Piwigo Installation and Configuration on gallery.deome.net

Overview

This page provides step-by-step instructions to install and configure Piwigo as a photo gallery on gallery.deome.net. This includes setting up the Apache virtual host, database configuration, and SSL with Let’s Encrypt.

---

1. Prerequisites

1. Web Server: Apache (see Apache wiki page).
2. Database: MariaDB (refer to MariaDB setup page).
3. PHP: Ensure PHP is installed along with the necessary modules:

   sudo apt install php php-mysql php-xml php-mbstring php-gd php-curl -y
   

---

2. Download and Install Piwigo

1. Create the Document Root Directory:

   • Create a directory for Piwigo:

     sudo mkdir -p /var/www/gallery
     

2. Download Piwigo:

   • Navigate to the gallery directory and download the latest Piwigo release:

     cd /var/www/gallery
     sudo wget https://piwigo.org/download/dlcounter.php?code=latest -O piwigo.zip
     sudo unzip piwigo.zip
     sudo mv piwigo/* ./
     sudo rm -rf piwigo piwigo.zip
     

3. Set File Permissions:

   • Make sure Apache has the correct permissions to access and modify the files:

     sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/gallery
     sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/gallery
     

---

3. Configure the Database

1. Log in to MariaDB:

   sudo mysql -u root -p
   

2. Create a Database and User for Piwigo:

   CREATE DATABASE piwigodb;
   CREATE USER 'piwigouser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_password';
   GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON piwigodb.* TO 'piwigouser'@'localhost';
   FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
   EXIT;
   

---

4. Configure Apache Virtual Host for gallery.deome.net

1. Create the Virtual Host File:

   • Open a new virtual host configuration file for gallery.deome.net:

     sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/gallery.deome.net.conf
     

2. Add the Virtual Host Configuration:

   • Use the following configuration:

     <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerName gallery.deome.net
       DocumentRoot /var/www/gallery
       <Directory /var/www/gallery>
           AllowOverride All
           Require all granted
       </Directory>
       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/gallery_error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/gallery_access.log combined
     </VirtualHost>
     

3. Enable the Site and Rewrite Module:

   • Enable the virtual host and rewrite module, then reload Apache:

     sudo a2ensite gallery.deome.net.conf
     sudo a2enmod rewrite
     sudo systemctl reload apache2
     

---

5. Set Up SSL with Let’s Encrypt

1. Install Certbot:

   • If Certbot is not already installed:

     sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
     

2. Generate SSL Certificate:

   • Use Certbot to obtain an SSL certificate for gallery.deome.net:

     sudo certbot --apache -d gallery.deome.net
     

3. Enable Auto-Renewal:

   • Certbot will automatically handle renewal. Test the setup with:

     sudo certbot renew --dry-run
     

---

6. Complete Piwigo Setup

1. Access the Piwigo Installation Wizard:

   • Open a browser and go to https://gallery.deome.net. You should see the Piwigo setup wizard.

2. Follow the Setup Wizard:

   • Enter the database information:
     • Database Name: piwigodb
     • Database User: piwigouser
     • Database Password: your_password
   • Configure the admin account and complete the setup.

---

7. Testing and Verification

1. Access Piwigo:

   • Verify that Piwigo loads correctly at https://gallery.deome.net.

2. Check Logs:

   • Monitor the Apache logs if any issues arise:

     sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/gallery_access.log
     sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/gallery_error.log
     

---

8. Maintenance and Updates

1. Database Backup:

   • Set up regular database backups:

     mysqldump -u root -p piwigodb > /path/to/backup/piwigodb.sql
     

2. Updating Piwigo:

   • Periodically check for updates in the Piwigo admin dashboard.

---

This setup should get Piwigo running smoothly on gallery.deome.net. Let me know if you need any specific configurations or additional settings!