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To self-host Elgg reliably, deploy a supported PHP and database stack, keep Elgg’s upload directory outside the public document root, configure URL rewriting and background requests, then finish the browser installer. Elgg 7.1.1 is the latest recommended stable release as of October 9, 2026; Elgg 6.3.8 is the recommended Elgg 6 LTS release from August 19, 2026.
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This guide uses an Ubuntu/Debian-style VPS as the example, but the architecture also applies to other Linux distributions. Package names, PHP-FPM socket paths and service commands can differ, so verify each installed version before exposing the site to users.
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Elgg is a PHP/MySQL social-networking engine. A production installation has four main layers: a Linux VPS, a web server that can rewrite URLs, PHP with the required extensions, and MariaDB or MySQL. Elgg also needs a mail-transfer agent (MTA) for notifications and other email. Uploaded profile icons, photos and other user files are stored in a separate data directory that must not be reachable through the web server.
The web server can be Apache or Nginx. Apache normally runs PHP as an Apache module and uses mod_rewrite; Nginx passes PHP requests to PHP-FPM over FastCGI. Both designs work when the document root, rewrite rules, PHP handler and permissions agree.
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Choose the Elgg branch before installing
| Branch | Release status | Published date | Best fit | What to verify |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Elgg 7.1.1 | Latest recommended stable release | October 9, 2026 | New deployments that can use the current branch | Every plugin and theme must support Elgg 7 |
| Elgg 6.3.8 | Recommended Elgg 6 LTS release | August 19, 2026 | Sites that must remain on the Elgg 6 line | Confirm the LTS branch’s PHP, database and extension requirements and test the upgrade path |
Release numbers change. Check the Elgg download page immediately before a production deployment, and pin the exact version you test. Do not assume that a plugin written for one major branch works on the other.
Supported requirements and architecture
| Component | Requirement | Deployment note |
|---|---|---|
| Database | MariaDB 10.6 or newer, or MySQL 8.4 or newer | Use a dedicated database and account rather than a shared administrative login. |
| PHP | PHP 8.3 or newer for the current stable documentation | Check both the command-line PHP and the PHP process used by the web server. |
| PHP extensions | GD, INTL, JSON, PDO, XML and multibyte support | The database driver must include pdo_mysql. |
| Web server | Apache with mod_rewrite and PHP as an Apache module, or Nginx with PHP-FPM over FastCGI |
URL rewriting is required; a plain static-file configuration is not sufficient. |
| A properly configured MTA | Notifications, password resets and other mail depend on outbound email working. |
Apache or Nginx?
| Decision point | Apache | Nginx |
|---|---|---|
| PHP execution | PHP module in the Apache process | PHP-FPM through FastCGI |
| Rewrite setup | Enable mod_rewrite; permit Elgg’s .htaccess with AllowOverride all |
Copy and adapt install/config/nginx.dist in the enabled server configuration |
| File layout | Document root points to the Elgg application; data remains outside it | Document root and PHP-FPM socket must match the enabled server block |
| Logs | Inspect Apache error and access logs | Inspect Nginx and PHP-FPM logs |
| Operational fit | Convenient when your team already manages .htaccess-based PHP sites |
Convenient when your team already operates PHP-FPM and centralized Nginx configuration |
Prepare the Linux VPS
Use a fresh VPS or a host where you control the web server, PHP, database and firewall. Resolve the site’s DNS name to the VPS before the final installer test. Use SSH keys rather than password-only administration, keep the operating system updated, and create a separate Unix service identity for the web process where your distribution supports it.
Install the stack on an Ubuntu or Debian-style system
The following is an example package set for Nginx with PHP 8.3. If your distribution provides a newer supported PHP release, use that version consistently for the CLI and PHP-FPM. Confirm that the database repository really provides MariaDB 10.6 or newer or MySQL 8.4 or newer; an older distribution default is not sufficient.
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx mariadb-server php8.3-fpm php8.3-cli php8.3-mysql php8.3-gd php8.3-intl php8.3-xml php8.3-mbstring unzip curl
php -v
php -m | grep -E 'gd|intl|json|PDO|pdo_mysql|xml|mbstring'
mysql --versionFor Apache, install Apache and the matching PHP module instead of Nginx and PHP-FPM, then enable URL rewriting:
sudo apt install apache2 libapache2-mod-php8.3 mariadb-server php8.3-cli php8.3-mysql php8.3-gd php8.3-intl php8.3-xml php8.3-mbstring unzip curl
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2Package names vary by distribution. The important check is the result of php -v, php -m and the database version, not whether a particular package command happens to succeed.
Deploy Elgg and create a private data directory
Keep the application code in the web document root and create the data directory somewhere else, such as /srv/elgg-data. Elgg’s documentation states: “For security reasons, this folder MUST be stored outside of your document root.” A path under /www/ or /public_html/ is therefore incorrect.
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Choose Composer or the release archive
- Composer: Elgg recommends the command-line route for administrators comfortable with Composer. Use the Composer command and exact version constraint from the release documentation, and lock the deployment to the branch you tested.
- Release ZIP: Download the chosen release archive, extract it into the intended document root, and do not expose the ZIP itself. The archive route is useful when you want a self-contained, versioned application directory.
The commands below illustrate the directory layout; replace the extracted directory name with the one actually present in the archive.
sudo mkdir -p /var/www/elgg /srv/elgg-data
sudo unzip elgg-7.1.1.zip -d /var/www/
sudo rsync -a /var/www/Elgg-7.1.1/ /var/www/elgg/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /srv/elgg-data
sudo chmod 750 /srv/elgg-dataIf your web server runs as another account, substitute that account for www-data. The web-server identity must be able to create and write the directories Elgg requires. Keep application code owned by a deployment account where practical, and grant write access only to settings and data paths that genuinely need it. Never use mode 777; Elgg explicitly describes that setting as insecure and not recommended.
Use a trailing slash when you enter the data path in the installer, for example /srv/elgg-data/. Check ownership, parent-directory traversal permissions and available disk space before testing an upload.
Create a dedicated database and account
Log in to the database server as an administrator and create one database and one account for Elgg. The account should not be reused by other applications or used for routine administration.
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sudo mysql
CREATE DATABASE elgg CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'elgg'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'use-a-long-random-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON elgg.* TO 'elgg'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;Record the database name, username, password and host. For a database on the same VPS, the host is commonly localhost; use the host and port required by your actual database service. Store the credentials in a password manager and do not paste them into public issue reports.
Configure Apache or Nginx
Apache configuration
Make the Elgg directory the virtual host’s document root and allow the distributed rewrite rules to operate. A minimal virtual host looks like this:
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<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerName community.example
DocumentRoot /var/www/elgg
<Directory /var/www/elgg>
AllowOverride all
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/elgg-error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/elgg-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>Save it as an enabled site, ensure the correct .htaccess is present by copying or restoring install/config/htaccess.dist as instructed by the release, then validate and reload:
sudo a2ensite elgg.conf
sudo apachectl configtest
sudo systemctl reload apache2If the rewrite test fails or saving settings produces a 404, check all three points: mod_rewrite is enabled, the virtual host uses AllowOverride all, and the correct distributed .htaccess is in the application root.
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Copy install/config/nginx.dist into the enabled Nginx sites configuration. Set the server name, document root and PHP-FPM socket to your installation values instead of writing a second, conflicting rewrite configuration.
sudo cp /var/www/elgg/install/config/nginx.dist /etc/nginx/sites-available/elgg
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/elgg /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/elgg
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginxEdit the copied file so the root is /var/www/elgg, the server name is community.example, and the FastCGI socket matches the installed PHP version, such as /run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock. A mismatch between the socket path and the running PHP-FPM service causes gateway errors or downloads PHP files instead of executing them.
If the installer cannot write configuration
Copy settings.example.php to elgg-config/settings.php, enter the database details manually and apply ownership and permissions that allow the web process to read the file. Do not make the entire application tree world-writable just to bypass this step.
Run the browser installer
- Open the site’s configured URL in a browser. Use the same canonical scheme and hostname you intend to publish; an incorrect site URL later causes bad links, redirects or failed rewrite tests.
- Let the requirements screen check PHP, extensions, the database driver and writable paths. Stop and fix a failed requirement rather than continuing with warnings.
- Enter the database host, database name, database username and password created earlier.
- Enter the absolute data path, including its trailing slash, such as
/srv/elgg-data/. - Set the site name, site email and administrator credentials. The first account created becomes an administrator.
- Finish the installer, sign in, and immediately test a profile icon, an image upload, a notification and a password-reset email.
Keep the browser’s site URL, the web-server server name and the Elgg configuration consistent. If the installer reports that it cannot create files, inspect the effective Unix owner and parent-directory permissions before changing anything more broadly.
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Configure cron and outbound email
Schedule Elgg timed requests
Elgg uses timed requests to perform background work such as sending notifications and cleaning the database. A recurring cron entry is required for a useful production installation; browser traffic alone is not a dependable scheduler.
Use the cron endpoint names documented for your exact Elgg release. Elgg installations commonly expose intervals such as /cron/minute, /cron/fiveminute, /cron/fifteenmin, /cron/hourly, /cron/daily, /cron/weekly, /cron/monthly and /cron/yearly. Confirm the available routes before copying a schedule.
sudo crontab -u www-data -e
*/5 * * * * curl -fsS https://community.example/cron/minute >/dev/null
0 * * * * curl -fsS https://community.example/cron/hourly >/dev/null
15 2 * * * curl -fsS https://community.example/cron/daily >/dev/nullUse the web-server account where possible, keep the requested intervals aligned with the release’s cron documentation, and remove duplicate entries. The -f flag makes HTTP failures visible through cron’s error handling; log failures during the first week so you can correct DNS, TLS, authentication or rewrite problems.
Configure the MTA
The requirements include the ability to send email. Configure a local MTA or an authenticated SMTP relay according to your distribution and mail provider, then test a new-account notification, a password reset and a normal activity notification. Check the MTA queue and mail logs when Elgg reports success but messages do not arrive. Verify the sender domain, reverse DNS and spam-policy requirements for your VPS before inviting users.
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- Keep
/srv/elgg-dataoutside the document root and readable and writable only by the web service and administrators who need access. - Use mode
750when the web-server user owns the directory, or an equivalent least-privilege group arrangement. Do not use777. - Use a dedicated Unix service identity and a dedicated database account.
- Prefer SSH key authentication, restrict administrative access and apply regular operating-system, PHP, database and Elgg updates.
- Back up both the database and the data directory. A code-only backup cannot restore uploaded media.
SELinux systems
On SELinux-enabled hosts, label the Elgg project root, data directory and their children with the documented writable context. The following commands illustrate the required labels; install the semanage utility if your distribution packages it separately.
sudo semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t '/var/www/elgg(/.*)?'
sudo semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_rw_content_t '/srv/elgg-data(/.*)?'
sudo restorecon -Rv /var/www/elgg /srv/elgg-data
sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect 1
sudo setsebool -P httpd_can_network_connect_db 1Enable the network booleans only when the deployment needs them, such as PHP-FPM or a database connection blocked by policy. Review audit logs after applying the labels; do not disable SELinux as a shortcut.
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Verify the finished installation
Run these checks before announcing the community:
- Load the home page, a long internal URL and a logged-in page over the final hostname.
- Confirm that Apache or Nginx returns the expected PHP response and that PHP-FPM has no socket or permission errors.
- Create a test account, upload a profile icon and upload an image. Confirm the files appear in the external data directory rather than under the public root.
- Trigger a notification and password reset, then inspect both Elgg and MTA logs.
- Run one scheduled cron request manually and confirm that it returns a successful HTTP status.
- Review database, application, web-server and operating-system logs for permission, rewrite or connection errors.
- Take a database dump and a data-directory backup, then document how to restore both.
Troubleshoot the failures administrators see most often
The requirements page fails
Check the PHP version used by the web server, not only the shell’s php -v. Confirm GD, INTL, JSON, PDO, XML and multibyte extensions are loaded, and make sure pdo_mysql is present. Restart PHP-FPM or Apache after enabling an extension and reload the requirements page.
A white page appears after entering database settings
A missing or unloaded pdo_mysql driver is a common cause. Verify the extension in the web PHP configuration, restart the PHP handler, and inspect the PHP-FPM or Apache error log. Also recheck the database host, account password and whether the database service is running.
The rewrite test fails or long URLs return 404
For Apache, enable mod_rewrite, set AllowOverride all for the Elgg directory and restore the correct install/config/htaccess.dist file. For Nginx, compare the enabled server block with install/config/nginx.dist, verify the document root and ensure the request is reaching the intended server name. Confirm that Elgg’s configured site URL exactly matches the public URL.
Settings cannot be saved
Check ownership and mode on elgg-config/settings.php, the parent directory and the data directory. The web-server identity must be able to write the required path, but broad world-writable permissions are not an acceptable fix. On SELinux systems, inspect denials and apply the documented httpd_sys_rw_content_t contexts.
Uploads fail or images disappear
Verify the data path is absolute, outside the document root and entered with the expected trailing slash. Check that the web-server user owns or can write the directory, that parent directories permit traversal, that PHP’s upload limits are adequate for your policy, and that SELinux labels are correct. Confirm that the disk is not full.
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Run the exact cron URL manually with curl, inspect its HTTP status, then run it as the same Unix account configured in cron. Check DNS, TLS, rewrite rules and PHP logs. Remove duplicate schedules and ensure the endpoint names match the installed Elgg release.
Email is delayed or missing
Inspect the MTA queue and logs, verify that Elgg is using the intended sender address, and test both local delivery and the configured relay. A successful Elgg request does not prove that the receiving mail system accepted the message.
Plan updates and upgrades safely
- Check the current Elgg release page immediately before upgrading and decide whether the site remains on Elgg 6 LTS or moves to Elgg 7.
- Inventory every plugin and theme and verify compatibility with the target major branch. Disable or replace extensions that are not compatible.
- Back up the database, the external data directory,
elgg-config/settings.phpand the web-server configuration. Test restoring those backups on a staging VPS. - Put the site into maintenance mode if your operational procedure provides one, update the application code with Composer or the versioned release archive, and never overwrite the data directory.
- Run the release’s upgrade procedure, monitor logs and test login, uploads, notifications, cron and administration pages before reopening the site.
Choose Elgg 7.1.1 when current plugins and infrastructure are ready for the latest stable branch. Choose Elgg 6.3.8 when maintaining an Elgg 6 installation is more important than moving immediately, but still verify its branch-specific requirements and support horizon. In either case, compatibility testing is more important than the version number alone.
Production checklist
- Supported MariaDB/MySQL and PHP versions are verified.
- All required PHP extensions, including
pdo_mysql, are loaded by the web process. - The application document root and the external data directory are distinct.
- Apache rewrite rules or the Nginx distributed configuration are active.
- The installer-created administrator account is protected with a strong password.
- The MTA sends a test notification and password reset successfully.
- Recurring timed requests run under the intended service account.
- Permissions are restrictive, SELinux labels are correct where applicable, and no directory uses
777. - Database and media backups have been tested, not merely scheduled.
- Plugin compatibility is documented before every branch change.
The practical result
A secure Elgg VPS is less about clicking through the installer than about getting four boundaries right: supported software versions, URL rewriting, an external writable data directory and reliable timed requests. Build those boundaries first, complete the installer with a dedicated database account, then test uploads, email, cron and recovery before opening registration.
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