Install Dolibarr ERP

Configuration

After installing all components, they need to be configured correctly. This includes Nginx for serving Dolibarr, PHP-FPM for script processing, and securing an HTTPS connection using Let's Encrypt.

1. Configuring Nginx for Dolibarr

Create a new Nginx configuration file for your domain (e.g., yourdomain.com). Replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain.

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr.conf

Insert the following content:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name yourdomain.com www.yourdomain.com;
    root /var/www/dolibarr;
    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.4-fpm.sock; # Make sure this is the correct PHP version
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    # Deny access to confidential Dolibarr files
    location ~ /(build|config|data|docs|install|lib|locale|sql|test)/ {
        deny all;
    }
    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
    location ~ \.log$ {
        deny all;
    }
    location ~ \.sql$ {
        deny all;
    }
    location ~ \.conf$ {
        deny all;
    }
    location ~ \.ini$ {
        deny all;
        # Also deny .env files if they are used for secrets
    }
}

Create a symbolic link to this file in sites-enabled and remove the default Nginx config:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo rm /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/default # Remove default Nginx config
sudo nginx -t # Test Nginx config syntax
sudo systemctl restart nginx # Restart Nginx

2. Configuring PHP-FPM

Sometimes it is necessary to increase memory and execution time limits for PHP. Edit the php.ini file for PHP 8.4 FPM:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.4/fpm/php.ini

Find and modify the following parameters:

memory_limit = 256M # Or higher if you have a lot of RAM and users
upload_max_filesize = 64M
post_max_size = 64M
max_execution_time = 300
date.timezone = Europe/Moscow # Or your timezone

Restart PHP-FPM to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart php8.4-fpm

3. Obtaining an SSL Certificate with Let's Encrypt (Certbot)

HTTPS is mandatory for any modern web application. Certbot automates the acquisition and installation of Let's Encrypt certificates.

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y # Install Certbot for Nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com -d www.yourdomain.com # Run Certbot

Follow the Certbot instructions. It will automatically modify your Nginx config, add HTTPS redirects, and set up automatic certificate renewal. Once completed, your Nginx config will be updated, and Dolibarr will be accessible via HTTPS.

4. Completing Dolibarr Installation via Web Interface

Now that everything is configured, open your domain (https://yourdomain.com) in your browser. You will see the Dolibarr installation page:

1. Step 1: Check system requirements. Ensure all necessary PHP extensions and file/directory permissions are marked as "OK".
2. Step 2: Database configuration.
   • Database type: PostgreSQL
   • DBMS hostname: localhost
   • DBMS port: 5432
   • Database name: dolibarrdb (which we created)
   • Database user login: dolibarruserdb (which we created)
   • Database user password: your_db_password
3. Step 3: Dolibarr configuration.
   • Path to data directory (Dolibarr data directory): /var/lib/dolibarr/documents
   • Administrator name: admin (or other)
   • Administrator password: your_admin_password

After completing the installation, Dolibarr will ask you to delete or rename the install.lock file. This is an important security step:

sudo rm /var/www/dolibarr/install.lock

Now you can log in to Dolibarr with the created administrator account.

5. Verifying Functionality

Open your domain in a browser (https://yourdomain.com). You should see the Dolibarr login page. You can also check accessibility using curl from the server:

curl -v https://yourdomain.com

In the output, you should see a successful HTTP response (code 200) and information about the Let's Encrypt certificate.

Backups and Maintenance

Regular backups and timely maintenance are crucial for the stable and secure operation of Dolibarr. Data loss can be catastrophic for any business.

What to Back Up

For a complete Dolibarr recovery, you will need three main components:

1. PostgreSQL Database: Contains all your business data (customers, invoices, orders, products, etc.). This is the most critical component.
2. Dolibarr Documents Directory: /var/lib/dolibarr/documents. This stores attached files, PDF invoices, custom reports, and other unstructured data.
3. Dolibarr Configuration Files: /var/www/dolibarr/conf/conf.php. Contains database connection parameters and other important settings. It's also useful to back up Nginx configs (/etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr.conf) and PHP (/etc/php/8.4/fpm/php.ini).

Simple Auto-Backup Script

We will create a simple script that will dump the database and archive the documents directory. These files will then be moved to a secure location.

sudo mkdir -p /opt/backups/dolibarr # Create directory for backups
sudo nano /opt/backups/dolibarr_backup.sh

Insert the following content into the file dolibarr_backup.sh. Replace YOUR_DB_PASSWORD with the password for the dolibarruserdb database user.

#!/bin/bash

# Variables
DB_NAME="dolibarrdb"
DB_USER="dolibarruserdb"
DB_PASSWORD="YOUR_DB_PASSWORD" # Enter your DB password
BACKUP_DIR="/opt/backups/dolibarr"
DOLIBARR_DOCS_DIR="/var/lib/dolibarr/documents"
CONFIG_FILE="/var/www/dolibarr/conf/conf.php"
NGINX_CONFIG="/etc/nginx/sites-available/dolibarr.conf"
PHP_CONFIG="/etc/php/8.4/fpm/php.ini"
DATE=$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S)
FILENAME_PREFIX="dolibarr_backup_${DATE}"

# Creating PostgreSQL database dump
echo "Creating database dump..."
PGPASSWORD="${DB_PASSWORD}" pg_dump -U "${DB_USER}" -d "${DB_NAME}" > "${BACKUP_DIR}/${FILENAME_PREFIX}_db.sql"
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Database dump successfully created: ${BACKUP_DIR}/${FILENAME_PREFIX}_db.sql"
else
    echo "Error creating database dump!"
    exit 1
fi

# Archiving documents directory and configs
echo "Archiving documents directory and configs..."
tar -czf "${BACKUP_DIR}/${FILENAME_PREFIX}_files.tar.gz" -C "$(dirname ${DOLIBARR_DOCS_DIR})" "$(basename ${DOLIBARR_DOCS_DIR})" \
    -C "$(dirname ${CONFIG_FILE})" "$(basename ${CONFIG_FILE})" \
    -C "$(dirname ${NGINX_CONFIG})" "$(basename ${NGINX_CONFIG})" \
    -C "$(dirname ${PHP_CONFIG})" "$(basename ${PHP_CONFIG})"
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Files archive successfully created: ${BACKUP_DIR}/${FILENAME_PREFIX}_files.tar.gz"
else
    echo "Error archiving files!"
    exit 1
fi

# Deleting old backups (keep last 7 days)
echo "Deleting old backups..."
find "${BACKUP_DIR}" -type f -name "dolibarr_backup_*.sql" -mtime +7 -delete
find "${BACKUP_DIR}" -type f -name "dolibarr_backup_*.tar.gz" -mtime +7 -delete
echo "Backups older than 7 days deleted."

echo "Dolibarr backup completed."

Make the script executable:

sudo chmod +x /opt/backups/dolibarr_backup.sh

Add the script to cron for daily execution (e.g., at 3:00 AM):

sudo crontab -e

Add the following line to the end of the file:

0 3 * * * /opt/backups/dolibarr_backup.sh >> /var/log/dolibarr_backup.log 2>&1

Where to Store Backups

Storing backups on the same server as Dolibarr is very risky. If the server fails, you will lose both the system and the backups. It is recommended to use one of the following solutions:

• External S3-compatible object storage: The most reliable and scalable option. Use utilities like s3cmd, rclone, or awscli (if using AWS S3) for automatic backup uploads.
• Separate VPS or dedicated server: Simply synchronize backups via SSH using rsync to another server.
• NFS/SMB network storage: If you have a local network with NAS.

Example of adding rsync to the script (after deleting old backups):

# Synchronizing backups to a remote server (replace user@remote_host:/path/to/backups)
echo "Synchronizing backups to a remote server..."
rsync -avz --remove-source-files "${BACKUP_DIR}/" user@remote_host:/path/to/backups/
if [ $? -eq 0 ]; then
    echo "Backups successfully synchronized to remote server."
else
    echo "Error synchronizing backups to remote server!"
fi

Updates: rolling vs maintenance window

• OS and stack software updates (Nginx, PHP, PostgreSQL): For system software, it is recommended to use a "maintenance window". Schedule a time when the system is minimally used and run sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y. Always perform a backup before updating.
• Dolibarr Updates: Updating the Dolibarr system itself (e.g., from version 20.0 to 21.0) requires a separate approach. This usually involves downloading the new version, replacing files (except for the conf and documents directories), and then running the update script via the web interface. Always read the official Dolibarr update documentation for the specific version and perform a full backup before starting.
• Automatic Let's Encrypt renewal: Certbot is configured by default for automatic certificate renewal. You can check the status of the Certbot cron job: sudo systemctl status certbot.timer.

Troubleshooting + FAQ

Even with careful configuration, problems can arise. Below are typical questions and their solutions.

Cannot access Dolibarr via browser (HTTP 502 Bad Gateway)

What to check: A 502 error usually means that Nginx cannot communicate with PHP-FPM.

• Check if PHP-FPM is running:

  sudo systemctl status php8.4-fpm

• Check PHP-FPM logs:

  sudo journalctl -u php8.4-fpm

• Check if the path to the PHP-FPM socket is correctly specified in the Nginx config (fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.4-fpm.sock;).
• Ensure that the www-data user (under which Nginx runs) has read/write permissions to the PHP-FPM socket.

Cannot access Dolibarr via browser (HTTP 403 Forbidden)

What to check: A 403 error means that Nginx can find the files, but is forbidden from serving them.

• Check permissions for the /var/www/dolibarr directory. The www-data user must be the owner or have read/execute permissions.

  sudo ls -la /var/www/dolibarr

• Check that there are no deny all; rules in the Nginx config that mistakenly block access to the necessary files.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/dolibarr && sudo chmod -R 750 /var/www/dolibarr

Cannot connect to PostgreSQL database from Dolibarr

What to check:

• Ensure PostgreSQL is running:

  sudo systemctl status postgresql

• Check the database name, user, and password in the /var/www/dolibarr/conf/conf.php file (after installation via the web interface).
• Try connecting to the database manually from the server:

  sudo -i -u postgres psql -d dolibarrdb -U dolibarruserdb

  (enter password).
• Check PostgreSQL logs for errors:

  sudo journalctl -u postgresql

Let's Encrypt certificate is not renewing automatically

What to check:

• Check the status of the Certbot timer:

  sudo systemctl status certbot.timer

• Try performing a manual renewal:

  sudo certbot renew --dry-run

  (for testing) or

  sudo certbot renew

  (for actual renewal).
• Check Certbot logs:

  sudo less /var/log/letsencrypt/letsencrypt.log

• Ensure ports 80 and 443 are open in UFW.

Cannot upload files to Dolibarr (e.g., invoice attachments)

What to check:

• Check permissions for the Dolibarr data directory: /var/lib/dolibarr/documents. The www-data user must have write permissions.

  sudo ls -la /var/lib/dolibarr/documents

• Check the values of upload_max_filesize and post_max_size in /etc/php/8.4/fpm/php.ini. If files are too large, PHP might reject them.

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/lib/dolibarr/documents && sudo chmod -R 750 /var/lib/dolibarr/documents

What is the minimum suitable VPS configuration?

For a small team (1-5 active users) and moderate Dolibarr usage, a VPS with 2 CPU cores, 4 GB RAM, and 80 GB NVMe SSD will be minimally suitable. This will provide enough resources for the operating system, PostgreSQL, Nginx, and PHP-FPM. However, as the number of users or system workload increases, it is recommended to scale resources to avoid slowdowns and ensure comfortable operation.

What to choose — VPS or dedicated for this task?

For most small and medium-sized businesses, freelancers, and startups, a VPS will be the optimal choice. It offers sufficient performance, flexibility, and cost-effectiveness. A dedicated server makes sense if you have a very large team (50+ users), high database performance requirements, strict security and isolation regulations, or if you plan to host many other resource-intensive services on the same host. Dedicated servers provide full control over hardware and exclusive resources but are significantly more expensive and require a higher level of administration.

Conclusions and Next Steps

You have successfully deployed Dolibarr ERP/CRM on your VPS, using the Nginx, PostgreSQL, and PHP-FPM stack, and secured the connection with Let's Encrypt. You now have a powerful and flexible platform to manage all aspects of your business, entirely under your control.

Here are a few steps you can take to further develop and optimize your system:

1. Monitoring Setup: Install monitoring systems (e.g., Prometheus + Grafana or Zabbix) to track server performance, resource usage, and Dolibarr health. This will help identify issues before they become critical.
2. Exploring Dolibarr Modules: Dolibarr has an extensive module store (DoliStore) that can extend the system's functionality to meet your specific business needs. Explore available integrations and extensions.
3. Performance Optimization: As the load grows, you might consider optimizing PostgreSQL (tuning postgresql.conf), PHP-FPM (configuring process pools), and Nginx (caching).
4. Implementing CI/CD: For developers or teams actively customizing Dolibarr, setting up a Continuous Integration/Continuous Delivery (CI/CD) pipeline will help automate the deployment of updates and changes.