6 * Requirements and notes
7 * Optional server requirements
10 * Building and customizing your site
11 * Multisite configuration
12 * Multilingual configuration
15 ----------------------
18 - PHP 5.5.9 (or greater) (https://php.net).
20 In the instructions below, replace the version x.y.z with the specific version
21 you wish to download. Example: 8.6.0.zip. You can find the latest stable version
22 at https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal.
24 Download and extract the Drupal package:
25 - curl -sS https://ftp.drupal.org/files/projects/drupal-x.y.z.zip --output drupal-x.y.z.zip
26 - unzip drupal-x.y.z.zip
27 - cd /path/to/drupal-x.y.z
28 - php core/scripts/drupal quick-start
30 Wait… installation can take a minute or two. A successful installation will
31 result in opening the new site in your browser.
33 Run the following command for a list of available options that you may need to
34 configure quick-start:
35 - php core/scripts/drupal quick-start --help
37 Follow the instructions in the REINSTALL section below to start over.
39 NOTE: This quick start solution uses PHP's built-in web server and is not
40 intended for production use. Read more about how to run Drupal in a production
43 REQUIREMENTS AND NOTES
44 ----------------------
48 - A web server with PHP support, for example:
49 - Apache 2.0 (or greater) (http://httpd.apache.org/).
50 - Nginx 1.1 (or greater) (http://nginx.com/).
51 - PHP 5.5.9 (or greater) (http://php.net/). For better security support it is
52 recommended to update to at least 5.5.21 or 5.6.5.
53 - One of the following databases:
54 - MySQL 5.5.3 (or greater) (http://www.mysql.com/).
55 - MariaDB 5.5.20 (or greater) (https://mariadb.org/). MariaDB is a fully
56 compatible drop-in replacement for MySQL.
57 - Percona Server 5.5.8 (or greater) (http://www.percona.com/). Percona
58 Server is a backwards-compatible replacement for MySQL.
59 - PostgreSQL 9.1.2 (or greater) (http://www.postgresql.org/).
60 - SQLite 3.7.11 (or greater) (http://www.sqlite.org/).
62 For more detailed information about Drupal requirements, including a list of
63 PHP extensions and configurations that are required, see "System requirements"
64 (https://www.drupal.org/requirements) in the Drupal.org online documentation.
66 For detailed information on how to configure a test server environment using a
67 variety of operating systems and web servers, see "Local server setup"
68 (https://www.drupal.org/node/157602) in the Drupal.org online documentation.
70 Note that all directories mentioned in this document are always relative to the
71 directory of your Drupal installation, and commands are meant to be run from
72 this directory (except for the initial commands that create that directory).
74 OPTIONAL SERVER REQUIREMENTS
75 ----------------------------
77 - If you want to use Drupal's "Clean URLs" feature on an Apache web server, you
78 will need the mod_rewrite module and the ability to use local .htaccess
79 files. For Clean URLs support on IIS, see "Clean URLs with IIS"
80 (https://www.drupal.org/node/3854) in the Drupal.org online documentation.
82 - If you plan to use XML-based services such as RSS aggregation, you will need
83 PHP's XML extension. This extension is enabled by default on most PHP
86 - To serve gzip compressed CSS and JS files on an Apache web server, you will
87 need the mod_headers module and the ability to use local .htaccess files.
89 - Some Drupal functionality (e.g., checking whether Drupal and contributed
90 modules need updates, RSS aggregation, etc.) require that the web server be
91 able to go out to the web and download information. If you want to use this
92 functionality, you need to verify that your hosting provider or server
93 configuration allows the web server to initiate outbound connections. Most web
94 hosting setups allow this.
96 - PHP 5.5.21 provides features for improved security when used with MySQL. While
97 this is not required, it is highly encouraged to use PHP 5.5.21 or 5.6.5 and
103 1. Download and extract Drupal.
105 You can obtain the latest Drupal release from https://www.drupal.org -- the
106 files are available in .tar.gz and .zip formats and can be extracted using
107 most compression tools.
109 To download and extract the files, on a typical Unix/Linux command line, use
110 the following commands (assuming you want version x.y.z of Drupal in .tar.gz
113 wget https://www.drupal.org/files/projects/drupal-x.y.z.tar.gz
114 tar -zxvf drupal-x.y.z.tar.gz
116 This will create a new directory drupal-x.y.z/ containing all Drupal files
117 and directories. Then, to move the contents of that directory into a
118 directory within your web server's document root or your public HTML
119 directory, continue with this command:
121 mv drupal-x.y.z/* drupal-x.y.z/.htaccess drupal-x.y.z/.csslintrc drupal-x.y.z/.editorconfig drupal-x.y.z/.eslintignore drupal-x.y.z/.eslintrc.json drupal-x.y.z/.gitattributes /path/to/your/installation
123 You can also download the latest version of Drupal using Git on the command
124 line and set up a repository by following the instructions at
125 https://www.drupal.org/project/drupal/git-instructions for "Setting up
126 repository for the first time".
128 Once you have downloaded Drupal successfully, you may install Composer
129 globally using the instructions at
130 https://getcomposer.org/doc/00-intro.md#globally
132 With Composer installed, run the following command from the Drupal web root:
136 2. Create the Drupal database.
138 Because Drupal stores all site information in a database, the Drupal
139 installer will attempt to create this database for you. If you create the
140 database manually, you must grant Drupal certain database privileges (such as
141 the ability to create tables). For details, consult INSTALL.mysql.txt,
142 INSTALL.pgsql.txt, or INSTALL.sqlite.txt. You may also need to consult your
143 web hosting provider for instructions specific to your web host.
145 Take note of the username, password, database name, and hostname as you
146 create the database. You will enter this information during the install.
148 3. Run the install script.
150 To run the install script, point your browser to the base URL of your
151 website (e.g., http://www.example.com).
153 You will be guided through several screens to set up the database, add the
154 site maintenance account (the first user, also known as user/1), and provide
155 basic web site settings.
157 During installation, several files and directories need to be created, which
158 the install script will try to do automatically. However, on some hosting
159 environments, manual steps are required, and the install script will tell
160 you that it cannot proceed until you fix certain issues. This is normal and
161 does not indicate a problem with your server.
163 The most common steps you may need to perform are:
165 a. Missing files directory.
167 The install script will attempt to create a public file storage directory
168 in the default location at sites/default/files (the location of the files
169 directory may be changed after Drupal is installed).
171 If auto-creation fails, you can create the directory yourself. (If you are
172 creating a multisite installation, substitute the correct sites directory
173 for sites/default; see the Multisite Configuration section of this file,
174 below.) Sample commands from a Unix/Linux command line:
176 mkdir sites/default/files
177 chmod a+w sites/default/files
179 Alternatively, you can make the install script work by changing
180 permissions on the sites/default directory. The web server can then
181 create the files directory within it for you.
183 For example, on a Unix/Linux command line, you can you can grant everyone
184 (including the web server) permission to write to the sites/default
185 directory with this command:
187 chmod a+w sites/default
189 Then re-run install.php (e.g. by clicking "try again" at the bottom of
190 the Requirements problem page. Once the files directory is created, you
191 will need to grant everyone (including the web server) permission to
192 write to it with this command:
194 chmod a+w sites/default/files
196 Be sure to set the permissions for the default directory back after the
197 installation is finished! (Leave the files directory writeable.)
200 chmod go-w sites/default
202 b. Missing settings file.
204 Drupal will try to automatically create a settings.php configuration file,
205 which is normally in the directory sites/default (to avoid problems when
206 upgrading, Drupal is not packaged with this file). If auto-creation fails,
207 you will need to create this file yourself, using the file
208 sites/default/default.settings.php as a template.
210 For example, on a Unix/Linux command line, you can make a copy of the
211 default.settings.php file with the command:
213 cp sites/default/default.settings.php sites/default/settings.php
215 Next, grant write privileges to the file to everyone (including the web
216 server) with the command:
218 chmod a+w sites/default/settings.php
220 Be sure to set the permissions back after the installation is finished!
223 chmod go-w sites/default/settings.php
225 c. Write permissions after install.
227 The install script will attempt to write-protect the settings.php file and
228 the sites/default directory after saving your configuration. If this
229 fails, you will be notified, and you can do it manually. Sample commands
230 from a Unix/Linux command line:
232 chmod go-w sites/default/settings.php
233 chmod go-w sites/default
235 4. Verify that the site is working.
237 When the install script finishes, you will be logged in with the site
238 maintenance account on a "Welcome" page. If the default Drupal theme is not
239 displaying properly and links on the page result in "Page Not Found" errors,
240 you may be experiencing problems with clean URLs. Visit
241 https://www.drupal.org/getting-started/clean-urls to troubleshoot.
243 5. Change file system storage settings (optional).
245 The files directory created in step 3 is the default file system path used to
246 store all uploaded files, as well as some temporary files created by
247 Drupal. After installation, you can modify the file system path to store
248 uploaded files in a different location.
250 It is not necessary to modify this path, but you may wish to change it if:
252 - Your site runs multiple Drupal installations from a single codebase (modify
253 the file system path of each installation to a different directory so that
254 uploads do not overlap between installations).
256 - Your site runs on a number of web servers behind a load balancer or reverse
257 proxy (modify the file system path on each server to point to a shared file
260 - You want to restrict access to uploaded files.
262 To modify the file system path:
264 a. Ensure that the new location for the path exists and is writable by the
265 web server. For example, to create a new directory named uploads and grant
266 write permissions, use the following commands on a Unix/Linux command
272 b. Open your settings.php in a plain-text editor, and uncomment (remove the #
273 at the start of line) this line:
275 # $settings['file_public_path'] = 'sites/default/files';
277 Enter the desired path and save the file.
279 If you want to use private file storage, you need to uncomment (remove
280 the # at the start of line) the following line in settings.php:
282 # $settings['file_private_path'] = '';
284 Enter the path for private files and save the file.
286 Changing the file system path after files have been uploaded may cause
287 unexpected problems on an existing site. If you modify the file system path
288 on an existing site, remember to copy all files from the original location
291 6. Revoke documentation file permissions (optional).
293 Some administrators suggest making the documentation files, especially
294 CHANGELOG.txt, non-readable so that the exact version of Drupal you are
295 running is slightly more difficult to determine. If you wish to implement
296 this optional security measure, from a Unix/Linux command line you can use
297 the following command:
299 chmod a-r core/CHANGELOG.txt
301 Note that the example only affects CHANGELOG.txt. To completely hide all
302 documentation files from public view, repeat this command for each of the
303 Drupal documentation files in the installation directory, substituting the
304 name of each file for CHANGELOG.txt in the example.
306 For more information on setting file permissions, see "Modifying Linux,
307 Unix, and Mac file permissions" (https://www.drupal.org/node/202483) or
308 "Modifying Windows file permissions" (https://www.drupal.org/node/202491) in
309 the Drupal.org online documentation.
311 7. Set up independent "cron" maintenance jobs.
313 Many Drupal modules have tasks that must be run periodically, including the
314 Search module (building and updating the index used for keyword searching),
315 the Aggregator module (retrieving feeds from other sites), and the System
316 module (performing routine maintenance and pruning of database tables). These
317 tasks are known as "cron maintenance tasks", named after the Unix/Linux
320 When you install Drupal, its built-in cron feature is enabled, which
321 automatically runs the cron tasks periodically, triggered by people visiting
322 pages of your site. You can configure the built-in cron feature by navigating
323 to Administration > Configuration > System > Cron.
325 It is also possible to run the cron tasks independent of site visits; this is
326 recommended for most sites. To do this, you will need to set up an automated
327 process to visit the page /cron on your site, which executes the cron
330 The URL of the cron page requires a "cron key" to protect against
331 unauthorized access. Your site's cron key is automatically generated during
332 installation and is specific to your site. The full URL of the page, with the
333 cron key, is available in the "Cron maintenance tasks" section of the Status
334 report page at Administration > Reports > Status report.
336 As an example for how to set up this automated process, you can use the
337 crontab utility on Unix/Linux systems. The following crontab line uses the
338 wget command to visit the cron page, and runs each hour, on the hour:
340 0 * * * * wget -O - -q -t 1 http://example.com/cron/YOURKEY
342 Replace the text "http://example.com/cron/YOURKEY" in the example with the
343 full URL displayed under "Cron maintenance tasks" on the "Status report"
346 More information about cron maintenance tasks is available at
347 https://www.drupal.org/cron, and sample cron shell scripts can be found in
348 the core/scripts/ directory. (Note that these scripts must be customized like
349 the above example, to add your site-specific cron key and domain name.)
354 Drupal can be reinstalled without downloading and extracting the Drupal release.
356 1. Drop all the tables in your database.
358 2. Remove everything in sites/default/files.
360 3. Remove sites/default/settings.php.
362 4. Follow the Installation Instructions above starting from Step 3 (Run the
365 BUILDING AND CUSTOMIZING YOUR SITE
366 ----------------------------------
368 A new installation of Drupal defaults to a very basic configuration. To extend
369 your site, you use "modules" and "themes". A module is a plugin that adds
370 functionality to Drupal, while a theme changes the look of your site. The core
371 of Drupal provides several optional modules and themes, and you can download
372 more at https://www.drupal.org/project/project_module and
373 https://www.drupal.org/project/project_theme
375 Do not mix downloaded or custom modules and themes with Drupal's core modules
376 and themes. Drupal's modules and themes are located in the /core/modules and
377 /core/themes directories, while the modules and themes you add to Drupal are
378 normally placed in the /modules and /themes directories. If you run a multisite
379 installation, you can also place modules and themes in the site-specific
380 directories -- see the Multisite Configuration section, below.
382 Never edit Drupal's core modules and themes; instead, use the hooks available in
383 the Drupal API. To modify the behavior of Drupal, develop a module as described
384 at https://www.drupal.org/developing/modules. To modify the look of Drupal,
385 create a subtheme as described at https://www.drupal.org/node/2165673, or a
386 completely new theme as described at https://www.drupal.org/docs/8/theming
388 MULTISITE CONFIGURATION
389 -----------------------
391 A single Drupal installation can host several Drupal-powered sites, each with
392 its own individual configuration.
394 For this to work you need the file sites/sites.php to exist. Make a copy of
395 the example.sites.php file:
397 $ cp sites/example.sites.php sites/sites.php
399 Additional site configurations are created in subdirectories within the 'sites'
400 directory. Each subdirectory must have a 'settings.php' file, which specifies
401 the configuration settings. The easiest way to create additional sites is to
402 copy file 'default.settings.php' from the 'sites/default' directory into the
403 new site directory with file name 'settings.php' and modify as appropriate.
404 The new directory name is constructed from the site's URL. The configuration
405 for www.example.com could be in 'sites/example.com/settings.php' (note that
406 'www.' should be omitted if users can access your site at http://example.com/).
408 $ cp sites/default/defaults.settings.php sites/example.com/settings.php
410 Sites do not have to have a different domain. You can also use subdomains and
411 subdirectories for Drupal sites. For example, example.com, sub.example.com, and
412 sub.example.com/site3 can all be defined as independent Drupal sites. The setup
413 for a configuration such as this would look like the following:
415 sites/default/settings.php
416 sites/example.com/settings.php
417 sites/sub.example.com/settings.php
418 sites/sub.example.com.site3/settings.php
420 When searching for a site configuration (for example www.sub.example.com/site3),
421 Drupal will search for configuration files in the following order, using the
422 first configuration it finds:
424 sites/www.sub.example.com.site3/settings.php
425 sites/sub.example.com.site3/settings.php
426 sites/example.com.site3/settings.php
427 sites/www.sub.example.com/settings.php
428 sites/sub.example.com/settings.php
429 sites/example.com/settings.php
430 sites/default/settings.php
432 If you are installing on a non-standard port, the port number is treated as the
433 deepest subdomain. For example: http://www.example.com:8080/ could be loaded
434 from sites/8080.www.example.com/. The port number will be removed according to
435 the pattern above if no port-specific configuration is found, just like a real
438 Each site configuration can have its own site-specific modules and themes in
439 addition to those installed in the standard 'modules' and 'themes' directories.
440 To use site-specific modules or themes, simply create a 'modules' or 'themes'
441 directory within the site configuration directory. For example, if
442 sub.example.com has a custom theme and a custom module that should not be
443 accessible to other sites, the setup would look like this:
445 sites/sub.example.com/
448 modules/custom_module
450 For more information about multiple virtual hosts or the configuration
451 settings, consult https://www.drupal.org/documentation/install/multi-site
453 For more information on configuring Drupal's file system path in a multisite
454 configuration, see step 6 above.
456 MULTILINGUAL CONFIGURATION
457 --------------------------
459 By default, Drupal is installed in one language, and further languages may be
462 For detailed instructions, visit
463 https://www.drupal.org/documentation/multilingual