How to Install Backdrop CMS on Arch Linux

Backdrop is a simple, lightweight, and powerful content management system used for building professional websites. It is written in PHP and is a fork of the Drupal project. It offers a simple and user-friendly web UI where users can create web pages easily. If you are looking for a simple and powerful CMS, then Backdrop CMS is the right choice for you.

In this post, we will show you how to install Backdrop CMS on Arch Linux.

Step 1 – Configure Repository

By default, the default repository is outdated in Arch Linux, so you will need to modify the default mirror list. You can do it by editing the mirror list configuration file:

nano /etc/pacman.d/mirrorlist

Remove all lines and add the following lines:

## Score: 0.7, United States
Server = http://mirror.us.leaseweb.net/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 0.8, United States
Server = http://lug.mtu.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://mirror.nl.leaseweb.net/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 0.9, United Kingdom
Server = http://mirror.bytemark.co.uk/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 1.5, United Kingdom
Server = http://mirrors.manchester.m247.com/arch-linux/$repo/os/$arch
Server = http://archlinux.dcc.fc.up.pt/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.6, United States
Server = http://mirror.cs.pitt.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.7, United States
Server = http://mirrors.acm.wpi.edu/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 6.8, United States
Server = http://ftp.osuosl.org/pub/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 7.1, India
Server = http://mirror.cse.iitk.ac.in/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch
## Score: 10.1, United States
Server = http://mirrors.xmission.com/archlinux/$repo/os/$arch

Save and close the file, then update all the package indexes with the following command:

pacman -Syu

Step 2 – Install Apache and PHP

First, install the Apache web server with the following command:

pacman -Sy apache

After the successful installation, start and enable the Apache service with the following command:

systemctl start httpd
systemctl enable httpd

Next, install the PHP and other required extensions using the following command:

pacman -Sy php php-gd php-cgi php-intl php-apache unzip

After the installation, edit the PHP configuration file and enable the required extensions:

nano /etc/php/php.ini

Add/modify the following lines:

extension=pdo_mysql
extension=gd
extension=json
extension=mysqli
extension=intl
extension=xml

Save and close the file when you are finished.

Step 3 – Install and Configure MariaDB Database

First, install the MariaDB server with the following command:

pacman -S libmariadbclient mariadb mariadb-clients

Next, initialize the MariaDB database with the following command:

mysql_install_db --user=mysql --basedir=/usr --datadir=/var/lib/mysql

Next, start and enable the MariaDB service with the following command:

systemctl start mysqld
systemctl enable mysqld

Next, connect to the MariaDB console using the following command:

mysql

Once you are connected, create a database and user for Backdrop:

CREATE DATABASE backdrop;
GRANT ALL ON backdrop.* TO backdrop@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Next, flush the privileges and exit from the MariaDB shell with the following command:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 4 – Download Backdrop CMS

First, download the latest version of Backdrop CMS from their official download page.

 curl -s https://api.github.com/repos/backdrop/backdrop/releases/latest|grep browser_download_url|grep backdrop.zip|cut -d '"' -f 4|wget -qi -

Once the download is completed, extract it to the Apache web root directory with the following command:

unzip backdrop.zip
mv backdrop /srv/http/backdrop

Next, change the ownership of the Backdrop directory to Apache:

chown -R http:http /srv/http/backdrop/
chmod -R 775 /srv/http/backdrop/

Step 5 – Configure Apache for Backdrop CMS

Next, you will need to create an Apache virtual host configuration file to host Backdrop CMS on the web.

nano /etc/httpd/conf/extra/backdrop.conf

Add the following configurations:

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin [email protected]
DocumentRoot /srv/http/backdrop
ServerName backdrop.example.com
<Directory /srv/http/backdrop/>
Options FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/error.log
CustomLog /var/log/httpd/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Save and close the file, then edit the Apache main configuration file.

nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Uncomment the following lines:

Include conf/extra/httpd-vhosts.conf
LoadModule mpm_prefork_module modules/mod_mpm_prefork.so

Comment the following line:

#LoadModule mpm_event_module modules/mod_mpm_event.so

Add the following lines:

LoadModule php_module modules/libphp.so
AddHandler php-script .php
Include conf/extra/php_module.conf
Include conf/extra/backdrop.conf

Save and close the file. Then, restart the Apache service to apply the changes:

systemctl restart httpd

Step 6 – Access Backdrop CMS

Now, open your web browser and access the Backdrop CMS web interface using the URL http://backdrop.example.com. You should see the language selection screen.

Select your language and click on the SAVE AND CONTINUE button. You should see the database configuration screen.

Define your database user and password and click on the SAVE AND CONTINUE button. You should see the site configuration page.

Provide your site information, admin username, and password, and click on the SAVE AND CONTINUE button. You should see the Backdrop CMS dashboard on the following page.

Conclusion

In this guide, we explained how to install Backdrop CMS with Apache on Arch Linux. You can now use Backdrop CMS in the production environment to create and manage your website via a web browser. You can also try Backdrop CMS on one of our dedicated server hosting from Atlantic.Net!