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How to Install ProcessWire on an Ubuntu VPS

A production-focused walkthrough for installing ProcessWire on an Ubuntu VPS, from PHP and database setup through Apache rewrites, cleanup, security, and troubleshooting.
Length11 min Posted Quest giverVGSources Team

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The reliable production path is Apache, PHP 8.x, MySQL or MariaDB, and ProcessWire’s current master release. On an Ubuntu VPS, install the server packages, create a separate database and user, configure an Apache virtual host with mod_rewrite and AllowOverride, place ProcessWire in the document root, then finish the browser installer. Remove the installer files and protect site/config.php before opening the site to the public.

This guide uses Apache because it is ProcessWire’s officially supported web server. Nginx can work, but only after you reproduce the rewrite and security behavior supplied by ProcessWire’s Apache rules.

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What you need before installing

Use a sudo-capable account that can connect to the VPS over SSH. A fresh, supported Ubuntu installation is preferable because package names and available PHP versions depend on the Ubuntu release. You also need a domain name or temporary hostname pointed at the server, a plan for TLS, and enough disk space for the operating system, database, uploaded media, backups, and logs.

  • Web server: Apache HTTP Server with mod_rewrite and .htaccess support.
  • PHP: PHP 8.x is recommended, with PDO database support, pdo_mysql, mbstring, and either GD2 or ImageMagick.
  • Database: MySQL 5.6 or newer, or a compatible MariaDB release.
  • Access: SSH, sudo privileges, and permission to create an Apache virtual host.
  • Credentials: a dedicated database name, database user, and long password reserved for this ProcessWire site.

ProcessWire’s requirements documentation says an installation can be running in less than five minutes, but a production VPS still needs firewall rules, updates, TLS, backups, and monitoring after the files are in place.

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Choose the ProcessWire release

For a public site, choose the master channel rather than the development channel. The download information available when this guide was prepared listed master as 3.0.259 and dev as 3.0.274. Those numbers are time-sensitive; check ProcessWire’s current download page immediately before installing and record the exact version you deploy.

Channel Figure available at research time Use on a production VPS?
Master 3.0.259 Yes, this is the stable production choice.
Dev 3.0.274 Only when you deliberately need development changes and have tested them.

A version number is not a promise that the same release remains current. Pin the version you tested, keep a rollback copy, and verify compatibility before upgrading a live site.

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Update Ubuntu and install the server stack

Connect to the VPS and update its package index and installed packages first:

ssh your-user@your-server-ip
sudo apt update
sudo apt full-upgrade -y

Install Apache, PHP, the Apache PHP module, the database driver, image support, archive tools, and Git. Ubuntu package names can differ by release, so substitute the supported PHP package names shown by your release’s package manager. The following is a typical starting point:

sudo apt install -y apache2 php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-mbstring php-gd unzip git

If your project needs ImageMagick instead of GD, install the PHP Imagick package available for your Ubuntu release. Composer is optional and is only needed when you choose the Composer installation method:

sudo apt install -y composer

Confirm the PHP version and the extensions that ProcessWire needs:

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php -v
php -m | grep -E 'PDO|pdo_mysql|mbstring|gd|imagick'

The output should include PDO support, pdo_mysql, mbstring, and at least one of gd or imagick. If an extension is missing, install the matching package for the PHP version supplied by Ubuntu, restart Apache, and repeat the check:

sudo systemctl restart apache2
sudo systemctl status apache2 --no-pager

Do not assume that a command copied from a different Ubuntu release will install the same PHP version. The important result is that the modules are enabled for the PHP interpreter Apache actually uses.

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Install and secure MySQL or MariaDB

Install one database server. MySQL and compatible MariaDB releases both satisfy the stated ProcessWire database requirement:

sudo apt install -y mysql-server
sudo systemctl enable --now mysql

Run the server’s security helper and follow its prompts. Then open the SQL client as an administrative account:

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sudo mysql

Create a database and a user used only by this ProcessWire installation. Replace the example names and password with your own values; do not reuse a system administrator password.

CREATE DATABASE processwire_db CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'processwire_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'replace-with-a-long-random-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON processwire_db.* TO 'processwire_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

The web installer will ask for the database host, database name, user, and password. On the same VPS, the host is commonly localhost; use the value required by the database server and your PHP driver. Keep these credentials in a password manager because they will also be written to site/config.php.

Configure Apache for ProcessWire

Create the document root

Choose a directory that will contain the ProcessWire root. This guide uses /var/www/processwire:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/processwire
sudo chown -R "$USER":"$USER" /var/www/processwire

The temporary ownership makes it easier to unpack files as your SSH user. You will set ownership and write permissions for the web process after installation, using the least-permissive arrangement that still allows ProcessWire to write required asset and cache directories.

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Enable rewrite support

ProcessWire relies on Apache rewrite rules in its .htaccess file. Enable the module and reload Apache:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Create a virtual host

Create a site configuration, replacing the example domain with the hostname that points to your VPS:

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sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/processwire.conf

Use a configuration like this:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName example.com
    ServerAlias www.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/processwire

    <Directory /var/www/processwire>
        Options FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/processwire-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/processwire-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

AllowOverride All is significant: it permits ProcessWire’s .htaccess rules to operate. A stricter production configuration can allow only the directives you require, but disabling overrides without replacing every necessary rewrite rule commonly causes broken internal URLs.

Enable the site, disable Apache’s default site if it would otherwise answer for the same request, test the configuration, and reload:

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sudo a2ensite processwire.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2

apache2ctl configtest should report Syntax OK. If it reports an error, fix that error before attempting the browser installer.

Put ProcessWire in the web root

There are three official installation approaches. They all lead to the same browser installer, but they differ in deployment and update workflow.

Method Initial deployment Reproducibility and version pinning Updates Best fit
ZIP Download and extract the release archive. Good when you retain the exact archive; manual version tracking. Replace or merge files during a planned update. A straightforward single VPS.
Git Clone the official repository into the web root. Strong when you pin a tag or commit and keep deployment in source control. Pull or check out a tested revision. Operators already using Git-based deployments.
Composer Run composer create-project processwire/processwire. Natural for projects that already lock dependencies with Composer. Use the project’s dependency and lock-file workflow. Composer-managed applications.

The official guidance confirms all three methods; none is universally best. Choose one method for the site and document the exact release or commit so another administrator can reproduce it.

Option A: ZIP archive

  1. Download the current master ZIP from ProcessWire’s official download page using your normal workstation or an HTTPS command-line method.
  2. Copy it to the VPS, or download it directly into a temporary directory.
  3. Extract the archive into /var/www/processwire. If the archive creates an extra top-level directory, move the contents so that index.php, .htaccess, wire, and site are directly inside the configured document root.
  4. Confirm that the web root contains ProcessWire’s install.php; the browser installer uses that file during setup.

Keep the downloaded archive and its version information outside the public document root so it cannot be served to visitors.

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Option B: Git

Clone the repository directly into the intended web root:

cd /var/www
sudo rm -rf processwire
sudo git clone https://github.com/processwire/processwire.git processwire

A clone of the default branch can change over time. For production, check out a tested release tag or commit when one is available, and record that revision in your deployment notes. Do not run unreviewed development changes on a public site merely because the clone succeeded.

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Option C: Composer

From the directory that should contain the application, run the official create-project command:

cd /var/www
sudo composer create-project processwire/processwire processwire

Composer projects should be maintained by the same release process as the rest of your application. Keep the lock file where the project creates one, review updates, and avoid running dependency commands as an arbitrary web-process account.

Complete the browser installer

Visit the hostname configured in Apache. The ProcessWire installer should load instead of a directory listing or the default Apache page. Enter the database values created earlier:

  1. Choose the database driver offered for MySQL-compatible databases.
  2. Enter the database host, database name, database user, and password exactly as created in SQL.
  3. Select a site profile. Profiles provide an initial content and template structure; choose the one appropriate for your project rather than treating the profile as a permanent limitation.
  4. Create the administrator account with a unique username and strong password.
  5. Review the installer’s remaining settings, including the site URL and timezone, then submit the installation.
  6. Sign in to the admin area and open the public homepage and at least one internal page before hardening the filesystem.

If the installer reports missing extensions, return to the PHP module check. If it reports that a directory or configuration file is not writable, correct ownership for the specific path rather than making the entire site world-writable.

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Remove installation files and set permissions

After a successful installation, remove the installer entry points:

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sudo rm -f /var/www/processwire/install.php
sudo rm -rf /var/www/processwire/site/install

ProcessWire’s root normally includes wire, site, index.php, .htaccess, and install.php. The installer files should not remain available on a public site.

/var/www/processwire/site/config.php contains database credentials. ProcessWire’s security guidance identifies it as the one file that must not be readable by unrelated users other than you and Apache. Ensure that Apache can read it while other system users cannot, according to your server’s user and group model.

ProcessWire documentation describes 755 directories and 644 files as a possible starting point when the server model permits those modes, while warning against broad 777 or 666 permissions. Treat those values as a baseline to verify, not a reason to grant write access everywhere. The web process generally needs write access to selected asset, cache, and session-related directories; identify those paths and grant only what the application requires.

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One possible ownership pattern, when Apache runs as www-data, is:

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sudo chown -R your-user:www-data /var/www/processwire
sudo find /var/www/processwire -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
sudo find /var/www/processwire -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;

Do not apply this example blindly. If your deployment user, Apache group, or writable-directory requirements differ, adapt it and verify the result by uploading an image, clearing caches, and saving a page in the admin interface.

Finish the VPS security setup

A VPS provides a dedicated environment suitable for production isolation, but it does not secure itself. Before announcing the site, establish these operational controls:

  • Updates: apply Ubuntu, Apache, PHP, database, and ProcessWire security updates on a schedule.
  • SSH hardening: use key-based authentication, restrict sudo access, disable password login when you have verified key access, and avoid exposing administrative services unnecessarily.
  • Firewall: allow only required services, normally SSH and web traffic, with any database port kept private unless remote administration is explicitly required.
  • TLS: issue and renew a certificate for the real hostname, then redirect HTTP to HTTPS after confirming the site works.
  • Backups: back up both the database and the ProcessWire files, especially site and uploaded assets; periodically test restoration on a separate location.
  • Monitoring: watch disk space, Apache and PHP errors, database availability, certificate expiry, and backup success.

Troubleshoot common installation failures

The homepage works but internal URLs return 404

This almost always indicates that Apache is not applying ProcessWire’s rewrite rules. Confirm that the site’s <Directory> block points to the exact document root and contains AllowOverride All. Confirm that rewrite support is enabled:

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2

Check that the ProcessWire .htaccess file exists in the document root and has not been renamed or replaced. In configurations that require it, the annotated rules may need an appropriate RewriteBase. Test one change at a time and reload Apache after each valid configuration change.

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An HTTP 500 appears after editing .htaccess

A malformed directive or a directive disallowed by Apache can cause a 500 response before ProcessWire runs. Inspect the Apache error log and compare the edited file with the annotated directives supplied by ProcessWire. Revert the last change, run apache2ctl configtest, and reintroduce changes individually. Do not hide the problem by granting broad permissions or disabling security controls.

The installer or admin shows a blank screen

Temporarily enable appropriate ProcessWire debug reporting while you diagnose the problem, then inspect /site/assets/logs/errors.txt and the Apache/PHP error logs. A blank response can result from a PHP fatal error, an absent extension, a permissions failure, or an incompatible configuration. Disable verbose debugging again before leaving a public production site, because detailed errors can expose paths, credentials, and application internals.

The installer says a file or directory is not writable

Check ownership and write access for site/assets, the relevant cache or session directories, and the configuration file while installation is running. Grant write access only to the path that needs it and only to the web process or deployment user that requires it. After setup, remove installer files and tighten permissions rather than leaving the entire tree writable.

Apache serves the default page instead of ProcessWire

Verify the hostname resolves to the VPS, the ServerName matches the requested host, and the virtual host is enabled. Run apache2ctl -S to inspect Apache’s virtual-host map, then reload Apache after correcting the configuration. A DNS or TLS mismatch can look like an application failure even when ProcessWire is installed correctly.

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Verify the completed installation

Use this checklist before handing the site to its editors:

  • The selected master release and exact version or commit are recorded.
  • Apache serves the intended hostname from the ProcessWire document root.
  • PHP reports PDO, pdo_mysql, mbstring, and GD or Imagick.
  • The database uses a dedicated least-privilege application account.
  • The homepage, an internal page, an admin login, an image upload, and a cache operation all work.
  • install.php and /site/install/ are removed.
  • site/config.php is not readable by unrelated users.
  • HTTPS, firewall rules, update procedures, backups, and monitoring are documented.
  • Debug output is disabled on the public site after troubleshooting.

Updating later without losing control

Use the same deployment method for upgrades that you used for the initial installation. For ZIP deployments, download and verify the intended master archive, back up the database and files, test the replacement in a staging copy, and schedule the change. For Git, deploy a reviewed tag or commit rather than pulling an untested branch. For Composer, review dependency changes and preserve the lock file. In every case, keep a rollback copy and check the homepage, internal URLs, admin login, uploads, and logs after the update.

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