Nextcloud Installation

Objective

Deploy Nextcloud, a private cloud solution for file storage, sharing and synchronisation. Open-source alternative to Google Drive, Dropbox or OneDrive.

Nextcloud also provides collaborative features: online document editing, calendar, contacts, video conferencing.

Prerequisites

• Functional LAMP stack (Apache, PHP, MariaDB)
• Debian 11 / Ubuntu server
• Minimum 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended)
• Minimum 20 GB available disk space
• Root or sudo access
• PHP 7.4 or higher

Full Procedure

Step 1: Download Nextcloud

Navigate to the web directory and download the latest release:

cd /var/www
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.tar.bz2

Verify the download:

ls -lh latest.tar.bz2

Step 2: Extract the archive

tar -xjf latest.tar.bz2

This creates a /var/www/nextcloud directory.

Step 3: Set permissions

Assign proper ownership to the web server:

chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/nextcloud
chmod -R 755 /var/www/nextcloud

Remove the archive to free up space:

rm /var/www/latest.tar.bz2

Step 4: Create the database

Connect to MariaDB:

mysql -u root -p

Create the dedicated database and user:

CREATE DATABASE nextcloud CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER 'ncuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Nc_P@ssw0rd_2024_Secure!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'ncuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 5: Install required PHP modules

Nextcloud requires many PHP modules:

apt install php-gd php-mysql php-curl php-mbstring php-intl php-gmp php-bcmath php-imagick php-xml php-zip php-bz2 php-apcu -y

Step 6: Configure PHP

Edit the PHP configuration file for Apache:

nano /etc/php/7.4/apache2/php.ini

Modify the following directives (use Ctrl+W to search):

memory_limit = 512M
upload_max_filesize = 512M
post_max_size = 512M
max_execution_time = 300
date.timezone = Europe/Paris

Save and quit (Ctrl+O, Enter, Ctrl+X)

Step 7: Configure Apache

Create a Virtual Host for Nextcloud:

nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud.conf

File contents:

<VirtualHost *:80>
 ServerAdmin [email protected]
 DocumentRoot /var/www/nextcloud
 ServerName nextcloud.example.com

 <Directory /var/www/nextcloud/>
 Options +FollowSymlinks
 AllowOverride All
 Require all granted
 
 <IfModule mod_dav.c>
 Dav off
 </IfModule>
 
 SetEnv HOME /var/www/nextcloud
 SetEnv HTTP_HOME /var/www/nextcloud
 </Directory>

 ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_error.log
 CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable required Apache modules:

a2enmod rewrite
a2enmod headers
a2enmod env
a2enmod dir
a2enmod mime

Enable the Nextcloud site:

a2ensite nextcloud.conf

Disable the default site (optional but recommended):

a2dissite 000-default.conf

Restart Apache:

systemctl restart apache2

Step 8: Initial configuration via the web interface

Access Nextcloud via browser:

http://SERVER_IP_ADDRESS

Fill in the form:

1. Administrator username: admin
2. Administrator password: [strong password]
3. Data directory: /var/www/nextcloud/data (default)
4. Configure the database:
   • Type: MySQL/MariaDB
   • User: ncuser
   • Password: Nc_P@ssw0rd_2024_Secure!
   • Database name: nextcloud
   • Host: localhost
5. Click "Finish setup"

Verification

Nextcloud access test

After installation, the Nextcloud interface should display the dashboard.

PHP module verification

php -m | grep -E '(gd|curl|zip|xml|intl|gmp|bcmath)'

All modules should appear in the list.

Verification from the Nextcloud interface

Go to Settings (user icon, top right) → Overview

This page shows any configuration warnings.

File upload test

1. Click the "+" icon at the top
2. Select "Upload file"
3. Choose a test file
4. Verify it appears in the list

File sharing test

1. Click on a file
2. Click the share icon (three connected dots)
3. Generate a public share link
4. Test the link in a private browsing window

Apache log verification

tail -f /var/log/apache2/nextcloud_error.log

Should not display any critical errors.

Nextcloud log verification

tail -f /var/www/nextcloud/data/nextcloud.log

Advanced Configuration (optional)

Enable memory cache (APCu)

Edit the Nextcloud configuration file:

nano /var/www/nextcloud/config/config.php

Add before the closing ); line:

 'memcache.local' => '\OC\Memcache\APCu',

Configure cron (scheduled tasks)

Nextcloud recommends using cron rather than AJAX:

crontab -u www-data -e

Add the following line:

*/5 * * * * php -f /var/www/nextcloud/cron.php

Enable cron in the Nextcloud interface:
Settings → Administration → Basic settings → Select Cron

Database optimisation

sudo -u www-data php /var/www/nextcloud/occ db:add-missing-indices
sudo -u www-data php /var/www/nextcloud/occ db:convert-filecache-bigint

Security and Limitations

HTTPS configuration (SSL/TLS)

apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y
certbot --apache -d nextcloud.example.com

Securing config.php

chmod 640 /var/www/nextcloud/config/config.php
chown www-data:www-data /var/www/nextcloud/config/config.php

Disable directory listing

Edit /etc/apache2/apache2.conf and ensure:

Options -Indexes

Limitations of this installation (BTS level)

Security recommendations

• Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): install the "Two-Factor TOTP Provider" application
• Configure regular backups (/var/www/nextcloud/data and database)
• Restrict login attempts (built-in brute force protection)
• Update Nextcloud regularly
• Monitor logs regularly

Key Points for the BTS Oral

• Nextcloud: open-source private cloud solution (alternative to Google Drive)
• Architecture: LAMP (Linux, Apache, MariaDB, PHP)
• Features: storage, sharing, synchronisation, collaborative editing
• Security: encryption, strong authentication (2FA), granular access control
• Integration: can connect to LDAP/Active Directory (see procedure 05)
• Scalability: supports thousands of users with the right architecture
• Applications: rich ecosystem (Talk, Calendar, Contacts, OnlyOffice, Collabora)