How to host Flarum on InterServer VPS - ServerAvatar

Flarum is an open-source software forum designed to serve communities of all sizes, providing essential functionalities for discussions, user interaction, and customization. It is quick and user-friendly, with all the features for managing a community. Additionally, Flarum is highly extensible, providing extensive customization options to customize as per your requirements. For deploying Flarum, InterServer is an ideal choice due to its reliable, and easy-to-use cloud infrastructure. ServerAvatar simplifies the deployment of Flarum on InterServer VPS (Virtual Private Server) by providing a user-friendly interface that automates the setup process, making it accessible to users with various levels of technical expertise.

Create a VPS in InterServer

Getting started with InterServer:

InterServer's Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting leads their array of hosting solutions, providing businesses and developers a sturdy platform to drive their online endeavors with dependable flexibility. InterServer's VPS hosting leverages cutting-edge technology and infrastructure housed in state-of-the-art data centers. This ensures optimal performance and uptime, crucial for demanding applications and websites. With Interserver's VPS plans, users benefit from dedicated resources including CPU cores, RAM, and storage, providing a scalable environment capable of handling varying levels of traffic and resource requirements.

Interserver's VPS hosting stands out for its cost-effectiveness while maintaining high performance and a rich feature set. Their range of VPS plans caters to diverse needs, accommodating startups, small businesses, and large enterprises with tailored solutions. Whether you're launching a new project, migrating an existing site, or seeking to upgrade to a more robust hosting solution, Interserver's VPS hosting offers the performance, scalability, and support needed to succeed in today's digital landscape.

Let’s get started with creating the virtual private server in Interserver, for that follow the steps given below.

Step 1: Accessing Your InterServer Account

• First, log in to InterServer account. If you are new to InterServer, click on the Sign Up to register with InterServer. Refer to the below image.

Step 2: Create VPS in InterServer

• After you log in to your InterServer account, the Dashboard of InterServer will appear. You can see various sections like Domains, Web Hosting, Licenses, Storage, and Dedicated Servers. However, you have to click on the Order Now button in the VPS section to create a fresh VPS.

Step 3: Configuring the VPS in InterServer

• First you need to choose the Platform for your VPS. It should be a kernel-based virtual machine (KVM).
• Now you have to select the location of your VPS. Make sure to select a server location closest to your major traffic source demographically.
• Then you have to select the Slices. It is the number of cores on your server, which you can select according to your requirements.
• Moreover, you have to choose image i.e. an operating system running on the server. Generally, the Flarum application required Ubuntu 20.04 LTS or a later version for compatibility and support. If you are managing your servers with ServerAvatar, Select Ubuntu 20.04 x64 bit or Ubuntu 22.04 x64 bit.
• In addition to this you have to set the root password for your VPS of your own choice. After filling up all the necessary details for your VPS Click on the Continue button.

Step 4: Review your VPS details

• Here you have to verify the details of your virtual machine, select the agreed terms checkbox, and click on the Place Order button to create VPS.

Step 5: Make a payment for your VPS

• The final step is to make a payment for your VPS, so for that, you have to Add Billing Address and verify your order of VPS. There are various modes of payment available to make a payment for your VPS. Select the mode as per your convenience.

• Congratulations! You have successfully created your instance in InterServer which is now ready to connect with ServerAvatar.

Initial Server Configuration

The Initial server configuration includes the installation and configuration of various packages required to host your website. Usually, You have to write commands and modify configuration files. Luckily, With ServerAvatar, Your full server configuration and optimization can be automated.

Here are the three ways to automatically configure your server with ServerAvatar.

wget https://srvr.so/install
chmod +x install
./install

Install and Setup Flarum on Cloud using ServerAvatar

Step1: Create Flarum Database

The Flarum installation process requires database Credentials. So, to create a MySQL database for Flarum, Access the Database tab on the ServerAvatar server panel to create a Database.

To create a Database, Enter the details, such as the Database Name, in the database creation form like the image below.

Successfully Created a Database.

Steps 2: Create a PHP Application

Access the Applications tab from the server panel to create a new PHP application for Flarum.

Now fill up the required details in the application form, as seen in the image below.

Note that:

If you want to host Flarum on your domain, then make sure to point your domain to the current IP address of your server, and for that:

1. Log in to your domain provider site, where you buy your domain. Click here for more info about your domain name.
2. Access DNS Manager to edit your DNS records (contact the support team if you don’t find them)
3. Change the IP address of A Record of your website to the > current server’s IP address.

To host Flarum on your subdomain, for example, flarum.yourdomain.com, create a new application with the subdomain as your primary domain and follow the same procedure. For accessing Flarum on the subdomain, you need to add your subdomain on A Record that points to the current IP address of your server. To point to an IPV6 address, you would need to use an AAAA record.

Click the Create Next Step.

Now, choose the method and service provider: Git and GitHub (follow as per the snapshot).

Continue the process by entering the necessary information as provided below:
Repository Type: Public
Clone HTTPS URL: https://github.com/flarum/flarum.git
Branch: master
Deployment script:

composer install

Proceed by clicking the "Next Step".

You can either create a new System User or select an existing one.

Next, choose PHP version 7.3 or above. For the custom Webroot should be public shown in the provided snapshot, as we're specifically seeking "index.php" or "index.html" within the custom setup.

Custom Webroot: public

Proceed to the next steps and ensure your details and requirements are accurately entered.

After confirming, click on "Create Application" to initiate the application creation process.

Step 3: Install and setup Flarum

Now access the site URL from the Application panel to install and set up Flarum.

We have already created a database for Flarum in step 1. To establish a connection between the database and the application, enter the database credential we have already made. You can access all your database credentials, like database name, username, and password, by accessing the database tab from the server panel.

1. Enter the following database credential we have already created in ServerAvatar:
   Forum Title: Any Name
   MySQL Host: localhost
   MySQL Database: Database name
   MySQL Username: Username of database
   MySQL Password: Database password
   Table Prefix: Change the database table prefix as you want

2. To create administrator enter the following details:
   Admin Username: any username
   Admin Email: any email
   Password: your password
   Confirm Password: Confirm your Password

NOTE: Please remember the credentials you entered above for logging into Flarum. Click Install Flarum.

You will directly logged in to Flarum or Login as admin with an admin username and password on the next page to access the admin panel.

Successfully install and setup Flarum on the server through the ServerAvatar.