Description

Joomla! is an award winning open source CMS platform for building websites and applications. Written in PHP, it is one of the most popular platforms on the internet for static websites and blogs.

First steps with the Bitnami Joomla! Stack

Welcome to your new Bitnami application running on Google Cloud Platform! Here are a few questions (and answers!) you might need when first starting with your application.

What credentials do I need?

You need two sets of credentials:

• The application credentials that allow you to log in to your new Bitnami application. These credentials consist of a username and password.
• The server credentials that allow you to log in to your Google Cloud Platform server using an SSH client and execute commands on the server using the command line. These credentials consist of an SSH username and key.

What is the administrator username set for me to log in to the application for the first time?

Username: user

What SSH username should I use for secure shell access to my application?

SSH username: bitnami

What are the default ports?

A port is an endpoint of communication in an operating system that identifies a specific process or a type of service. Bitnami stacks include several services or servers that require a port.

Remember that if you need to open some ports you can follow the instructions given in the FAQ to learn how to open the server ports for remote access.

Port 22 is the default port for SSH connections.

Bitnami opens some ports for the main servers. These are the ports opened by default: 80, 443.

How to start or stop the services?

Each Bitnami stack includes a control script that lets you easily stop, start and restart services. The script is located at /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh. Call it without any service name arguments to start all services:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start

Or use it to restart a single service, such as Apache only, by passing the service name as argument:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache

Use this script to stop all services:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop

Restart the services by running the script without any arguments:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart

Obtain a list of available services and operations by running the script without any arguments:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh

How to change the interface language?

Bitnami Joomla! already has English, Spanish and other translations installed. If you want to change the language, follow these steps:

• Download your language translation from http://joomlacode.org/gf/project/jtranslation1_6/frs/.
• Go to "Extensions -> Extension Manager" in the administration panel and upload the package.
• Go to "Extensions -> Language Manager" and enable your language for the Site and for the Administration panel.

How to access the administration panel?

Access the administration panel by browsing to http://SERVER-IP/administrator.

How to configure outbound email settings?

Google Cloud Platform doesn't allow SMTP traffic through default ports: 25, 465, 587. Check Google cloud documentation to learn how to use a VPN to bypass these restrictions or use a different port for sending emails from your application.

Configure the email settings using the "Global Configuration -> Server" menu. You can use "SMTP" as the mailer and configure it with your email server provider. Here is an example using Gmail. Replace USERNAME and PASSWORD with your Gmail account username and password respectively.

Mailer: SMTP
From email: USERNAME@gmail.com
From name: My Name
SMTP Authentication: Yes
SMTP Security: TLS
SMTP Port: 587
SMTP Username: USERNAME@gmail.com
SMTP Password: PASSWORD
SMTP Host: smtp.gmail.com

To configure the application to use other third-party SMTP services for outgoing email, such as SendGrid or Mandrill, refer to the FAQ.

Troubleshooting Gmail SMTP issues

If you are using Gmail as the outbound email server and you are not able to send email correctly, Google may be blocking sign-in attempts from your apps or devices. Depending on whether or not you use Google Apps, the steps to correct this will differ.

For Google Apps users

If you are a Google Apps user, you will need your administrator to allow users to change the policy for less secure apps. If you are a Google Apps administrator, follow these steps:

• Browse to the Google Apps administration panel.

• Click on "Security" and then "Basic settings".

• Look for the section "Less secure apps" and then click on "Go to settings for less secure apps".

• Select "Allow users to manage their access to less secure apps".

For other Google users

If you do not use Google Apps, follow the steps in the following sections, depending on whether 2-step verification has been enabled on the account or not.

If 2-step verification has not been enabled on the account, follow these steps:

• Browse to the "Less secure apps" page and log in using the account you are having problems with. This option is typically required by many popular email clients, such as Outlook and Thunderbird, and should not be considered unsafe.

• Select the "Turn on" option.

  

If 2-step verification has been enabled on the account, you have to generate an app password. Follow these steps:

• Browse to the "App passwords" page.

• Click "Select app" and choose the app you're using.

• Click "Select device" and choose the device you're using.

• Click the "Generate" button.

• Enter the app password on your device.

• Click the "Done" button.

Here are other options you may try:

• Browse to the web version of Gmail and sign in to your account. Once you're signed in, try to enable access for the application again.

• Browse to the "Unlock Captcha" function page and sign in with your Gmail username and password.

• Disable IMAP from the Gmail web server interface and enable it again.

  

How to install a plugin on Joomla!?

You can install any modules from the "Extension Manager" tool in the Administrator Panel. You can upload the module directly or specify the link to the download.

How to create a full backup of Joomla!?

Backup

The Bitnami Joomla! Stack is self-contained and the simplest option for performing a backup is to copy or compress the Bitnami stack installation directory. To do so in a safe manner, you will need to stop all servers, so this method may not be appropriate if you have people accessing the application continuously.

Follow these steps:

• Change to the directory in which you wish to save your backup:

    $ cd /your/directory
  

• Stop all servers:

    $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop
  

• Create a compressed file with the stack contents:

    $ sudo tar -pczvf application-backup.tar.gz /opt/bitnami
  

• Restart all servers:

    $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start
  

You should now download or transfer the application-backup.tar.gz file to a safe location.

Restore

Follow these steps:

• Change to the directory containing your backup:

    $ cd /your/directory
  

• Stop all servers:

    $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop
  

• Move the current stack to a different location:

    $ sudo mv /opt/bitnami /tmp/bitnami-backup
  

• Uncompress the backup file to the original directoryv

    $ sudo tar -pxzvf application-backup.tar.gz -C /
  

• Start all servers:

    $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh start
  

If you want to create only a database backup, refer to these instructions for MySQL and PostgreSQL.

How to upgrade Joomla!?

It is strongly recommended to create a backup before starting the update process. If you have important data, create and try to restore a backup to ensure that everything works properly.

If you want to upgrade only Joomla!, it is possible to upgrade it from the administration panel as follows:

• Log in to the Joomla! administration panel.
• Select the "Components -> Joomla! Update" menu item.

• If an update is available, it will be displayed. Click the "Install the update" button.

  

Your installation will now be updated. You will see a success message once the update is complete.

How to create an SSL certificate?

OpenSSL is required to create an SSL certificate. A certificate request can then be sent to a certificate authority (CA) to get it signed into a certificate, or if you have your own certificate authority, you may sign it yourself, or you can use a self-signed certificate (because you just want a test certificate or because you are setting up your own CA).

Follow the steps below:

• Generate a new private key:

   $ sudo openssl genrsa -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key 2048
  

• Create a certificate:

   $ sudo openssl req -new -key /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/cert.csr
  

  IMPORTANT: Enter the server domain name when the above command asks for the "Common Name".

• Send cert.csr to the certificate authority. When the certificate authority completes their checks (and probably received payment from you), they will hand over your new certificate to you.

• Until the certificate is received, create a temporary self-signed certificate:

   $ sudo openssl x509 -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/cert.csr -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.crt -req -signkey /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -days 365
  

• Back up your private key in a safe location after generating a password-protected version as follows:

   $ sudo openssl rsa -des3 -in /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key -out privkey.pem
  

  Note that if you use this encrypted key in the Apache configuration file, it will be necessary to enter the password manually every time Apache starts. Regenerate the key without password protection from this file as follows:

   $ sudo openssl rsa -in privkey.pem -out /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key
  

Find more information about certificates at http://www.openssl.org.

How to enable HTTPS support with SSL certificates?

Bitnami images come with SSL support already pre-configured and with a dummy certificate in place. Although this dummy certificate is fine for testing and development purposes, you will usually want to use a valid SSL certificate for production use. You can either generate this on your own (explained here) or you can purchase one from a commercial certificate authority.

Once you obtain the certificate and certificate key files, you will need to update your server to use them. Follow these steps to activate SSL support:

• Use the table below to identify the correct locations for your certificate and configuration files.

  Variable	Value
  Current application URL	https://[custom-domain]/
  	Example: https://my-domain.com/ or https://my-domain.com/appname
  Apache configuration file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf
  Certificate file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.crt
  Certificate key file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server.key
  CA certificate bundle file (if present)	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt

• Copy your SSL certificate and certificate key file to the specified locations.

  NOTE: If you use different names for your certificate and key files, you should reconfigure the SSLCertificateFile and SSLCertificateKeyFile directives in the corresponding Apache configuration file to reflect the correct file names.

• If your certificate authority has also provided you with a PEM-encoded Certificate Authority (CA) bundle, you must copy it to the correct location in the previous table. Then, modify the Apache configuration file to include the following line below the SSLCertificateKeyFile directive. Choose the correct directive based on your scenario and Apache version:

  Variable	Value
  Apache configuration file	/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami.conf
  Directive to include (Apache v2.4.8+)	SSLCACertificateFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt"
  Directive to include (Apache < v2.4.8)	SSLCertificateChainFile "/opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server-ca.crt"

  NOTE: If you use a different name for your CA certificate bundle, you should reconfigure the SSLCertificateChainFile or SSLCACertificateFile directives in the corresponding Apache configuration file to reflect the correct file name.

• Once you have copied all the server certificate files, you may make them readable by the root user only with the following commands:

   $ sudo chown root:root /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server*
  
   $ sudo chmod 600 /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/server*
  

• Open port 443 in the server firewall. Refer to the FAQ for more information.

• Restart the Apache server.

You should now be able to access your application using an HTTPS URL.

How to force HTTPS redirection with Apache?

Add the following to the top of the /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla/conf/httpd-prefix.conf file:

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
RewriteRule ^/(.*) https://%{SERVER_NAME}/$1 [R,L]

After modifying the Apache configuration files:

• Open port 443 in the server firewall. Refer to the FAQ for more information.

• Restart Apache to apply the changes.

How to debug Apache errors?

Once Apache starts, it will create two log files at /opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/access_log and /opt/bitnami/apache2/logs/error_log respectively.

• The access_log file is used to track client requests. When a client requests a document from the server, Apache records several parameters associated with the request in this file, such as: the IP address of the client, the document requested, the HTTP status code, and the current time.

• The error_log file is used to record important events. This file includes error messages, startup messages, and any other significant events in the life cycle of the server. This is the first place to look when you run into a problem when using Apache.

If no error is found, you will see a message similar to:

Syntax OK

How to connect instances hosted in separate virtual networks or VPCs?

The Google Cloud Platform makes it possible to connect instances hosted in separate Virtual Private Clouds (VPCs), even if those instances belong to different projects or are hosted in different regions. This feature, known as VPC Network Peering, can result in better security (as services do not need to be exposed on public IP addresses) and performance (due to use of private, rather than public, networks and IP addresses).

Learn more about VPC Network Peering.

How to find the MySQL database credentials?

• Database username: root.
• Database password: The same as the application password. Find out how to obtain application credentials.

How to connect to the MySQL database?

You can connect to the MySQL database from the same computer where it is installed with the mysql client tool.

$ mysql -u root -p

You will be prompted to enter the root user password. This is the same as the application password.

How to debug errors in your database?

The main log file is created at /opt/bitnami/mysql/data/mysqld.log on the MySQL database server host.

How to change the MySQL root password?

You can modify the MySQL password using the following command at the shell prompt. Replace the NEW_PASSWORD placeholder with the actual password you wish to set.

$ /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysqladmin -p -u root password NEW_PASSWORD

How to reset the MySQL root password?

If you don't remember your MySQL root password, you can follow the steps below to reset it to a new value:

• Create a file in /home/bitnami/mysql-init with the content shown below (replace NEW_PASSWORD with the password you wish to use):

   UPDATE mysql.user SET Password=PASSWORD('NEW_PASSWORD') WHERE User='root';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
  

  If your stack ships MySQL v5.7.x, use the following content instead of that shown above:

   UPDATE mysql.user SET authentication_string=PASSWORD('NEW_PASSWORD') WHERE User='root';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
  

  TIP: Check the MySQL version with the command /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysqladmin --version or /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysqld --version.

• Stop the MySQL server:

   $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh stop mysql
  

• Start MySQL with the following command:

   $ sudo /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysqld_safe --pid-file=/opt/bitnami/mysql/data/mysqld.pid --datadir=/opt/bitnami/mysql/data --init-file=/home/bitnami/mysql-init 2> /dev/null &
  

• Restart the MySQL server:

   $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart mysql
  

• Remove the script:

   $ rm /home/bitnami/mysql-init
  

How to access phpMyAdmin?

For security reasons, phpMyAdmin is accessible only when using 127.0.0.1 as the hostname. To access it from a remote system, you must create an SSH tunnel that routes requests to the Web server from 127.0.0.1. This implies that you must be able to connect to your server over SSH in order to access these applications remotely.

Accessing phpMyAdmin on Windows

Watch the following video to learn how to easily access phpMyAdmin on Windows through an SSH tunnel:

In order to access phpMyAdmin via SSH tunnel you need an SSH client. In the instructions below we have selected PuTTY, a free SSH client for Windows and UNIX platforms. The first step is having PuTTY configured. Please, check how to configure it in the section how to connect to the server through SSH using an SSH client on Windows.

Once you have your SSH client correctly configured and you tested that you can successfully access to your instance via SSH, you need to create an SSH tunnel in order to access phpMyAdmin. For doing so, follow these steps:

• In the "Connection -> SSH -> Tunnels" section, add a new forwarded port by introducing the following values:

  • Source port: 8888
  • Destination: localhost:80

  This will create a secure tunnel by forwarding a port (the "destination port") on the remote server to a port (the "source port") on the local host (127.0.0.1 or localhost).

• Click the "Add" button to add the secure tunnel configuration to the session. (You'll see the added port in the list of "Forwarded ports").

  

• In the "Session" section, save your changes by clicking the "Save" button.
• Click the "Open" button to open an SSH session to the server. The SSH session will now include a secure SSH tunnel between the two specified ports.
• Access the phpMyAdmin console through the secure SSH tunnel you created, by browsing to http://127.0.0.1:8888/phpmyadmin.

• Log in to phpMyAdmin by using the following credentials:

  • Username: root
  • Password: application password. (Refer to our FAQ to learn how to find your application credentials).

Here is an example of what you should see:

If you are unable to access phpMyAdmin, verify that the SSH tunnel was created by checking the PuTTY event log (accessible via the "Event Log" menu):

Accessing phpMyAdmin on Linux and Mac OS X

To access the application using your Web browser, create an SSH tunnel, as described below.

• Open a new terminal window on your local system (for example, using "Finder -> Applications -> Utilities -> Terminal" in Mac OS X or the Dash in Ubuntu).
• Make sure that you have your SSH credentials (.pem key file) in hand.

• Run the following command to configure the SSH tunnel. Remember to replace KEYFILE with the path to your private key and SERVER-IP with the public IP address or hostname of your server:

     $ ssh -N -L 8888:127.0.0.1:80 -i KEYFILE bitnami@SERVER-IP
  

• Access the phpMyAdmin console through the secure SSH tunnel you created, by browsing to http://127.0.0.1:8888/phpmyadmin.

• Log in to phpMyAdmin by using the following credentials:

  • Username: root
  • Password: application password. (Refer to our FAQ to learn how to find your application credentials).

Here is an example of what you should see:

How to modify PHP settings?

The PHP configuration file allows you to configure the modules enabled, the email settings or the size of the upload files. It is located at /opt/bitnami/php/etc/php.ini.

For example, to modify the default upload limit for PHP, update the PHP configuration file following these instructions.

After modifying the PHP configuration file, restart both Apache and PHP-FPM for the changes to take effect:

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache
$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart php-fpm

How to modify the allowed limit for uploaded files?

Modify the following options in the /opt/bitnami/php/etc/php.ini file to increase the allowed size for uploads:

; Maximum size of POST data that PHP will accept.
post_max_size = 16M

; Maximum allowed size for uploaded files.
upload_max_filesize = 16M

Restart PHP-FPM and Apache for the changes to take effect.

$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache
$ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart php-fpm    

How to upload files to the server with SFTP?

Although you can use any SFTP/SCP client to transfer files to your server, the link below explains how to configure FileZilla (Windows, Linux and Mac OS X), WinSCP (Windows) and Cyberduck (Mac OS X). It is required to use your server's private SSH key to configure the SFTP client properly. Choose your preferred application and follow the steps in the link below to connect to the server through SFTP.

How to upload files to the server

How to enable cache settings of Joomla!?

Enabling the cache will boost the overall performance of your installation. You can enable easily the caching system through the administrator panel of Joomla!.

• Click the "System" and "Global Configuration" tabs:

  

• Go to the "System" tab and check the "Cache Settings" configuration. Change cache setting to "ON - Conservative Caching":

  

• Activate the Cache Plugin. Go to "Extensions -> Plugin Manager" tab, search for "cache" and enable the "System - Cache" extension.

  

How to enable Gzip Page Compressor of Joomla!?

Gzip Page Compressor saves around 50-70% of the file size. This means that it takes less time to load your pages, and less bandwidth is used over all.

• Click the "System" and "Global Configuration" tabs:

  

• Go to the "Server" tab and enable "Gzip Page Compression":

  

Troubleshooting Joomla

The Joomla upgrade process is not working (permission errors)

This error arises when certain file permissions conflict with the automatic upgrade process if you are running a version of the Joomla stack below 3.6.5-0. This error consists on a lack of permissions in the Joomla files causing some issues in the automatic upgrade process. If you are experiencing this error, follow these steps to solve it:

• Check the permissions of the Joomla files. They must be owned by bitnami/daemon and the permissions must be:

  • -rw-rw-r–: for files.
  • drwxrwxr-x: for directories

• Log in to your machine console via SSH and execute the following:

  $ sudo find /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla/htdocs/ -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;
  $ sudo find /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla/htdocs/ -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;
  

• Retry the upgrade process marking the installation method as Write files directly.

Where is the administration interface of Joomla?

The admin panel is located at http://SERVER-IP/joomla/administrator.

How to install multiple Joomla! applications in the same instance?

By default, the Bitnami Joomla! Stack installs Joomla! in the /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla directory and configures it to use the bitnami_joomla database. The URL to Joomla! is usually http://SERVER-IP/joomla.

After completing the steps explained below, this Joomla! installation will be in the /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1 directory and use the bitnami_joomla1 database. The URL will change to http://SERVER-IP/joomla1.

Of course, you can change the prefix to a different one, and you can use Apache virtual hosts to have a different URL for each Joomla! site

Modify Apache Configuration

Follow these steps:

• Rename the Joomla! application folder:

   $ sudo mv /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1
  

• Modify the Joomla! configuration file for Apache at /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-prefix.conf to use the new path:

   DocumentRoot "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs"
   Alias /joomla1/ "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs/"
   Alias /joomla1 "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs"
   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-app.conf"
  

• Modify the .httpd-app configuration file at /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-app.conf to use the new path:

   <Directory "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs">
   ...
   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/banner.conf"
   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/htaccess.conf"
  

• Modify the Apache .htaccess file at /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/htaccess.conf to use the new path:

   <Directory "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs">
   ...
   RewriteBase /joomla1
  

• Should you wish to use Apache virtual hosts, also modify the lines below in the /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-vhosts.conf file to use the new path:

   DocumentRoot "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs"
   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-app.conf"
   ...
   DocumentRoot "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs"
   SSLEngine on
   SSLCertificateFile "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/certs/server.crt"
   SSLCertificateKeyFile "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/certs/server.key"
   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-app.conf"
  

• Modify the path in the /opt/bitnami/apps/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami-apps-prefix.conf file:

   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-prefix.conf"
  

  If using virtual hosts, comment out the line above and instead add the following line to the /opt/bitnami/apache2/conf/bitnami/bitnami-apps-vhosts.conf file:

   Include "/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/conf/httpd-vhosts.conf"
  

Modify MySQL Configuration

Follow these steps:

• Using phpMyAdmin, select the bitnami_joomla database in the left side menu, click the "Operations" tab and rename it to bitnami_joomla1.

  

• Modify the database configuration in Joomla! to use the new database by editing the /opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs/configuration.php file and modifying it as below:

   /*Database Settings */
   public $user = 'bn_joomla1';
   // DB username
   public $password = 'DATABASE_PASSWORD';
   // DB password
   public $db = 'bitnami_joomla1';
   // DB database name
   ...
   public $ftp_root = '/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/htdocs';
   public $ftp_enable = '1';
   public $tmp_path = '/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/tmp';
   public $log_path = '/opt/bitnami/apps/joomla1/logs';
  

• Grant access to the new database to the user bn_joomla1 by executing the following command:

   sudo /opt/bitnami/mysql/bin/mysql -u root -p
  

• Insert your application password to access the database and replace the DATABASE_PASSWORD placeholder with the value you have copied from the previous file.

   Password: ****
   mysql> grant all privileges on bitnami_joomla1.* to 'bn_joomla1'@'localhost' identified by 'DATABASE_PASSWORD';
  

• Restart the Apache server so that it uses the new configuration:

   $ sudo /opt/bitnami/ctlscript.sh restart apache
  

Your Joomla! instance should now be accessible at the URL http://SERVER-IP/joomla1.

Install a New Joomla! Application

Follow these steps:

• Download a new Joomla! module from the Bitnami website and install it on the server. Here are example commands for the Linux platform:

   $ wget https://bitnami.com/redirect/to/35442/bitnami-joomla-3.3.0-0-module-linux-x64-installer.run
   $ chmod a+x bitnami-joomla-3.3.0-0-module-linux-x64-installer.run
   $ sudo ./bitnami-joomla-3.3.0-0-module-linux-x64-installer.run
  

• During the installation process, choose /opt/bitnami as the installation path when prompted.

You should now have two Joomla! sites using the same Apache and MySQL servers.

Related guides

• Migrate Data From One Joomla! Instance to Another