# How to Install Backdrop CMS on CentOS 8

> URL: https://www.atlantic.net/vps-hosting/how-to-install-backdrop-cms-on-centos-8/ | Published: 2021-05-31 | Updated: 2023-11-23 | Author: Hitesh Jethva

Backdrop CMS is an open-source content management system written in PHP language. It is a fork of Drupal and suitable for small to medium-sized businesses and non-profits. Backdrop CMS allows you to build customized websites through collaboration and open-source software. It provides a beautiful and user-friendly web UI that helps non-technical users create and manage various content. Backdrop CMS offers powerful features, including advanced access control, a robust API, integrated add-on installation, and more.

This post will show you how to install Backdrop CMS on CentOS 8 [VPS](https://www.atlantic.net/vps-hosting/).[jumpbox]

## Step 1 – Install LAMP Server

First, you will need to install the LAMP stack on your server. You can install it with other required packages by running the following command:

```
dnf update -y
dnf install httpd mariadb-server php php-cli php-gd php-mysqlnd php-json php-curl php-pdo php-mbstring php-dom php-xml unzip -y
```

Once all the packages are installed, start the Apache and MariaDB services and enable them to start at system reboot:

```
systemctl start httpd
systemctl enable httpd
systemctl start mariadb
systemctl enable mariadb
```

## Step 3 – Configure MariaDB Database

Next, you must create a database and user for Backdrop CMS to store its content.

First, log in to MySQL with the following command:

```
mysql
```

Once login, create a database and user with the following command:

```
create database backdrop;
create user 'backdrop'@localhost identified by 'password';
```

Next, grant all permissions to the backdrop database:

```
grant all privileges on backdrop.* to 'backdrop' @localhost;
```

Next, flush the privileges to apply the changes and exit from the MySQL with the following command:

```
flush privileges;
exit;
```

At this point, the MariaDB database is ready for Backdrop CMS.

## Step 4 – Download Backdrop CMS

First, visit the Backdrop CMS Git Hub page and download the latest version of Backdrop CMS with the following command:

```
wget https://github.com/backdrop/backdrop/archive/1.16.2.zip
```

Once the download is completed, unzip the downloaded file with the following command:

```
unzip 1.16.2.zip
```

Next, move the extracted directory to the Apache root directory:

```
mv backdrop-1.16.2 /var/www/html/backdrop
```

Next, set proper permissions and ownership to the backdrop directory:

```
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/html/backdrop
chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/backdrop
```

## Step 5 – Configure Apache for Backdrop CMS

Next, you must configure the Apache virtual host file to host Backdrop CMS. You can create it with the following command:

```
nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/backdrop.conf
```

Add the following lines:

```
<virtualhost *:80>
	ServerAdmin admin@example.com
        ServerName backdrop.example.com
        DocumentRoot /var/www/html/backdrop
<directory /var/www/html/backdrop>
allowoverride all
allow from all
</directory>
TransferLog /var/log/httpd/backdrop_access.log
ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/backdrop_error.log
</virtualhost>
```

Save and close the file, then restart the Apache service to apply the changes:

```
systemctl restart httpd
```

Currently, the Apache web server is configured to serve backdrop CMS.

## Step 6 – Access Backdrop CMS

Now, open your web browser and access the Backdrop CMS web UI using the URL http://backdrop.example.com. You will be redirected to the following page:

![BackDrop CMS Language Selection Page](https://www.atlantic.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/p1-4-1024x511.png)

Select your language and click on the **SAVE AND CONTINUE** button. You should see the following page:
 ![BackDrop CMS Database Page](https://www.atlantic.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/p2-5-1024x613.png)
 Provide your database details and click on the **SAVE AND CONTINUE** button. You should see the following page:
 ![BackDrop CMS Site Info Page1](https://www.atlantic.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/p3-4-1024x638.png)
 ![BackDrop CMS Site Info Page2](https://www.atlantic.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/p4-1.png)

Provide your site information and click on the **SAVE AND CONTINUE** button. You will be redirected to the Backdrop CMS dashboard:
 ![BackDrop CMS Dashboard](https://www.atlantic.net/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/p5-1-1024x308.png)

## Conclusion

That’s it for now. You can now explore the Backdrop CMS and start creating your website through the Backdrop CMS dashboard on your [VPS](https://www.atlantic.net/vps-hosting/). For more information, visit the Backdrop CMS [documentation](https://backdropcms.org/) page.