DokuWiki is a lightweight and easy-to-use open-source wiki software that does not require a database. It is widely used for documentation and collaborative content management. This guide will walk you through installing DokuWiki on Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, and Rocky Linux.

Prerequisites

Before installing DokuWiki, ensure you have the following:

• A server running Ubuntu 22.04/20.04, Debian 11/10, AlmaLinux 9/8, or Rocky Linux 9/8.

• Root or sudo access.

• A LAMP or LEMP stack installed (Apache/Nginx and PHP).

• Git and unzip installed.

Step 1: Update Your System

Update your package lists and upgrade installed packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y  # For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo dnf update -y  # For AlmaLinux/Rocky

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install Apache/Nginx, PHP, and other dependencies:

# For Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install apache2 php php-cli php-xml php-mbstring php-curl unzip git -y

# For AlmaLinux/Rocky
sudo dnf install httpd php php-cli php-xml php-mbstring php-curl unzip git -y

Start and enable services:

sudo systemctl enable --now apache2  # Ubuntu/Debian
sudo systemctl enable --now httpd  # AlmaLinux/Rocky

Step 3: Download and Set Up DokuWiki

Navigate to the web root and download DokuWiki:

cd /var/www/
wget https://download.dokuwiki.org/src/dokuwiki/dokuwiki-stable.tgz -O dokuwiki.tgz
sudo tar -xvzf dokuwiki.tgz
sudo mv dokuwiki-* /var/www/html/dokuwiki

Set correct permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/dokuwiki
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/dokuwiki

Step 4: Configure Apache/Nginx

Apache Virtual Host Configuration

Create a new virtual host file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/dokuwiki.conf

Add the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin admin@example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/dokuwiki
    ServerName your-domain.com

    <Directory /var/www/html/dokuwiki>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site and restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite dokuwiki.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Nginx Configuration

Create a new Nginx configuration file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/dokuwiki.conf

Add the following content:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;
    root /var/www/html/dokuwiki;
    index doku.php;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /doku.php?$query_string;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
        fastcgi_index doku.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }
}

Restart Nginx:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 5: Finalize DokuWiki Installation

1. Open your browser and visit http://your-domain.com/install.php.

2. Follow the on-screen setup wizard.

3. Create the admin user and set up your wiki.

4. Delete the install.php file for security:

sudo rm /var/www/html/dokuwiki/install.php

Conclusion

You have successfully installed DokuWiki on Ubuntu, Debian, AlmaLinux, or Rocky Linux. Your wiki platform is now ready to use. To enhance security, enable SSL with Let’s Encrypt and configure a firewall.