Creating a Friendica Server with Ubuntu 22.04 (2024 Edition)

Last Updated: February 2024 Original tutorial by nequalsonelifestyle.com, updated with current requirements and best practices

Table of Contents

  1. System Requirements
  2. Initial Server Setup
  3. Security Configuration
  4. Installing Dependencies
  5. Friendica Installation
  6. Web Server Configuration
  7. Final Configuration
  8. Monitoring and Logging
  9. Backup and Restore
  10. Troubleshooting Guide
  11. Maintenance and Updates
  12. Additional Notes

System Requirements

Minimum Requirements (as of 2024)

Important Note: While Friendica technically supports PHP 7.4+, PHP 8.x is strongly recommended as PHP 7.4 reached end-of-life in November 2022. Using PHP 8.x provides better security, performance, and long-term support.

Current Version Information

Initial Server Setup

Basic System Update

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade -y

Essential Security Packages

sudo apt install -y ufw fail2ban unattended-upgrades

Security Configuration

Firewall Setup

sudo ufw allow OpenSSH
sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable

Automatic Updates

sudo dpkg-reconfigure -plow unattended-upgrades

Installing Dependencies

PHP 8.x Installation

# Add repository for PHP 8.x
sudo apt install -y software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt update

# Install PHP 8.2 and extensions
sudo apt install -y \
    php8.2 \
    php8.2-{mysql,curl,gd,xml,zip,mbstring,intl,cli,fpm,bcmath} \
    mariadb-server \
    git \
    unzip \
    curl

# Verify PHP version (must show 8.2.x)
php8.2 -v

Web Server and Database

sudo apt install -y apache2 mariadb-server

Additional Tools

sudo apt install -y git curl pwgen

Global Composer Installation

# Install prerequisites
sudo apt install -y php-cli unzip curl

# Download and verify installer
HASH=`curl -sS https://composer.github.io/installer.sig`
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer -o /tmp/composer-setup.php
php -r "if (hash_file('SHA384', '/tmp/composer-setup.php') === '$HASH') { echo 'Installer verified'; } else { echo 'Installer corrupt'; unlink('/tmp/composer-setup.php'); } echo PHP_EOL;"

# Install globally
sudo php /tmp/composer-setup.php --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

# Clean up
rm /tmp/composer-setup.php

# Verify installation
composer --version

Composer Directory Setup

# Create required directories
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/.composer
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/.cache/composer
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/.config/composer

# Set ownership
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/.composer
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/.cache
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/.config

# Configure Composer home for www-data
sudo -u www-data composer config --global home /var/www/.composer

Friendica Installation

Prepare Web Directory

# Set proper ownership
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www
cd /var/www
sudo mv html html.bak

# Become www-data user for subsequent commands
sudo -u www-data bash
cd /var/www

Clone Friendica

# As www-data user
git clone https://github.com/friendica/friendica.git -b stable html
cd html

Install Composer Dependencies

# First, verify PHP version meets requirements
php -v

# Check composer version
composer --version

# Update composer if needed
sudo composer self-update

# Set COMPOSER_HOME for www-data user
sudo -u www-data composer config --global home /var/www/.composer

# Install dependencies as www-data user
sudo -u www-data composer install --no-dev

Setup Directories

sudo -u www-data mkdir -p view/smarty3
sudo -u www-data chmod 775 view/smarty3

Install Addons

sudo -u www-data git clone https://github.com/friendica/friendica-addons.git -b stable addon

Configure .htaccess

# Make sure you're in the Friendica root directory
cd /var/www/html

# Copy the .htaccess template file
sudo -u www-data cp .htaccess-dist .htaccess

# Verify the file was created
ls -la .htaccess

Web Server Configuration

Apache Configuration

First, add global ServerName to suppress FQDN warning:

# Add global ServerName to apache2.conf
echo "ServerName socialsoft.us" | sudo tee -a /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

Create virtual host configuration in /etc/apache2/sites-available/friendica.conf:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin info@socialsoft.us
    ServerName socialsoft.us
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/friendica_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/friendica_access.log combined

    <Directory /var/www/html>
        Options -Indexes +FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
        
        # Additional security headers
        Header set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
        Header set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
        Header set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
        Header set Referrer-Policy "same-origin"
    </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

Enable required modules and site:

# Enable required modules
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod headers
sudo a2enmod proxy_fcgi
sudo a2enmod setenvif
sudo a2enmod ssl

# Verify Apache configuration
sudo apache2ctl -t

# Enable site and disable default
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo a2ensite friendica.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Important: After enabling modules, Apache MUST be restarted for changes to take effect.

Enable Required Modules

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2enmod headers
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Final Configuration

SSL Certificate (Let's Encrypt)

sudo apt install -y certbot python3-certbot-apache
sudo certbot --apache

Set Permissions

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html

Monitoring and Logging

Prometheus Metrics Setup

# Enable the prometheus addon
sudo -u www-data php8.2 bin/console addon enable prometheus

# Configure prometheus endpoint in .htconfig.php
$config['system']['prometheus_enabled'] = true;
$config['system']['prometheus_endpoint'] = '/metrics';

Log Rotation Setup

Create a new logrotate configuration:

sudo nano /etc/logrotate.d/friendica

Add the following configuration:

/var/log/friendica/*.log {
    daily
    missingok
    rotate 14
    compress
    delaycompress
    notifempty
    create 640 www-data www-data
    sharedscripts
    postrotate
        /etc/init.d/apache2 reload > /dev/null
    endscript
}

Performance Monitoring

Monitor key metrics using:

# Check PHP-FPM status
sudo systemctl status php8.2-fpm

# Monitor Apache performance
sudo apachectl status

# Check MariaDB performance
mysqltuner --user root --pass your_password

# Monitor system resources
htop

Backup and Restore

Database Backup

# Create backup directory
sudo mkdir -p /var/backups/friendica
sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/backups/friendica

# Backup database
sudo -u www-data mysqldump -u friendica -p friendicadb > /var/backups/friendica/db_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

# Compress backup
sudo -u www-data gzip /var/backups/friendica/db_backup_$(date +%Y%m%d).sql

File System Backup

# Backup Friendica files
sudo -u www-data tar -czf /var/backups/friendica/files_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /var/www/html

# Backup configuration
sudo -u www-data cp /var/www/html/.htconfig.php /var/backups/friendica/htconfig_$(date +%Y%m%d).php

Restore Procedures

# Restore database
gunzip /var/backups/friendica/db_backup_YYYYMMDD.sql.gz
mysql -u friendica -p friendicadb < /var/backups/friendica/db_backup_YYYYMMDD.sql

# Restore files
cd /var/www
sudo -u www-data tar -xzf /var/backups/friendica/files_YYYYMMDD.tar.gz

# Restore config
sudo -u www-data cp /var/backups/friendica/htconfig_YYYYMMDD.php /var/www/html/.htconfig.php

Troubleshooting Guide

Database Connection Issues

# Check MariaDB status
sudo systemctl status mariadb

# Verify database exists
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW DATABASES;"

# Check database permissions
mysql -u root -p -e "SHOW GRANTS FOR 'friendica'@'localhost';"

Permission Issues

# Reset ownership of Friendica directory
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html

# Reset permissions
sudo find /var/www/html -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
sudo find /var/www/html -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

# Make storage directory writable
sudo chmod 750 /var/www/html/storage

PHP Version Conflicts

# Check current PHP version
php -v

# List installed PHP versions
update-alternatives --list php

# Switch PHP version if needed
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.2

Composer Dependency Problems

# Clear composer cache
sudo -u www-data composer clear-cache

# Update dependencies
sudo -u www-data composer update --no-dev

# Remove vendor directory and reinstall
sudo -u www-data rm -rf vendor/
sudo -u www-data composer install --no-dev

Common Error Solutions

  1. White Screen of Death

    • Check PHP error log: sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log
    • Increase PHP memory limit in php.ini
    • Enable PHP error reporting temporarily

  2. Database Errors

    • Verify database credentials in config file
    • Check MariaDB logs: sudo tail -f /var/log/mysql/error.log
    • Run database updates: sudo -u www-data php8.2 bin/console dbstructure update

  3. Federation Issues

    • Check DNS settings
    • Verify SSL certificate
    • Test with federation tester

Maintenance and Updates

Update Friendica

cd /var/www/html
sudo -u www-data git pull
sudo -u www-data composer install --no-dev
sudo -u www-data bin/console maintenance:update

Monitor System

Additional Notes

New Features (2024)

Removed Features

For more information, visit: – Official Friendica Documentation – Friendica GitHub Repository

Friendica 2024.12 Installation Guide

For Ubuntu 22.04 LTS with existing LAMP stack

Prerequisites

1. Verify PHP Version and Extensions

# Verify PHP version (should be 8.x)
php -v

# Install required PHP extensions if not already present
sudo apt install php8.2-{mysql,curl,gd,xml,zip,mbstring,intl,cli,fpm}

2. Install Composer

# Install Composer globally
sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | sudo php -- --install-dir=/usr/local/bin --filename=composer

# Verify installation
composer --version

# Configure Composer for www-data user
sudo -u www-data composer config --global home /var/www/.composer

3. Directory Setup

# Create Friendica directory
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/friendica
sudo chown www-data:www-data /var/www/friendica

4. Install Friendica

# Clone Friendica repository
sudo -u www-data git clone https://git.friendi.ca/friendica/friendica.git /var/www/friendica
cd /var/www/friendica

# Install dependencies
sudo -u www-data composer install --no-dev

# Clone addons repository
sudo -u www-data git clone https://git.friendi.ca/friendica/friendica-addons.git /var/www/friendica/addon

# Copy and configure .htaccess
sudo -u www-data cp .htaccess-dist .htaccess

5. SSL Configuration

# Install certbot
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache

# Obtain SSL certificate (replace example.com with your domain)
sudo certbot --apache -d example.com

# Enable SSL module if not already enabled
sudo a2enmod ssl

6. Apache Virtual Host Configuration

# Create virtual host configuration
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/friendica.conf

Add the following configuration (adjust domain and paths as needed):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    Redirect permanent / https://example.com/
</VirtualHost>

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/friendica
    
    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/fullchain.pem
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/letsencrypt/live/example.com/privkey.pem
    
    <Directory /var/www/friendica>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/friendica_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/friendica_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

# Enable the site and restart Apache
sudo a2ensite friendica.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

7. Worker/Daemon Setup

Choose one of these methods:

# Edit www-data's crontab
sudo -u www-data crontab -e

# Add this line:
*/10 * * * * cd /var/www/friendica && /usr/bin/php8.2 bin/worker.php

Option B: Daemon

# Create systemd service file
sudo tee /etc/systemd/system/friendica-daemon.service <<EOF
[Unit]
Description=Friendica daemon
After=network.target mysql.service apache2.service
Requires=mysql.service apache2.service

[Service]
Type=simple
User=www-data
ExecStart=/usr/bin/php8.2 /var/www/friendica/bin/daemon.php
WorkingDirectory=/var/www/friendica
Restart=always
RestartSec=10
StandardOutput=append:/var/log/friendica-daemon.log
StandardError=append:/var/log/friendica-daemon.error.log

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
EOF

# Enable and start the service
sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable friendica-daemon
sudo systemctl start friendica-daemon

# Check status
sudo systemctl status friendica-daemon

Important: Only use ONE method (either cron or daemon). Using both simultaneously can cause issues.

8. Monitoring and Logging

Log Rotation Setup

sudo nano /etc/logrotate.d/friendica

Add the following:

/var/log/apache2/friendica_*.log {
    weekly
    missingok
    rotate 52
    compress
    delaycompress
    notifempty
    create 640 www-data adm
    sharedscripts
    postrotate
        /etc/init.d/apache2 reload > /dev/null
    endscript
}

9. Maintenance and Updates

# Update Friendica core
cd /var/www/friendica
sudo -u www-data git pull
sudo -u www-data composer install --no-dev

# Update addons
cd addon
sudo -u www-data git pull

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

  1. Permission Issues

    • Verify directory ownership: ls -l /var/www/friendica
    • Fix permissions if needed: sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/friendica

  2. PHP Version Conflicts

    • Check PHP version: php -v
    • Ensure using PHP 8.x: sudo update-alternatives --config php

  3. SSL Certificate Issues

    • Renew certificate: sudo certbot renew
    • Check certificate status: sudo certbot certificates

Security Best Practices

  1. Keep PHP and Composer up to date
  2. Regularly update Friendica and its dependencies
  3. Enable and configure firewall (UFW)
  4. Regular system updates
  5. Monitor log files for suspicious activity

Backup Procedures

# File system backup
sudo tar -czf friendica_files_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /var/www/friendica

# Configuration backup
sudo tar -czf friendica_config_$(date +%Y%m%d).tar.gz /etc/apache2/sites-available/friendica.conf

For support, visit the Friendica Support Forum or GitHub Issues.