Bolt is a lightweight content management system based on PHP. It is build from the beginning on Silex microftamework which makes it easy to start working on small applications. Bolt provides a good alternative for developers looking for a modern PHP system in place on WordPress. In this blog post we will be performing an installation of Bolt CMS with MySQL on Ubuntu 20.04.
Cool features of Bolt CMS
- Clean architecture built with Silex, very easy to learn
- Standard components for Forms and Database
- Clean purpose, not trying to solve every problem
First update and upgrade your server before installations
sudo apt-get -y update
sudo apt-get -y upgradeAlso Set your timezone with the below command
sudo dpkg-reconfigure tzdataReboot your system after updates
sudo rebootInstall required packages
The below packages are required for the installation of Bolt, run the below command to install them:
sudo apt install -y curl wget vim git unzip socat bash-completion apt-transport-httpsInstall PHP on Ubuntu
Here, we are going to install PHP 7.2 and some of the required modules. We’ll add ppa:ondrej/php PPA repository which has the build packages of PHP.
sudo apt -y install software-properties-common
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
sudo apt-get updateInstall php 7.2 and its required modules
sudo apt install -y php7.2 php7.2-cli php7.2-fpm php7.2-common php7.2-mbstring php7.2-zip php7.2-pgsql php7.2-sqlite3 php7.2-curl php7.2-gd php7.2-mysql php7.2-intl php7.2-json php7.2-opcache php7.2-xmlInstall Nginx on Ubuntu
Run the below command to install Nginx on Ubuntu 20.04 server machine.
sudo apt-get install nginxStart and enable Nginx with the following commands:
sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginxInstall MySQL and Create a Database for Bolt
sudo apt -y install mysql-server
sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl enable mysql Secure mysql installation
$ sudo mysql_secure_istallation
Would you like to setup VALIDATE PASSWORD plugin? N
New password: your_secure_password
Re-enter new password: your_secure_password
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] YConnect to mysql to create a database for Bolt
sudo mysql -u root -p Enter root password created above. Once connected, run the following commands to create a database and database user.
CREATE DATABASE bolt;
CREATE USER 'bolt'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'mypassword';
GRANT ALL ON bolt.* TO 'bolt'@'localhost';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
mysql> exitConfigure Nginx for Bolt CMS
Create a file called bolt.conf in nginx path as shown.
sudo vim /etc/nginx/sites-available/bolt.confAdd the following content into the created file
server {
   listen 80;
   listen [::]:80;
   root /var/www/bolt;
   index  index.php index.html index.htm;
   server_name  bolt.example.com;
   location / {
   try_files           $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
   }
   location ~ [^/]\.php(/|$) {
   try_files            /index.php =404;
   fastcgi_split_path_info  ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
   fastcgi_index            index.php;
   fastcgi_pass             unix:/var/run/php/php7.2-fpm.sock;
   include                  fastcgi_params;
   fastcgi_param   PATH_INFO       $fastcgi_path_info;
   fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
   }
  location = /bolt {
   try_files                $uri /index.php?$query_string;
  }
  location ^~ /bolt/ {
   try_files                 $uri /index.php?$query_string;
  }
}Enable the created website by creating a simlink as shown:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/bolt.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/bolt.confCheck nginx configiration and restart nginx
$ sudo nginx -t
nginx: the configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf syntax is ok
nginx: configuration file /etc/nginx/nginx.conf test is successful
$ sudo systemctl restart nginxDownload Bolt CMS on Ubuntu 20.04
Change to your root directory
cd /var/www/Now download the latest version of Bolt CMS from github with the below command:
sudo git clone https://github.com/bolt/bolt.gitOnce downloaded, you should see a directory named ‘bolt’. Change to the directory and install bolt
cd bolt
sudo composer installSet up Bolt permissions
Bolt directory should be owned by nginx.
chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/bolt
chmod -R 755 /var/www/boltConfigure bolt configuration file
sudo cp app/config/config.yml.dist app/config/config.ymlNow open Bolt from your browser to continue with the installations: http://bolt.example.com/. You should get a page as below. Fill the requirements to create a user.
Once you submit the user settings, you should be taken to a page as shown
You should be done with installation. To access Bolt CMS admin, append Bolt on your url: http://bolt.example.com/bolt. Enjoy working with Bolt CMS! Remember, below are more interesting guides!!
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- Install and configure October CMS on CentOS
- Install October CMS on Ubuntu / Debian
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