Attention
You can now run different PHP versions per project:
Release v3.0.0-beta-0.1 
Setup ExpressionEngine¶
This example will use curl to install ExpressionEngine from within the Devilbox PHP container.
After completing the below listed steps, you will have a working ExpressionEngine setup ready to be served via http and https.
Table of Contents
Overview¶
The following configuration will be used:
| Project name | VirtualHost directory | Database | TLD_SUFFIX | Project URL |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| my-ee | /shared/httpd/my-ee | my_ee | loc | http://my-ee.loc https://my-ee.loc |
Note
- Inside the Devilbox PHP container, projects are always in
/shared/httpd/. - On your host operating system, projects are by default in
./data/www/inside the Devilbox git directory. This path can be changed via HOST_PATH_HTTPD_DATADIR.
Walk through¶
It will be ready in eight simple steps:
- Enter the PHP container
- Create a new VirtualHost directory
- Download and extract ExpressionEngine
- Symlink webroot directory
- Add MySQL Database
- Setup DNS record
- Install ExpressionEngine
- View your site
1. Enter the PHP container¶
All work will be done inside the PHP container as it provides you with all required command line tools.
Navigate to the Devilbox git directory and execute shell.sh (or shell.bat on Windows) to
enter the running PHP container.
host> ./shell.sh
2. Create new vhost directory¶
The vhost directory defines the name under which your project will be available.
( <vhost dir>.TLD_SUFFIX will be the final URL ).
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd $ mkdir my-ee
See also
3. Download and extract ExpressionEngine¶
Navigate into your newly created vhost directory and install ExpressionEngine.
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd $ cd my-ee
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ curl 'https://expressionengine.com/?ACT=243' -H 'Referer: https://expressionengine.com/' --compressed -o ee.zip
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ mkdir ee
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ unzip ee.zip -d ee
How does the directory structure look after installation:
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ tree -L 1
.
├── ee
└── ee.zip
1 directory, 1 file
4. Symlink webroot¶
Symlinking the actual webroot directory to htdocs is important. The web server expects every
project’s document root to be in <vhost dir>/htdocs/. This is the path where it will serve
the files. This is also the path where your frameworks entrypoint (usually index.php) should
be found.
Some frameworks however provide its actual content in nested directories of unknown levels. This would be impossible to figure out by the web server, so you manually have to symlink it back to its expected path.
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ ln -s ee/ htdocs
How does the directory structure look after symlinking it:
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ tree -L 1
.
├── ee
├── ee.zip
└── htdocs -> ee
2 directories, 1 file
As you can see from the above directory structure, htdocs is available in its expected
path and points to the frameworks entrypoint.
Important
When using Docker Toolbox, you need to explicitly allow the usage of symlinks. See below for instructions:
- Docker Toolbox and Symlinks
5. Add MySQL Database¶
devilbox@php-7.0.20 in /shared/httpd/my-ee $ mysql -u root -h 127.0.0.1 -p -e 'CREATE DATABASE my_ee CHARACTER SET utf8 COLLATE utf8_unicode_ci;'
Note
- Remember the database name you create here. It will be needed again during the installation process.
6. DNS record¶
If you have Auto DNS configured already, you can skip this section, because DNS entries will be available automatically by the bundled DNS server.
If you don’t have Auto DNS configured, you will need to add the following line to your
host operating systems /etc/hosts file (or C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc on Windows):
127.0.0.1 my-ee.loc
7. Install ExpressionEngine¶
Point your browser to http://my-ee.loc/admin.php or https://my-ee.loc/admin.php and follow the on-screen instructions to install ExpressionEngine.
Important
Once the Installation Wizard is finished, you should rename or remove the system/ee/installer/ directory from your install directory if it was not done by the install wizard.
8. View Your Site¶
All set now, you can visit your site’s homepage by opening http://my-ee.loc or https://my-ee.loc in your browser.
Your control panel will also be available by opening http://my-ee.loc/admin.php or https://my-ee.loc/admin.php in your browser.
Note
- If you chose not to install the default theme, your site’s homepage will appear blank because no templates or content has been created yet.
- If you’re new to ExpressionEngine, get started with the
10 Minute Primer
Next steps¶
Once everything is installed and setup correctly, you might be interested in a few follow-up topics.
Use bundled batteries¶
The Devilbox ships most common Web UIs accessible from the intranet.
Enhance the Devilbox¶
Go ahead and make the Devilbox more smoothly by setting up its core features.
Add services¶
In case your framework/CMS requires it, attach caching, queues, database or performance tools.