Install Nextcloud with cPanel

Nextcloud is a “roll-your-own” cloud solution. Basically you can create a Dropbox/Google Drive replacement with this Open Source alternative. Nextcloud is a great replacement for Google Drive or Dropbox and is packed with feautures. I was mainly interested in creating a self hosted storage solution.

The Nextcloud website has great tutorials on how to install on your own VPS. So I chose to go a slightly different route. I decided to install it via a cPanel interface. Why? Well cPanel make adminstrating your own server a little bit easier. It’s not perfect but it gets the job done.

In order to get Nextcloud installed you’ll need to setup a few things.

1. Make a subdomain on so Nextcloud has a specific location. I chose “cloud” for my subdomain so cloud.myexamplesite.com is how I would access my Nextcloud installation.
2. Install an SSL certificate on your server. I installed a free Let’s Encrypt cert on my server. Check with your hosting provider if they can install a free one for you.
3. Setup a MySQL database for your Nextcloud installation. Be sure to write down your database username and password as you will need it later.

Ok, let’s get started with the installation.

1. Download the php file for the “Web Installer” on their downloads page.
2. Upload the setup-nextcloud.php file to the location of your subdomain document root. Some cPanel installations have the subdomain root located in the public_html folder.
3. Now in your web browser visit the php file. So in the previous example our domain was cloud.myexamplesite.com so you would visit cloud.myexamplesite.com/setup-nextcloud.php.
4. Follow the installation instructions.
5. When asked about the location of the installation be sure to enter a . “dot”. Unless of course you will be installing elsewhere.
6. Wait for the script to download all the packages.
7. Finally create an admin user and enter a strong password. Also be sure to enter your Database credentials under the “Databese” setting for MySQL/MariaDB.After you complete these steps you will have a fully working installation of Nextcloud. I purposefully skipped some steps because every VPS environment is different and I cant’ say for sure some steps will work for you server.

   But these are the most important and general steps you will need to install Nextcloud. Some places where you may run into issues may be in the creation of the database. Or adding a subdomain to your DNS provider. Be sure to ask for help with your VPS provider is you get stuck with these steps.

   Nextcloud has app for Windows, MacOS, and Linux. Plus mobile apps for both iOS and Android. So be sure to check them out so you can sync up your data on all your devices. And that’s it!