How to Install eLabFTW on Linux Mint Latest?

eLabFTW is an open-source web-based electronic laboratory notebook (ELN) that allows you to manage and organize laboratory experiments, data, and research. Here's a step-by-step tutorial on how to install eLabFTW on Linux Mint.

Prerequisites

Before installing eLabFTW, ensure that you have the following:

  • A Linux Mint computer with an internet connection
  • A web server (Apache or Nginx)
  • PHP 7.2 or later
  • MySQL or MariaDB
  • Composer
  • Git

Step 1: Install Apache (or Nginx)

If you don't have a web server installed on your computer, you can install Apache or Nginx by running the following command:

sudo apt install apache2 -y

or

sudo apt install nginx -y

Step 2: Install PHP

Install the PHP modules required by eLabFTW by running the following command:

sudo apt install php php-curl php-intl php-mbstring php-xml php-zip -y

Step 3: Install MySQL (or MariaDB)

Install MySQL or MariaDB by running the following command:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

or

sudo apt install mariadb-server -y

Next, secure the database server by running the following command:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Step 4: Install Composer

Install Composer, a dependency manager required by eLabFTW, by running the following command:

sudo apt install composer -y

Step 5: Install Git

Install Git source control management by running the following command:

sudo apt install git -y

Step 6: Clone eLabFTW from Git

Clone the eLabFTW repository into the web server root directory by running the following command:

sudo git clone https://github.com/elabftw/elabftw.git /var/www/html/elabftw

Step 7: Install eLabFTW Dependencies

Install eLabFTW dependencies by running the following command:

cd /var/www/html/elabftw
sudo composer install

Step 8: Configure Apache (or Nginx)

Create a new Apache configuration file for eLabFTW by running the following command:

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

Add the following lines to the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin [email protected]
DocumentRoot /var/www/html/elabftw/web
ServerName your-domain.com
ServerAlias www.your-domain.com
<Directory /var/www/html/elabftw/web>
Options Indexes FollowSymLinks MultiViews
AllowOverride All
Order allow,deny
allow from all
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined

</VirtualHost>

Save and close the file.

Enable the configuration by running the following command:

sudo a2ensite elabftw.conf

Restart Apache by running the following command:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 9: Configure eLabFTW

Copy the sample configuration file to the eLabFTW configuration file by running the following command:

cd /var/www/html/elabftw/app/config
sudo cp config.yml.sample config.yml

Open the eLabFTW configuration file:

sudo nano config.yml

In the file, change the following values:

database_user: root
database_password: your-mysql-password
database_name: elabftw
site_url: http://your-domain.com

Save and close the file.

Step 10: Install eLabFTW Database Tables

Create eLabFTW tables in the database by running the following commands:

cd /var/www/html/elabftw/upgrade
sudo php upgrade.php

Step 11: Access eLabFTW

Open a web browser and navigate to:

http://your-domain.com

You should now see the eLabFTW login page. Use the default login credentials:

  • Username: admin
  • Password: admin

You will be prompted to change your password when you log in for the first time.

Congratulations on successfully installing eLabFTW on Linux Mint Latest!