The backdrop is a fork of Drupal. It lets you create content easily without coding knowledge or knowing how to develop PHP-based applications. If you’re looking for CMS with similar functions to Drupal, then Backdrop is a place to start. Moreover, Backdrop CMS is a free open-source content management system for small to mid-size businesses and non-profit organizations looking to publish their content easily and quickly with a customize-able platform. Besides building great websites and blogs, Backdrop comes with integrated security for granular access control and speed. It’s similar to Drupal but includes numerous usability improvements and new features that are not available to Drupal users.

How to install Backdrop CMS on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx support

As described above, Backdrop is a fork of Drupal. It lets you create content easily without coding knowledge or knowing how to develop PHP-based applications. Below is how to install it on Ubuntu Linux with Nginx.

Install Nginx

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

Install MariaDB

MariaDB database server is a great place to start when looking at open-source database servers to use with Magento. To install MariaDB run the commands below. After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots. Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Run these on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04 LTS 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 the 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

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-FPM isn’t available on 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-FPM Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM 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 Nginx. Then make the changes on the following lines below in the file and save. The value below is great setting to apply in your environments. After making the change above, save the file and close. After installing PHP and related modules, all you have to do is restart Nginx to reload PHP configurations. To restart Nginx, run the commands below

Create Backdrop Database

Now that you’ve installed all the packages that are required for Backdrop to function, continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create a blank Backdrop database. To log on to the MariaDB database server, run the commands below. Then create a database called backdrop Create a database user called backdropuser with a new password Then grant the user full access to the database. Finally, save your changes and exit.

Download and Install Backdrop

Run the commands below to download Backdrop latest. Then create a root directory for Backdrop and unzip the content there. Next, run the commands below to change the root folder permissions.

Configure Nginx Backdrop Site

Finally, configure the Nginx configuration file for Backdrop. This file will control how users access Backdrop content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called backdrop 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. After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below

Enable the Backdrop Site

After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below, then restart the Nginx server.

Install Let’s Encrypt Client

To get Let’s Encrypt free SSL/TLS certificates on your Ubuntu machine, you should first install its client. The client helps automate the process for you. To install it, run the commands below. If python-certbot-Nginx isn’t already installed, you may have to add its PPA repository and install the package.

Obtaining your free SSL/TLS Certificates

After installing Let’s Encrypt Certbot client module for Nginx, run the commands below to obtain your free Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS certificate in the domain specified. Make sure to replace example.com with your domain. After running the above commands, you should get prompted to accept the licensing terms. If everything is checked, the client should automatically install the free SSL/TLS certificate and configure the Nginx site to use the certs. Choose Yes ( Y ) to share your email address This is how easy is it to obtain your free SSL/TLS certificate for your Nginx-powered website. Pick option 2 to redirect all traffic over HTTPS. This is important! After that, the SSL client should install the cert and configure your website to redirect all traffic over HTTPS. The highlighted code block should be added to your Nginx Backdrop configuration file automatically by Let’s Encrypt certbot. Your Backdrop site is ready to be used over HTTPS. You’ll have to manually renew the certificates. You’ll get an email reminder to reset when the certificates are about to expire. To test the renewal process run the commands below. To set up a process to automatically renew the certificates, add a cron job to execute the renewal process. Then add the line below and save. The cron job will attempt to renew 30 days before expiring After that, open your browser and browse your domain name to launch the Backdrop configuration wizard. You should see the Backdrop setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully. You should see the Backdrop setup wizard. Choose language If you want to install using a language other than English, click the Learn how to install Backdrop in other languages link. Verify requirements If your installation directory is not configured properly, you’ll be informed on this page. Correct each problem, and either refresh the browser window or click ‘Proceed with the installation to see if there are any other errors. Set up database Enter the database name, username, and password that you noted in Step 2. Note that this is not the username and password for your Backdrop site; those will be created in the next step. Set site info & main account Provide basic settings like your site name and logo. Also, supply information for the first user account (this account will be assigned full administration permissions) After the installation is complete, you will be redirected to your site’s home page. Enjoy.