the secure process.
Enter current password for root (enter for none): Hit the Enter button Switch to unix_socket authentication [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter Change the root password? [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter New password: [Input the desired password] Re-enter new password: [Input the same password] Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] Input Y and hit Enter
Finally, you’ll see a message saying,Thanks for using MariaDB!
Creating a Database for Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11
After you’ve secured the downloaded database, the next step is to create one. Doing this is pretty simple. Launch the Terminal and run the following command:
$ sudo mysql -u root -p
When asked for the password, input the one set above. It will take you to the MariaDB shell. From there, invoke the below command and seamlessly create a database for the Drupal 9 CMS.
MariaDB [(none)]> CREATE DATABASE [desired name] CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
Creating a Database User and Granting Access
Created a database isn’t enough as it is crucial to have a specific database user with full access to the database. Here is how you can do it:
Use the “Ctrl+Alt+T” key combination to launch the Terminal
Run the command in the following format:
Step 7: Download the Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11
To download and Install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11, pass the wget command as:
$ wget [Link]
Extract the Downloaded Archive
After downloading the archive, you’ll need to extract it by running the following command:
$ tar xvf drupal-$[DRUPAL_VERSION].tar.gz
This will install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11.
Preparing Drupal 9 for Apache
If you’re done extracting the tar file, the next thing to do is move the folder to the Apache directory (/var/www/html)
Run the following command:
$ sudo mv drupal-$[DRUPAL_VERSION] /var/www/html/[name of the created database]
Setting Permissions of the Directory
To set permissions of the directory, use the chown command alongside the -R flag as follows:
$ sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/[name of the created database]
Step 8: Create the Apache Virtual Host for Drupal 9
For making the Drupal 9 site fully operational, creating a virtual host file for Apache is crucial. Doing this is no big deal. Launch the Terminal and run the following command:
$ sudo vim /etc/apache2/sites-available/[name of the created database].conf
Add the following lines in the configuration file using vim editor.
Remember to replace the “exampleurl.com” with your desired domain name.
Now your system is ready to enable the server. Run the ln command with the -s flag to do that.
$ sudo ln -s /etc/apache2/sites-available/[name of the created database]conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/[name of the created database].conf
Don’t forget to restart Apache and ensure all the alterations are successfully applied.
$ sudo systemctl restart apache2
Check the Status of the Service
Run the following command to check the status of the service
$ systemctl status apache2
Probable Output:
If it returns nothing, and you’re unable to access the page, you’ll need to move the default apache.conf file to a specific backup file.
Run the following command:
$ sudo mv /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf.bak
Restart Apache.
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Step 9: Using the Web UI to Configure Drupal 9 CMS
We’re down to the final few steps, and here you’ll install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11 browser. Launch any of the desired browsers and visit either http://server-ip/ or http//hostname.
While you’re on the home page, set your preferred language and proceed. The next page is where you’ll pick a profile from the 3 available Drupal installation profiles. I’d recommend you opt for the standard option.
Up next input the database credentials we’ve created earlier, save the progress and continue. Finally, configure, and Voilà, you can now see the Drupal 9 welcome page. The setup is complete, and you can choose templates from the provided list, create blog websites, add content to them and do a lot more.
That’s basically how you install Drupal 9 CMS on Debian 11. In this article, I’ve walked you through the most detailed guide on Drupal 9 CMS installation in the most user-friendly manner. Reading through will ensure you learn everything that revolves around getting started with Drupal 9 on Debian 11.
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