How to Install webtrees on Debian

webtrees is an open-source genealogy software that can help you manage and share your family history. This tutorial will guide you through the process of installing webtrees on Debian.

Step 1 - Update System Packages

Before starting the installation process, it is recommended to update the system packages.

Run the following command in your terminal to update your system packages:

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Step 2 - Install LAMP Stack

webtrees requires a LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP) stack to be installed on your system.

To install the LAMP stack, run the following command in your terminal:

sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server mariadb-client php7.4 php7.4-curl php7.4-gd php7.4-intl php7.4-json php-gmp libapache2-mod-php7.4

During the installation, you will be prompted to set a root password for the MariaDB server. Choose a strong password.

Step 3 - Create a Database for webtrees

Next, we need to create a database for webtrees. Run the following command in your terminal:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Enter your MariaDB root password, then run the following command to create a new database:

CREATE DATABASE webtreesdb;

Create a new user and grant privileges to the newly created database with the following command:

GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON webtreesdb.* TO 'webtrees'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';

Remember to replace 'password' with a strong password.

Flush the changes by entering the following command:

FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Exit from the MySQL shell by typing:

exit

Step 4 - Download and extract webtrees

Download the latest release of webtrees from the official website: https://www.webtrees.net/.

Navigate to the directory where you want to store webtrees files (e.g. /var/www/html/) then run the following command:

sudo wget https://github.com/fisharebest/webtrees/archive/1.7.15.tar.gz

Extract the downloaded archive with the following command:

sudo tar -xvf 1.7.15.tar.gz

Rename the extracted directory to 'webtrees':

sudo mv webtrees-1.7.15 webtrees

Alternatively, you can download the source using git:

sudo git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/fisharebest/webtrees.git

Step 5 - Configure Apache for webtrees

For webtrees to work properly, you need to create a virtual host file for it in Apache. Create a new configuration file in the /etc/apache2/sites-available/ directory by running the following command:

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

Add the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
     ServerAdmin [email protected]
     DocumentRoot /var/www/html/webtrees/
     ServerName yourdomain.com

     <Directory /var/www/html/webtrees/>
          Options FollowSymLinks
          AllowOverride All
          Order allow,deny
          allow from all
     </Directory>

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

Replace '[email protected]' with your email address and 'yourdomain.com' with your domain name.

Save and exit the file by pressing CTRL + X, Y, then Enter.

Enable the virtual host by running the following command:

sudo a2ensite webtrees.conf

Restart the Apache service for changes to take effect:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 6 - Complete the Installation via Web Interface

Open your web browser and navigate to your domain (e.g. http://yourdomain.com/).

You should be redirected to the webtrees installation screen.

Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the installation.

When prompted for the database settings, enter the following:

• Database type: mysqli
• Hostname: localhost
• Username: webtrees
• Password: the password you set earlier for the webtrees user in step 3
• Database name: webtreesdb

Once you have completed the installation, delete the installation directory by running the following command:

sudo rm -r /var/www/html/webtrees/install

That's it! You have successfully installed webtrees on Debian. You can now begin to enter and manage your family data.