When deciding on a free open-source platform to manage your invoices, quotes, and finances, you may want to look up Akaunting. This accounting platform has all the tools you need to manage your money online, for free. Akaunting is an open-source, self-hosted application for managing quotes, invoices, payments, and accounting. It’s based on the LAMP / LEMP stack. It is designed from the ground up for ease of use and allows you to see your financials online anytime, anywhere on your computer, tablet, or phone. For more about Akaunting, please visit its homepage. To get started with installing Akaunting, follow the steps below:

Install Nginx

Akaunting requires a webserver and the second most popular web server in use today is Nginx. So, go and install Nginx on Ubuntu by running the commands below: Next, run the commands below to stop, start, and enable the Nginx service to always start up with the server boots.

Install MariaDB

Akaunting also requires a database server. and MariaDB database server is a great place to start. To install it run the commands below. After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service to always start up when the server boots. Run these on Ubuntu 16.04 LTS Run these on Ubuntu 17.10 and 18.04 LTS After that, run the commands below to secure the MariaDB server by creating a root password and disallowing remote root access. When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter Set root password? [Y/n]: Y New password: Enter password Re-enter new password: Repeat 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]:  Y

Restart MariaDB server

PHP 7.2-FPM may not be available on Ubuntu default repositories… to install it, you will have to get it from third-party repositories. Run the commands below to add the below third party repository to upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM Then update and upgrade to PHP 7.2-FPM Run the commands below to install PHP 7.2-FPM and related modules. After installing PHP, run the commands below to open the Nginx PHP default file. Then make the change to the following lines below in the file and save.

Create Akaunting Database

Now that you’ve installed all the packages that are required, continue below to start configuring the servers. First, run the commands below to create the Akaunting database. Run the commands below to log on to the database server. When prompted for a password, type the root password you created above. Then create a database called akaunting Create a database user called akauntinguser with a new password Then grant the user full access to the database. Finally, save your changes and exit.

Download Akaunting Latest Release

Next, visit the Akaunting site and download the latest version. After downloading, run the commands below to extract the download file into the Nginx root directory. Then run the commands below to set the correct permissions for Concrete5 to function.

Configure Nginx

Finally, configure the Apahce2 site configuration file for Akaunting. This file will control how users access Akaunting content. Run the commands below to create a new configuration file called akaunting Then copy and paste the content below into the file and save it. Replace the highlighted line with your domain name and directory root location. Save the file and exit.

Enable the Akaunting Site

After configuring the VirtualHost above, enable it by running the commands below To load all the settings above, restart Nginx by running the commands below. Then open your browser and browse to the server domain name followed by install. You should see the Akaunting setup wizard complete. Please follow the wizard carefully. Then follow the on-screen instructions until you’ve successfully installed Akaunting. First, select your language and continue From here, you should confirm all required packages are installed. Set up the database connection info and click Next. Next, type in the business name and admin account. If everything is configured correctly, you should have an Akaunting successfully installed. Enjoy! You may also like the post below: