Invision Community Server Setup Guide

Posted February 8Feb 8

Administrators

Here is a comprehensive, beginner-friendly step-by-step guide for configuring the Invision Community server environment using the latest versions of all required components. This tutorial is designed for global users and covers the installation of the web server, PHP, MySQL, and Invision Community.

Invision Community Server Setup Tutorial (Step-by-Step Guide)

Requirements

Before we start, here are the system requirements for running Invision Community:

Operating System: Linux (Ubuntu/Debian/CentOS) or Windows
Web Server: Apache, Nginx, or OpenLiteSpeed
PHP: PHP 8.2 or later
Database: MySQL 5.7+ or MariaDB 10.3+
Memory: Minimum 2GB of RAM (4GB or more recommended)
Disk Space: Minimum 10GB of free disk space
SSL Certificate: Recommended for secure HTTPS access

Step 1: Preparing the Server

1.1. Install PHP (Version 8.2+)

Invision Community requires PHP 8.2 or higher. Below are the steps to install PHP and the necessary extensions for Ubuntu 20.04 or Debian 10+.

Update your server packages:
```
bash
```
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sudo apt update sudo apt upgrade
Add the PHP repository (if necessary):
```
bash
```
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sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php sudo apt update
Install PHP 8.2 and required extensions:
```
bash
```
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sudo apt install php8.2 php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql php8.2-xml php8.2-mbstring php8.2-curl php8.2-gd php8.2-bcmath php8.2-zip
Verify PHP installation:
```
bash
```
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php -v
This should output PHP 8.2 or later.

1.2. Install MySQL or MariaDB Database Server

Invision Community supports both MySQL 5.7+ and MariaDB. This tutorial will use MySQL as an example.

Install MySQL:
```
bash
```
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sudo apt install mysql-server
Secure MySQL Installation:
```
bash
```
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sudo mysql_secure_installation
Log into MySQL:
```
bash
```
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sudo mysql -u root -p
Create a database and user for Invision Community:
```
sql
```
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CREATE DATABASE invision_db; GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON invision_db.* TO 'invision_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;
Replace 'your_password' with a secure password.

Step 2: Install Web Server (Nginx or Apache)

Invision Community works with both Nginx and Apache. Below are the steps for setting up Nginx. If you prefer Apache, I’ll include those instructions as well.

2.1. Install Nginx Web Server

Install Nginx:
```
bash
```
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sudo apt install nginx
Check if Nginx is running:
```
bash
```
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sudo systemctl status nginx
Create a new Nginx configuration for Invision Community:
```
bash
```
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sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com
Add the following configuration (adjust for your domain and PHP version):
```
nginx
```
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server { listen 80; server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com; root /var/www/yourdomain.com/public; index index.php; location / { try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args; } location ~ \.php$ { include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf; fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock; fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name; include fastcgi_params; } location ~ /\.ht { deny all; } }
Enable the site and restart Nginx:
```
bash
```
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sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/yourdomain.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/ sudo nginx -t sudo systemctl restart nginx

2.2. Install Apache Web Server (Optional)

If you prefer Apache, follow these steps:

Install Apache:
```
bash
```
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sudo apt install apache2
Enable the mod_rewrite module:
```
bash
```
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sudo a2enmod rewrite
Create an Apache Virtual Host:
```
bash
```
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sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/yourdomain.com.conf
Add the following configuration:
```
apache
```
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<VirtualHost *:80> ServerAdmin [email protected] DocumentRoot /var/www/yourdomain.com/public ServerName yourdomain.com ServerAlias www.yourdomain.com <Directory /var/www/yourdomain.com/public> AllowOverride All Require all granted </Directory> ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined </VirtualHost>
Enable the site and restart Apache:
```
bash
```
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sudo a2ensite yourdomain.com.conf sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 3: Download and Install Invision Community

Download Invision Community from the official website.
Upload Invision Community files to your server (e.g., to /var/www/yourdomain.com).
Extract Invision Community files:
```
bash
```
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cd /var/www/yourdomain.com tar -xvzf invision-community.tar.gz
Set the correct file permissions:
```
bash
```
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sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/yourdomain.com

Step 4: Run Invision Community Installation

Open your browser and go to http://yourdomain.com/install.
Follow the Invision Community installation wizard:
- Enter the database details (the database name, user, and password you created earlier).
- Set up the administrator account.
- Complete the installation.

Step 5: Configure PHP and Optimize Performance

Edit PHP settings to improve performance:
```
bash
```
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sudo nano /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini
Modify these settings:
```
ini
```
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max_execution_time = 300 memory_limit = 256M upload_max_filesize = 64M post_max_size = 64M date.timezone = UTC
Restart PHP-FPM:
```
bash
```
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sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

Step 6: Secure Your Site with SSL (HTTPS)

Install SSL (using Let's Encrypt):
```
bash
```
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sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com
Verify SSL installation:
Visit https://yourdomain.com and ensure that the SSL certificate is working properly.

Step 7: Test Your Site

After completing the installation and configuration, test your site by visiting http://yourdomain.com or https://yourdomain.com. Make sure all the Invision Community features are working properly.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up Invision Community on your server using PHP, MySQL, and Nginx/Apache. Regularly update your server and Invision Community to ensure your site remains secure and up to date.

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