To set up a file management server on Ubuntu with multi-user support (allowing file access and sharing based on individual usernames and passwords), we can use Nextcloud. It’s an open-source platform that provides file sharing, syncing, and collaboration with fine-grained access control. Below is a step-by-step guide to install and set up Nextcloud on Ubuntu:
Step 1: Update your system
Before installing any software, ensure your system packages are up to date:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
Step 2: Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP Stack)
Nextcloud requires a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP) server.
Install Apache
sudo apt install apache2
Install MySQL
sudo apt install mysql-server
sudo mysql_secure_installation
Install PHP and required modules Install PHP and the necessary modules required by Nextcloud:
sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-gd php-json php-curl php-mbstring php-intl php-imagick php-xml php-zip bzip2
Step 3: Download and Configure Nextcloud
Download Nextcloud Visit the Nextcloud download page to get the latest version of Nextcloud or use the following command to download the stable version:
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.tar.bz2
Extract the file Unpack the downloaded archive:
tar -xjf latest.tar.bz2
Move it to the web root directory Move the extracted Nextcloud files to the /var/www/html/ directory:
sudo mv nextcloud /var/www/html/
Set the proper permissions Change ownership of the Nextcloud directory so that Apache can read and write to it:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/nextcloud
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/nextcloud
Step 4: Configure Apache for Nextcloud
Create a new Apache configuration file for Nextcloud
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud.conf
Add the following content:
<VirtualHost *:80>
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/nextcloud
ServerName Your-IP-Address
<Directory /var/www/html/nextcloud/>
Require all granted
AllowOverride All
Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
Enable the new configuration Enable the newly created configuration and Apache modules:
sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite headers env dir mime
sudo systemctl restart apache2
If getting error for 404 internal pages then issue due to htaccess.
run
sudo a2enmod rewrite
Also change this in apache2.conf file located at /etc/apache2
nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf
<Directory /var/www/>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
Finally Restart Apache
sudo service apache2 restart
Step 5: Configure MySQL for Nextcloud
Log into MySQL
sudo mysql -u root -p
Create a Nextcloud database and user Replace admin@123 with a secure password:
CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
CREATE USER 'nextclouduser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'admin@123';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextclouduser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
Step 6: Finish Installation through the Web Interface
Open a web browser and navigate to http://your-domain.com or your server's IP address.
Complete the installation:
Enter your desired admin username and password.
For the database:
Database user: nextclouduser
Password: the password you set in Step 5. ie admin@123
Database name: nextcloud
Host: localhost
Click Finish Setup.
Step 7: Configure HTTPS (Optional but Recommended)
To secure your Nextcloud server, it’s strongly recommended to enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt.
Install Certbot
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache
Generate SSL certificate
sudo certbot --apache -d your-domain.com
Follow the prompts to configure HTTPS.
Step 8: Enable File Sharing and Multi-user Access
After completing the setup, Nextcloud allows users to:
Create individual user accounts.
Upload and share files either publicly or with specific users/groups.
Create shared folders.
Step 9: Optional: Install Nextcloud Apps
Nextcloud comes with many additional features and apps, such as:
External storage support (Google Drive, Dropbox, etc.).
Collaboration tools (document editing, calendars, etc.).
You can install these apps directly from the Nextcloud web interface.
Step 10: Enable Indexing of Files (Optional)
Nextcloud automatically indexes files uploaded by users, and you can easily navigate through your files in a hierarchical structure. You can configure the full-text search and enable file previews by installing relevant apps via the Nextcloud app store.
