Perch is paid (free on localhost) content management system (CMS) that is simple, flexible, and user-friendly. It is designed to make building and editing small sites a breeze. Perch is HTML 5 compatible and offers you a choice of Markdown, Textile, or HTML – with or without an editor plugin. It is easy to install and manage and will help you simplify the process of building and maintaining a website for businesses or individuals. If you’re looking for a content management platform that is extensible and easy to use, then look no further than Perch CMS. Perch also has built-in modules that extend its functionality, and the platform is actively being developed and maintained with support from users and developers as well. For more about Perch, please check its homepage To get started with installing Perch, follow the steps below:

Install Apache2 HTTP

Apache2 HTTP Server is the most popular web server in use. so install it since Perch needs it. To install Apache2 HTTP on the Ubuntu server, run the commands below. After installing Apache2, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the Apache2 service to always start up with the server boots. To test the Apache2 setup, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address and you should see the Apache2 default test page as shown below. When you see that, then Apache2 is working as expected.

Install MariaDB Database Server

Perch also needs a database server to store its content. and MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking at open-source database servers to use with Perch. To install MariaDB run the commands below. After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service always to start up when the server boots. Run these on Ubuntu After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access. When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter Set root password? [Y/n]: Y New password: Enter password Re-enter new password: Repeat password Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

Restart MariaDB server To test if MariaDB is installed, type the commands below to logon into the MariaDB server Then type the password you created above to sign on. if successful, you should see MariaDB welcome message

PHP 7.2 may not be available in Ubuntu default repositories. to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories. Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.2 Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2 Next, run the commands below to install PHP 7.2 and related modules. After installing PHP 7.2, run the commands below to open the PHP default config file for Apache2. Then make the changes on the following lines below in the file and save. The value below is a great setting to apply in your environment. After making the change above, save the file and close it.

Create Perch Database

Now that you’ve installed all the packages that are required, continue below to start configuring the servers. First, create a Perch database. Run the commands below to log on to MariaDB. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above. Then create a database called perch Create a database user called perchuser with a new password Then grant the user full access to the perch database. Finally, save your changes and exit. After installing PHP and related modules, you must restart Apache2 to reload PHP configurations. To restart Apache2, run the commands below To test PHP 7.2 settings with Apache2, create a phpinfo.php file in the Apache2 root directory by running the commands below Then type the content below and save the file. Save the file. then browse to your server hostname followed by /phpinfo.php You should see the PHP default test page.

Download Perch’s Latest Release

To download and install Perch, visit its download page here. Or use the commands below to download and install via the command line. At the time of this writing, the latest version is 3.1.5. Since you just ran the web server as root, you should make sure any newly created files are owned by the www-data user and group. To do that, run the commands below:

Configure Apache2

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for Perch. This file will control how users access Perch content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called perch. conf Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location. Save the file and exit.

Enable the Perch and Rewrite Module

After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name or hostname. This is often localhost but can be a hostname or IP address. Your server admin or hosting company will have this information available. Type in the database name, username, and password. Then click the Test Settings button. If you have a license key, you can set the software up fully licensed and ready to go live. If you’d like to test things out locally first, you can do that without a license. You’ll need to get a license before your site goes live. Next, create an admin account to use to manage Perch. After installing, log in and start building your site Conclusion: You have learned how to install Perch on Ubuntu with the Apache2 HTTP server. If you find any errors above, please leave a comment below Thanks, You may also like the post below: