Published:
22 October 2009

Step 3. Get Symphony onto Your Server

Now that you've decided on an installation method, let's get Symphony uploaded to your server. Follow the set of instructions that corresponds to the installation method you've chosen. The first two are for performing a package-based install—one for those who'd like to use an FTP client, and one for those who'd like to use the command line. The third set is for those who've opted to perform a Git-based install.

Using a .Zip Package and FTP
  1. Grab the current release package from http://www.getsymphony.com/download/releases/current and save it to a local directory.
  2. Extract the package.
  3. Using your favorite FTP client, connect to your server and upload the contents of the extracted directory to the desired location on your server. Note that you don't want to upload the directory itself (the one named symphony-n.n.n where n.n.n is the version number), only its contents. In other words, you want Symphony's index.php right in the directory where you're installing Symphony.
  4. Optional. If you'd like to start with a completely clean system (rather than starting with the default workspace), you can delete the workspace/ directory.
  5. Use your FTP client to temporarily set permissions on the root directory (the one you just installed to) and the symphony/ directory to 777 (read, write, and execute for all). Then set permissions on the workspace/ directory to 777 and tell your client to apply the changes recursively (to all subfolders). NOTE: We'll undo this step and tighten up permissions after installing.
Using a .Zip Package and Command Line
  1. SSH into the directory where you'd like to install Symphony (usually the server's web root).
  2. Execute one of the following commands, depending on whether your server supports wget or curl:
    wget http://www.getsymphony.com/download/releases/current && unzip symphony-n.n.n.zip && rm symphony-n.n.n.zip && mv symphony-n.n.n/* . && rmdir symphony-n.n.n
    (If you use the wget command, be sure to replace n.n.n with the version number of your download.)
    curl -L http://www.getsymphony.com/download/releases/current > symphony.zip && unzip symphony.zip && rm symphony.zip && mv symphony-n.n.n/* . && rmdir symphony-n.n.n
  3. Optional. If you'd like to start with a completely clean system (rather than starting with the default workspace), you can delete the workspace/ directory:
    rm -R workspace
  4. Set temporary permissions for the install script:
    chmod 777 symphony .
    chmod -R 777 workspace
    NOTE: We'll undo this step and tighten up permissions after installing.
Using Git
  1. SSH into the parent directory of the directory where you'd like to install Symphony (for example, if you're installing into your server's root at public/html, you want to SSH into public).
  2. If the directory you want to install into exists, make sure you've safely backed up its contents and emptied it. Then remove the directory (in the example above, you'd execute the command rmdir html).
  3. Clone the Symphony Git repository using the following command:
    git clone git://github.com/symphonycms/symphony-2.git directory
    (Be sure to replace directory with the name of the directory where you'd like to install Symphony. For example, is you're installing to your server's web root at public/html, you'll want to use html).
  4. Enter the new directory, and switch to the bundle branch if you wish to install the default extensions and install the default extensions:
    git checkout --track origin/bundle 
    git submodule update --init --recursive
  5. Optional. If you'd like to include the default workspace (rather than starting with a completely clean system):
    git clone git://github.com/symphonycms/workspace.git
  6. Set temporary permissions for the install script:
    chmod 777 symphony .
    chmod -R 777 workspace
    NOTE: We'll undo this step and tighten up permissions after installing.

Step 4. Create a Database →

Symphony • Open Source XSLT CMS

Server Requirements

  • PHP 5.3-5.6 or 7.0-7.3
  • PHP's LibXML module, with the XSLT extension enabled (--with-xsl)
  • MySQL 5.5 or above
  • An Apache or Litespeed webserver
  • Apache's mod_rewrite module or equivalent

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