How to Install FreshRSS on Elementary OS Latest

FreshRSS is a free, open-source, self-hosted RSS feed aggregator that lets you stay updated on your favorite websites' latest content. In this tutorial, we will guide you through the installation process of FreshRSS on Elementary OS Latest.

Prerequisites

Before we proceed with the installation process, make sure that you have the following set up:

• A web server such as Apache, Nginx, or Lighttpd
• PHP version 5.5 or later
• MySQL or MariaDB database

Step 1 - Installing Dependencies

First, we need to install some dependencies needed to run FreshRSS on your system. To do so, open the terminal and run the following command:

sudo apt-get install git php-cli php-curl php-mysql php-intl php-xml php-zip php-mbstring php-json php-iconv php-gd

The command above will install Git, PHP, and some additional PHP modules needed to run FreshRSS correctly.

Step 2 - Create Database

Next, we will create a MySQL database that FreshRSS will use to store all its data. To create the database, run:

sudo mysql -u root -p

You will be prompted for your MySQL root password. Enter it and press Enter.

Next, create a new database by running the following command:

CREATE DATABASE freshrss;

Exit the MySQL prompt by typing exit.

Step 3 - Clone FreshRSS

In this step, we will clone FreshRSS from the official GitHub repository. Run the following command in the terminal:

git clone https://github.com/FreshRSS/FreshRSS.git /var/www/freshrss

The command will clone FreshRSS into the /var/www/freshrss directory.

Step 4 - Configure PHP and Web Server

Now we need to configure PHP and the web server to work with FreshRSS. Create a new PHP configuration file by running the following command:

sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/fpm/conf.d/99-freshrss.ini

Add the following lines to the file:

file_uploads = On
memory_limit = 128M
post_max_size = 16M
upload_max_filesize = 8M
max_execution_time = 600
max_input_time = 600
max_file_uploads = 20
session.cookie_secure = True
session.use_only_cookies = 1
session.cookie_lifetime = 0
session.cookie_httponly = 1
date.timezone = Asia/Kolkata

Save and close the file.

Next, create a new virtual host file for FreshRSS. Open a new file in the /etc/nginx/sites-available directory by running:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/freshrss

Paste the following configuration into the file:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;
    server_name rss.yourdomain.com; // Replace with your domain
    root /var/www/freshrss;
    index index.php index.html;
    access_log /var/log/nginx/freshrss.access.log;
    error_log /var/log/nginx/freshrss.error.log;
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php$is_args$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\. { deny  all; access_log off; log_not_found off; }
 }

Save and close the file, then create a symbolic link to the /etc/nginx/sites-enabled directory by running:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/freshrss /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Finally, restart the web server and PHP-FPM by running:

sudo systemctl restart nginx
sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm

Step 5 - Finish Installation

In the final step, we will complete the installation of FreshRSS using the web-based installer. Open your favorite web browser and go to http://rss.yourdomain.com/ to start the installation process.

Follow the prompts, and enter the MySQL database details that you created in Step 2. Finish the process, and you will be able to start using FreshRSS.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed FreshRSS on your Elementary OS Latest system.