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1Clear out junk files and repair common Windows errors2Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute3Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsTo self-host Vanilla Forums, provision an Ubuntu VPS, install a supported PHP runtime and MySQL-compatible database, upload the official pre-built Vanilla package, make cache, conf and uploads writable by PHP, then complete the browser installer. The web server must also have Vanilla’s rewrite and PHP-FPM rules; otherwise the home page may load while pretty URLs return 404 errors.
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This guide covers a production-minded installation with nginx or Apache, HTTPS, least-privilege database access, protected application files, troubleshooting and safe upgrades.
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What Vanilla Forums requires
Vanilla Open Source runs on a conventional PHP web stack. Higher Logic Vanilla’s documented baseline is PHP 7.3 or newer, MySQL 5.7 or newer (or a compatible Percona or MariaDB release), and a web server such as nginx or Apache. Version support changes between Vanilla releases, so check the requirements for the exact package you intend to deploy before installing it.
| Component | Requirement or guidance | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Operating system | Ubuntu VPS with a public IP | Provides the server, networking and package manager for the forum. |
| Hostname | A domain or subdomain pointed at the VPS; an IP can be used to reach the web space during setup | Stable DNS and a hostname make HTTPS, cookies and email configuration practical. |
| PHP | PHP 7.3 or newer, subject to the release-specific requirement | Runs Vanilla and its extensions. |
| PHP extensions | mbstring, cURL, GD and PDO; MySQLi for imports; OpenSSL for social plugins | Provides text handling, HTTP requests, image processing, database access and optional integrations. |
| Database | MySQL 5.7 or newer, or a compatible Percona/MariaDB version | Stores members, discussions, settings and plugin data. |
| Web server | nginx with PHP-FPM, or Apache with mod_rewrite |
Serves static files and sends PHP requests to the runtime. |
| TLS | HTTPS strongly recommended | Protects logins, sessions and administration traffic. |
No canonical source publishes a universal RAM, CPU, bandwidth or community-size requirement. Size the VPS from expected concurrent traffic, attachment volume, search activity, email workload and database growth, then monitor CPU, memory, storage and PHP-FPM saturation after launch rather than relying on a generic hardware number.
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Prepare the Ubuntu VPS
1. Point DNS and choose the hostname
Create an A record such as forum.example.com pointing to the VPS’s public IPv4 address. Add an AAAA record only if IPv6 is configured and tested on the server. Wait for DNS propagation before requesting a certificate or testing links. You can initially browse to the IP while setting up the web space, but a real hostname should be used for the finished forum.
2. Update the system and create an administrator
Log in with the provider’s initial account, update Ubuntu, create a non-root administrator with sudo access, and use that account for routine work. Apply your normal SSH hardening standard: key-based authentication, a restricted SSH policy and a firewall that exposes only the services you operate, normally SSH, HTTP and HTTPS.
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sudo apt upgradeThe exact package names differ by Ubuntu release and PHP version. Install nginx or Apache, PHP-FPM and the PHP extensions listed in the requirements table, then verify the installed PHP version and the FPM service before uploading Vanilla. Keep the operating system and PHP security updates current.
3. Install and verify the database server
Use MySQL 5.7 or newer, or a compatible Percona/MariaDB release supported by your Vanilla version. During database hardening, remove anonymous accounts, avoid remote root access and use a unique password for the forum account. If the Vanilla release documentation says MySQL strict mode must be disabled, apply that setting deliberately and document it; do not disable strict mode automatically on every installation.
4. Create a least-privilege database and user
Log in to the database administrator account and create a dedicated schema and user. The following example uses a local database server and illustrates the values you must record for the web installer:
CREATE DATABASE vanilla_forum CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'vanilla_app'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'use-a-long-random-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON vanilla_forum.* TO 'vanilla_app'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;Replace the example names and password. Record the database name, username, password and host (localhost in this example); you will enter them in Vanilla’s installer. Grant access to this schema only, not to every database on the VPS.
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Upload Vanilla and set safe permissions
Download the pre-built package
Obtain the official pre-built Vanilla release that matches the requirements you verified. Upload the archive over SFTP or another secure transfer method to a temporary location, extract it into the site document root (for example, /var/www/vanilla), and remove the archive after extraction. Do not build an installation from an unverified copy or expose the archive for download.
Set ownership and writable directories
The PHP-FPM account must be able to write Vanilla’s cache, conf and uploads directories. Keep the rest of the application source owned by an administrative account and non-writable by the web process wherever practical. A common pattern is to make the web-server group the group owner and grant group write permission only to those three directories:
sudo chown -R root:www-data /var/www/vanilla
sudo find /var/www/vanilla -type d -exec chmod 755 {} ;
sudo find /var/www/vanilla -type f -exec chmod 644 {} ;
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/vanilla/cache /var/www/vanilla/conf /var/www/vanilla/uploadsThe PHP-FPM account may not be www-data on every Ubuntu or web-server setup. Substitute the account and group actually used by your service. After installation, review the permissions and remove write access from any directory that does not need it.
Configure nginx correctly
nginx is well supported by Vanilla and is used for Higher Logic Vanilla’s cloud service. Its main difference from Apache is that rewrite behavior and PHP-FPM parameters must be written explicitly; nginx does not automatically consume Vanilla’s .htaccess rules.
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Route requests through the front controller
Create a server block for the forum hostname and set its document root to the Vanilla directory. The important behavior is:
- Serve existing static files directly.
- Send unmatched routes to
/index.phpwhile preserving the query string. - Pass PHP requests to the actual PHP-FPM socket or upstream used on the VPS.
- Set
X_REWRITEto1and definePATH_INFO,SCRIPT_NAMEandSCRIPT_FILENAME.
An illustrative pattern is:
server {
listen 80;
server_name forum.example.com;
root /var/www/vanilla;
index index.php;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~ ^/index.php(/|$) {
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_param X_REWRITE 1;
fastcgi_param PATH_INFO $fastcgi_path_info;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_NAME /index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root/index.php;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
}
}The socket shown is an example, not a universal path. Ubuntu commonly includes the PHP version in the filename, so inspect the active PHP-FPM service and substitute its real socket or configured upstream. Test the configuration with sudo nginx -t, reload nginx, and check the service log if the test fails.
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Deny sensitive paths and arbitrary PHP execution
Do not allow visitors to retrieve configuration, dependency or test files. Apply the deny rules from Vanilla’s nginx guidance for .git, build, cache, cgi-bin, uploads/import, conf, tests and vendor. Restrict PHP execution to the intended entry point instead of allowing every uploaded or misplaced .php file to run. This is especially important for writable upload directories.
Add HTTPS after the HTTP site responds
Request a TLS certificate for the forum hostname, configure nginx to listen on HTTPS, redirect HTTP to HTTPS, and verify that the certificate chain and renewal process work. Update the application’s canonical URL and any reverse-proxy settings only after the HTTPS virtual host is serving correctly.
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Apache can be the simpler choice when your team already operates it and can use .htaccess. Enable mod_rewrite, allow the Vanilla directory’s supplied .htaccess to take effect, and ensure the PHP handler is correctly connected to the supported PHP runtime.
Vanilla’s supplied Apache rules protect non-public directories and permit direct PHP execution only for /index.php. Do not replace those protections with a broad rule that executes every PHP file under the document root. Define an intentional default VirtualHost as well; the official guidance warns that omitting a default entry can expose host-header injection behavior.
| Decision point | nginx | Apache |
|---|---|---|
| Rewrite setup | Explicit try_files, front-controller rewrite and FastCGI parameters are required. |
Uses Vanilla’s enabled .htaccess rules with mod_rewrite. |
| PHP integration | Requires the correct PHP-FPM socket or upstream and parameters such as PATH_INFO and SCRIPT_FILENAME. |
Uses the configured PHP module or FPM integration. |
| File protection | Write deny locations for sensitive directories in the server block. | Vanilla’s supplied rules protect non-public paths and limit direct PHP execution. |
| Operational familiarity | Efficient, but configuration mistakes commonly appear as 404 or 500 errors. | Often easier for teams already comfortable with .htaccess. |
| Troubleshooting | Inspect nginx error logs, PHP-FPM logs, socket paths and FastCGI parameters. | Inspect Apache logs, rewrite-module status, overrides and PHP handler configuration. |
Run the Vanilla web installer
- Confirm DNS resolves to the VPS and that the web server can read the Vanilla document root.
- Open the forum hostname in a browser. If the site is in a subdirectory, open that installation directory instead.
- Enter the database host, database name, database user and password created earlier.
- Choose the owner account and supply a strong, unique password and an address that can receive administrative mail.
- Complete the installer and sign in to the dashboard.
- Immediately verify that the forum loads over HTTPS, that a test discussion can be created, and that an attachment can be uploaded.
After signing in, configure outbound mail before inviting members, disable add-ons you do not need, and review the canonical URL, cookie and proxy settings. Mail delivery problems are easier to identify before the forum has a large membership.
Troubleshoot the failures that matter most
Pretty URLs return 404 while the front page works
This almost always indicates a rewrite or front-controller problem rather than a missing discussion. On nginx, re-check try_files, X_REWRITE 1, PATH_INFO, SCRIPT_NAME, SCRIPT_FILENAME and the PHP-FPM socket. On Apache, confirm that mod_rewrite is enabled and that overrides permit the supplied .htaccess. Test a known static asset and a discussion URL separately to identify whether only routing or also static delivery is broken.
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Requests loop, return 500, or assets contain /index.php
Inspect the nginx error log and PHP-FPM log before changing Vanilla files. A wrong socket, malformed FastCGI parameter, or an incorrect script filename can produce all three symptoms. Compare the server block with Vanilla’s maintained nginx guidance and reload only after nginx -t passes.
The installer says it cannot write files
Check the effective PHP-FPM user and group, then test write access to cache, conf and uploads. Correct ownership or group permissions on those directories, and avoid making the entire application tree writable as a shortcut. Check disk space and any mandatory access-control policy if permissions appear correct.
The database connection fails
Verify the host, schema, username and password exactly as entered. A user created for localhost is not automatically the same as one created for 127.0.0.1. Confirm that the database service is running, that the account has privileges on the Vanilla schema, and that the PHP MySQL driver is installed.
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Confirm that uploads is writable by PHP, that the web server is not denying the directory unintentionally, and that the VPS has free storage. Keep any import area protected from direct access as required by the web-server rules.
Back up the forum before every upgrade
A safe upgrade has a rollback plan. Before replacing files, create and verify an off-server database dump and copy the current .htaccess and conf/config.php. Preserve uploaded media separately; a database dump does not contain those files.
Upgrade sequence
- Read the release-specific upgrade notes, including any required deletion list and supported PHP/database versions.
- Schedule the work and take a fresh database backup, a copy of
.htaccess,conf/config.phpand the uploads directory. - For a very large database with millions of users or comments, enable maintenance mode for the database-update window.
- Remove only the distribution and cache files named by the version’s instructions. Do not delete
conf/config.phpor uploaded media. - Upload the new pre-built release over the existing application, preserving the configuration and data directories as instructed.
- Clear the required cache files.
- Visit
/utility/updatewhile authenticated as the owner to apply database migrations. - Check the dashboard, login, posting, attachments, scheduled jobs and mail delivery, then disable maintenance mode.
- Keep the old backup until the upgraded forum has operated normally long enough for your rollback policy.
Never treat an upgrade as a file-copy-only operation: database migrations and cache state are part of the release, and skipping them can leave an apparently working forum with inconsistent data.
Operate the VPS after launch
- Schedule automated database dumps and copy them to storage outside the VPS.
- Back up uploaded media and test restoration on a separate system before the forum becomes business-critical.
- Patch Ubuntu, PHP, the database and Vanilla on a defined maintenance schedule.
- Monitor disk usage, database growth, PHP-FPM failures, web-server errors and certificate expiry.
- Review administrator accounts and remove unused plugins and themes.
- Keep configuration files and logs out of public paths, and verify the deny rules after every web-server change.
Frequently asked questions
Can I install Vanilla using only the VPS IP address?
You can use the IP to reach the web space during setup, but a domain or subdomain is the practical choice for a permanent forum because HTTPS certificates, canonical URLs and reliable email links depend on a stable hostname.
Do I need MySQL specifically?
No. Vanilla’s requirement is MySQL 5.7 or newer or a compatible Percona/MariaDB release, provided the exact Vanilla version supports the chosen database version.
Should I choose nginx or Apache?
Choose nginx if you are comfortable maintaining explicit rewrite and PHP-FPM configuration. Choose Apache when your team already operates Apache and wants to use Vanilla’s supplied .htaccess rules. Either can serve the forum securely when its routing and file-protection rules are correct.
How large should the VPS be?
There is no published universal specification. Start with a workload-appropriate plan, observe real CPU, memory, storage and PHP-FPM usage, and resize before those resources become a bottleneck.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I install Vanilla using only the VPS IP address?
You can reach the web space by IP during setup, but use a domain or subdomain for the permanent forum so HTTPS, canonical URLs and email links work reliably.
Do I need MySQL specifically?
No. Vanilla supports MySQL 5.7+ or a compatible Percona/MariaDB release, subject to the exact version’s requirements.
Should I choose nginx or Apache?
nginx requires explicit rewrite and PHP-FPM settings; Apache is often simpler when mod_rewrite and Vanilla’s supplied .htaccess are available.
How large should the VPS be?
No universal hardware size is published. Monitor actual CPU, memory, storage and PHP-FPM use and resize for your workload.
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