Tutorial: Installing LimeSurvey on FreeBSD Latest

LimeSurvey is an open-source survey application that enables you to create, design, and publish online surveys with ease. This tutorial will walk you through the steps of installing LimeSurvey on FreeBSD Latest.

Step 1 - Update FreeBSD Packages

Before we begin, it is essential to ensure that all the packages on FreeBSD Latest are up to date. To update, run the following command:

sudo pkg update && sudo pkg upgrade -y

Step 2 - Install Apache, MySQL, and PHP

LimeSurvey requires an Apache, MySQL, and PHP environment to function correctly. To install these packages, run the following commands:

sudo pkg install apache24
sudo pkg install mysql80-server
sudo pkg install php74 php74-extensions

Step 3 - Configure MySQL

After the installation of MySQL, you will need to configure it. To configure, follow these steps:

  1. Start the MySQL service:
sudo service mysql-server onestart
  1. Secure the installation and create a root password:
sudo mysql_secure_installation
  1. Create a database to store your LimeSurvey data:
sudo mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE lime_survey;
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON lime_survey.* TO 'lime-user' IDENTIFIED BY 'password' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Note: Replace lime-user and password with the username and password of your choice.

Step 4 - Download LimeSurvey

To download LimeSurvey, Run the following commands:

cd /usr/local/www/apache24/data/
sudo fetch https://www.limesurvey.org/stable-release?download=2719:limesurvey3.3.5+build+211020.tgz -o limesurvey.tar.gz
sudo tar -xzvf limesurvey.tar.gz
sudo chown -R www:www limesurvey/

Step 5 - Configure Apache

To configure Apache to run LimeSurvey, follow these steps:

  1. Create a new configuration file named limesurvey.conf:
sudo nano /usr/local/etc/apache24/Includes/limesurvey.conf
  1. Copy and paste the following code into the file:
Alias /limesurvey "/usr/local/www/apache24/data/limesurvey/"
<Directory "/usr/local/www/apache24/data/limesurvey/">
   Options FollowSymLinks
   AllowOverride All
   Require all granted
</Directory>

  1. Save and exit the file.

  2. Start the Apache service:

sudo service apache24 onestart

Step 6 - Complete the LimeSurvey Installation

  1. Open your web browser and visit your server's IP address or domain followed by /limesurvey.

  2. Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the LimeSurvey installation process.

  3. At the database configuration step, choose MySQL as the database type and enter the following details:

Database Host: localhost
Database Name: lime_survey
Database Username: lime-user
Database Password: password

  1. Complete the rest of the installation process by following the on-screen instructions.

  2. Once the installation is complete, remove the installation directory by running the following command:

rm -rf /usr/local/www/apache24/data/limesurvey/tmp/install/

Congratulations! You have successfully installed LimeSurvey on FreeBSD Latest! You can now create, design, and publish surveys with ease.