How to Install Nextcloud on Ubuntu (Complete Guide)

If you’re looking to break free from Google Drive, Dropbox, or OneDrive, Nextcloud is one of the best self-hosted alternatives available. It gives you complete control over your files, calendar, contacts, and more—all running on your own hardware.

In this guide, we’ll walk through installing Nextcloud on Ubuntu Server from start to finish.

What is Nextcloud?

Nextcloud is an open-source, self-hosted file sync and collaboration platform. Think of it as your own private cloud that you fully control. Key features include:

File sync across all your devices
Calendar and contacts sync
Collaborative document editing
Photo and video backup
Extensible with apps (notes, tasks, music, and more)

Prerequisites

Before we begin, you’ll need:

A server running Ubuntu 22.04 LTS or newer
Root or sudo access
A domain name (optional but recommended for SSL)
At least 2GB RAM and 20GB storage

For this guide, we’ll use the LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP).

Step 1: Update Your System

Always start with a fresh system update:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Apache Web Server

Install Apache and enable required modules:

sudo apt install apache2 -y
sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2

Enable the modules Nextcloud needs:

sudo a2enmod rewrite headers env dir mime ssl
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 3: Install MariaDB Database

MariaDB is a reliable, open-source database that works great with Nextcloud:

sudo apt install mariadb-server -y
sudo systemctl enable mariadb
sudo mysql_secure_installation

During the secure installation:

Set a root password
Remove anonymous users: Yes
Disallow root login remotely: Yes
Remove test database: Yes
Reload privileges: Yes

Now create the Nextcloud database:

sudo mysql -u root -p

CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
CREATE USER 'nextclouduser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'YourStrongPassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextclouduser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Replace YourStrongPassword with a secure password.

Step 4: Install PHP and Required Extensions

Nextcloud requires PHP 8.1 or newer with several extensions:

sudo apt install php php-apcu php-bcmath php-cli php-common php-curl php-gd php-gmp php-imagick php-intl php-mbstring php-mysql php-zip php-xml php-redis libapache2-mod-php -y

Verify PHP is installed:

php -v

Step 5: Download and Install Nextcloud

Download the latest Nextcloud release:

cd /tmp
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.tar.bz2

Extract and move to the web directory:

sudo tar -xjf latest.tar.bz2
sudo mv nextcloud /var/www/html/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/nextcloud
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/html/nextcloud

Step 6: Configure Apache for Nextcloud

Create a virtual host configuration:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud.conf

Add this configuration (replace yourdomain.com with your actual domain):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerAdmin [email protected]
    DocumentRoot /var/www/html/nextcloud
    ServerName yourdomain.com
    
    <Directory /var/www/html/nextcloud/>
        Require all granted
        AllowOverride All
        Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
        
        <IfModule mod_dav.c>
            Dav off
        </IfModule>
    </Directory>
    
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site:

sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 7: Complete Web Installation

Open your browser and navigate to http://your-server-ip/ or http://yourdomain.com/

You’ll see the Nextcloud setup wizard. Enter:

Admin username and password of your choice
Data folder: Leave default or change to a larger disk
Database user: nextclouduser
Database password: The password you created earlier
Database name: nextcloud
Database host: localhost

Click Install and wait for the setup to complete.

Step 8: Configure PHP for Better Performance

Edit the PHP configuration:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.1/apache2/php.ini

Find and modify these values:

memory_limit = 512M
upload_max_filesize = 1G
post_max_size = 1G
max_execution_time = 300
date.timezone = America/New_York

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 9: Set Up SSL with Let’s Encrypt (Recommended)

For secure HTTPS access, install Certbot:

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

Obtain and install a certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d yourdomain.com

Follow the prompts to complete SSL setup. Certbot will automatically configure Apache and set up auto-renewal.

Step 10: Configure Nextcloud Cron Jobs

For better performance, set up a system cron instead of AJAX:

sudo crontab -u www-data -e

Add a cron job to run every 5 minutes. The format is:

MINUTE  HOUR  DAY  MONTH  WEEKDAY  COMMAND

Add this line (runs every 5 minutes):

echo "*/5 * * * * php -f /var/www/html/nextcloud/cron.php" | sudo tee -a /var/spool/cron/crontabs/www-data

Or manually add: every 5 minutes, run the Nextcloud cron:

*/5 * * * * php -f /var/www/html/nextcloud/cron.php

Then, go to Settings > Administration > Basic settings and select Cron as the background job method.

Optimizing Nextcloud

Enable Memory Caching

Edit the Nextcloud config:

sudo nano /var/www/html/nextcloud/config/config.php

Add before the closing );:

'memcache.local' => '\OC\Memcache\APCu',
'default_phone_region' => 'US',

Install Redis for File Locking (Optional)

For better performance with multiple users:

sudo apt install redis-server php-redis -y
sudo systemctl enable redis-server

Add to config.php:

'memcache.locking' => '\OC\Memcache\Redis',
'redis' => [
    'host' => 'localhost',
    'port' => 6379,
],

Installing Mobile and Desktop Apps

Nextcloud offers sync clients for all platforms:

Desktop: nextcloud.com/install/#install-clients
Android: Available on Google Play and F-Droid
iOS: Available on the App Store

Troubleshooting Common Issues

“Access through untrusted domain”

Edit config.php and add your domain to the trusted domains array:

'trusted_domains' => 
array (
    0 => 'localhost',
    1 => 'yourdomain.com',
    2 => 'your-server-ip',
),

File upload fails for large files

Check both PHP settings (upload_max_filesize, post_max_size) and Apache’s LimitRequestBody if configured.

Slow performance

Enable APCu and Redis caching
Increase PHP memory limit
Use system cron instead of AJAX

Wrapping Up

You now have a fully functional Nextcloud instance running on Ubuntu! You’ve got:

A complete file sync solution
Database backend with MariaDB
SSL encryption (if configured)
Optimized PHP settings

From here, explore the Nextcloud app store to add calendars, contacts, notes, and more. You’re now in control of your own cloud.

Related guides:

Check out the official Nextcloud documentation.

What is Nextcloud?#

Prerequisites#

Step 1: Update Your System#

Step 2: Install Apache Web Server#

Step 3: Install MariaDB Database#

Step 4: Install PHP and Required Extensions#

Step 5: Download and Install Nextcloud#

Step 6: Configure Apache for Nextcloud#

Step 7: Complete Web Installation#

Step 8: Configure PHP for Better Performance#

Step 9: Set Up SSL with Let’s Encrypt (Recommended)#

Step 10: Configure Nextcloud Cron Jobs#

Optimizing Nextcloud#

Enable Memory Caching#

Install Redis for File Locking (Optional)#

Installing Mobile and Desktop Apps#

Troubleshooting Common Issues#

“Access through untrusted domain”#

File upload fails for large files#

Slow performance#

Wrapping Up#

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