Install Aegir on a dedicated Debian or Ubuntu VPS with a fully qualified domain name, then use its Hostmaster interface to build a Drupal platform and create sites from Composer, Git, makefiles or an existing codebase. The reliable sequence is: satisfy the exact Drupal and server requirements, install the web and database stack, add Aegir, verify a platform, and run the site-install task while watching its log.
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What Aegir does
Aegir is a Drupal-based hosting system that sits alongside a LAMP or LEMP server to create, deploy and manage Drupal sites. It can generate web-server configuration, create databases and database users, run Drupal installation, and reload relevant services. The Aegir documentation identifies release notes for version 3.18 at docs.aegirproject.org; that number is a release identifier, not a performance benchmark.
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Choose the VPS architecture before installing
Single-server installation
Put the Aegir master, web server, PHP, database and hosted Drupal sites on one dedicated VPS. This is the shortest installation and has no inter-server network hop. It also means a web or database failure affects all sites and that scaling requires moving components later.
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Hub-and-spoke installation
Aegir can manage separate web and database servers. Build the remote server first, add it to the Aegir master, verify its services, install a Drupal platform there, then add and verify the Drupal installation. This separates workloads and permits independent scaling, but requires additional SSH credentials, DNS records, firewall rules, backup planning and operational expertise. The documented server workflow is at Aegir’s server documentation.
| Decision | Single VPS | Separate servers |
|---|---|---|
| Operational complexity | Lower; one host to patch and monitor | Higher; SSH, DNS, firewall and credentials span hosts |
| Workload isolation | Web and database compete for the same CPU, memory and storage | Web and database resources are isolated |
| Scaling path | Vertical scaling or a later migration | Scale web and database tiers independently |
| Network considerations | Local database connection | Latency, firewall exposure and encrypted remote access must be managed |
| Backup and restore | One host and storage plan | Coordinate database, code and remote-server recovery |
Prerequisites and compatibility checks
Server, DNS and access
- Use a dedicated VPS or server with root or equivalent sudo access. Shared hosting cannot provide the required service and filesystem control.
- Assign the Aegir control-panel hostname as a fully qualified domain name, such as
aegir.example.com. Verify both forward DNS (name to VPS address) and reverse DNS (address to name) before running the installer. - Have SSH access and enough disk, memory and CPU for the operating system, database, Drupal code and backups. Size those resources for your sites rather than treating Aegir itself as a capacity specification.
- Prepare an MTA such as Postfix or another minimal mail-transfer agent; the package installer asks how it should be configured.
Aegir uses the hostname in database grants and remote-server connections, so a DNS error can break installation even when the web server itself is reachable. The prerequisite guidance is documented at docs.aegirproject.org/install.
Software to have available
Install or plan for PHP CLI and the extensions required by your Drupal release, MySQL or MariaDB, Apache or Nginx, SSH, rsync, Git, unzip and Composer. Nginx deployments also require PHP-FPM. Keep the Aegir provision framework running under its non-root aegir account so generated files have controlled ownership and Provision tasks are not executed as root.
Match Drupal’s requirements to the code you will deploy
Drupal compatibility is release-specific; do not copy an old Aegir example and assume its PHP version is valid. Drupal.org’s PHP matrix states that Drupal 10 requires PHP 8.1 or newer and that no supported Drupal release supports PHP 7. Check the current matrix at Drupal’s PHP requirements page for the exact major and minor release you intend to run.
Database support is also version-specific. Drupal’s database requirements page lists, for example, MySQL 8.0 or newer and MariaDB 10.6 or newer for Drupal 11, and requires InnoDB plus PDO for MySQL-compatible databases. Confirm the row for your Drupal release at Drupal’s database server requirements page.
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Install Aegir on Debian or Ubuntu
The following is the documented quick-start sequence for a recent Debian or Ubuntu host with an FQDN. Review the package versions against your chosen Drupal release before executing it.
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sudo apt install mysql-server php-mbstring nginx php-cli php-fpm php-gd php-pear php-zip php-curl
- Harden the initial MySQL installation:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
- Install Aegir’s signing key into the system keyring:
sudo wget -O /usr/share/keyrings/aegir-archive-keyring.gpg https://debian.aegirproject.org/aegir-archive-keyring.gpg
- Add the stable Aegir repository:
echo "deb [signed-by=/usr/share/keyrings/aegir-archive-keyring.gpg] https://debian.aegirproject.org stable main" | sudo tee -a /etc/apt/sources.list.d/aegir-stable.list
- Refresh package metadata and install Aegir:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install aegir3 aegir-archive-keyring
The package prompts for the MySQL password and Postfix configuration. At completion, Aegir sends a one-time login URL for the Hostmaster control panel. Open that URL promptly and set the administrator password; treat the URL as a credential while it is valid.
Apache alternative
The package defaults expect Apache unless Nginx is already present. If you choose Apache, install the Apache and PHP package set appropriate to your distribution instead of the Nginx/PHP-FPM combination, and confirm the rewrite and security behavior required by your Drupal version. Drupal notes that protections commonly supplied by Apache’s .htaccess files must be recreated when using another web server; see Drupal’s web-server requirements.
Manual installation when packages are unavailable
On a distribution without the Aegir packages, install the system dependencies first, then use the non-root aegir account for Drush and Provision. The documented manual path downloads Provision, clears Drush’s cache and starts the Hostmaster installer:
drush dl --destination=/var/aegir/.drush provision-7.x
drush cache-clear drush
drush hostmaster-install
Supply a valid FQDN when prompted. Verify that the account can write to its home and platform directories, and that PHP CLI, the database client, the web server and the MTA are available before starting the installer. The complete installation notes are at docs.aegirproject.org/install.
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Create and verify a Drupal platform
A platform is the Drupal codebase Aegir uses for one or more sites. Sign in to Hostmaster and open Platforms → Add Platform.
- Enter a unique platform name.
- Confirm or edit the publish path. Use a location that the
aegiraccount can manage and that is not an arbitrary root-owned directory. - Choose the source: a Drush makefile, a Composer project containing
composer.json, a Git repository containing a makefile, Composer project or complete Drupal codebase, or an existing complete codebase. - Save the form and wait for Aegir’s verification task.
- Read the task output. Correct an inaccessible Git or makefile URL, authentication failure, invalid makefile or missing dependency before attempting a site installation.
Only a platform that finishes verification should be used for a site. The platform workflow is documented at docs.aegirproject.org/usage/platforms.
Choosing a platform source
| Source | Best fit | Operational characteristic |
|---|---|---|
| Composer project | Modern Drupal projects with declared dependencies | composer.lock can make dependency installation reproducible; review changes in version control |
| Git repository | Teams that review code and deploy revisions | Provides a clear change history and familiar rollback points, but the repository must be reachable by the server |
| Drush makefile | Existing make-based Drupal build processes | Dependencies are described in the makefile; a bad or inaccessible URL fails verification |
| Existing codebase | Migration or a code tree already assembled elsewhere | You remain responsible for confirming that all required files and dependencies are present |
Enable Composer deployment
For a Composer-managed platform, open Administration → Hosting → Optional system features → Aegir Deployment → Composer Deploy via Packagist and enable the option when needed. Aegir detects composer.lock and runs composer install for managed dependencies. Keep the lock file under review and ensure the server’s Composer and PHP versions satisfy the project constraints. The feature details are at Aegir’s deployment documentation.
Deploy a Drupal site from the verified platform
Confirm DNS for the site’s domain before running the install. The domain should resolve to the web server that will host it; otherwise the generated virtual host may be correct while the browser reaches a different machine.
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- Create a site and select the verified platform.
- Select the Drupal install profile appropriate to the codebase.
- Enter the site’s domain and database details. Use a unique database name and strong, unique credentials rather than reusing the Aegir administrator password.
- Submit the task and watch the task log as Aegir generates the virtual host, creates the database, installs Drupal and reloads the relevant services.
- When the task completes successfully, open the site over HTTPS, finish any Drupal-specific configuration and verify that the expected modules, files directory and administrative login work.
If the task fails, do not repeatedly resubmit it without reading the first error. The log normally identifies whether the problem is DNS, filesystem ownership, PHP compatibility, database authentication, a missing Composer dependency or a web-server reload failure.
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Operate platforms and sites after deployment
Use Aegir’s task log and platform/site operations for verification, migration, backup and deployment actions. Establish a maintenance routine rather than treating a successful first install as completion:
- Keep Drupal core and contributed modules on supported security releases.
- Patch PHP and the database within the compatibility range of each platform.
- Back up both databases and site files, store copies away from the VPS, and perform a test restore.
- Monitor disk space, memory, database health, HTTPS expiry and scheduled tasks.
- Use a firewall that exposes only required services, and apply unattended security updates where your change-control policy permits.
- Record which platform revision produced each site release so a failed deployment can be rolled back deliberately.
Apache or Nginx: make the choice deliberately
| Factor | Apache | Nginx |
|---|---|---|
| Package behavior | Common default for Aegir package assumptions | Install Nginx and PHP-FPM explicitly; do not assume Apache modules are present |
| PHP integration | Use the PHP integration supported by your distribution | Requires a working PHP-FPM service and socket or TCP configuration |
| Rewrite and security parity | .htaccess can supply Drupal rules when enabled |
Translate those rules into server configuration; verify denial rules and clean URLs |
| Administration | Choose it if your team already manages Apache conventions | Choose it if your team is comfortable maintaining Nginx and FPM configuration |
The web-server requirement is not only a preference: replacing Apache means reproducing security behavior that Drupal may otherwise receive from .htaccess. Confirm the final configuration against Drupal’s web-server requirements.
Troubleshoot common installation and deployment failures
The installer rejects the hostname
Check the Aegir hostname’s A record and reverse DNS from the VPS, correct the system hostname if necessary, and rerun validation. Do the same for every site domain before creating a site.
APT installs the wrong web stack
Inspect installed packages before installing aegir3. The package defaults expect Apache unless Nginx is already installed. For Nginx, explicitly install Nginx and PHP-FPM and verify the FPM service is running; for Apache, install the corresponding Apache/PHP packages and enable the required rewrite behavior.
Platform verification cannot fetch a source
Test the URL or Git repository from the VPS, check credentials and firewall egress, and confirm that the makefile or Composer project is valid. Aegir cannot verify a source it cannot read, and it will not make an invalid dependency definition usable.
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Confirm that the optional Composer feature is enabled, that composer.lock matches the project, and that the server’s PHP extensions and Composer version satisfy the lock file. Resolve the first dependency error, then rerun the deployment task.
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The site task creates files but the browser shows an error
Read the task log, inspect the generated virtual-host configuration, verify DNS points to this VPS, check PHP-FPM or Apache service status, and test database credentials from the server. On Nginx, also verify that Drupal’s rewrite and access-denial rules were translated from the Apache assumptions.
A remote server cannot be verified
Confirm SSH reachability in both directions required by your design, host-key acceptance, the remote account’s permissions, firewall rules and forward/reverse DNS. Verify the remote server’s web, PHP and database services before asking Aegir to place a platform there.
Security checklist before opening the site
- Run
mysql_secure_installation; remove anonymous database accounts and set strong, unique credentials. - Keep Provision and routine Aegir tasks under the non-root
aegiraccount. - Use least-privilege database users and separate credentials for the control panel, each Drupal site and remote-server access.
- Install TLS certificates and redirect HTTP to HTTPS after DNS is correct.
- Restrict SSH and database access with firewall rules; do not expose a remote database to the public internet unnecessarily.
- Configure backups, monitoring, security updates and a restore procedure that has been tested on a separate environment.
- Recheck PHP, database, Composer and Drupal compatibility whenever you create or upgrade a platform.
These controls protect the Aegir master as well as every hosted site; a compromise of the control plane can affect all platforms it manages.
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