Nextcloud Install Guide (Raspberry Pi)

Step 1: Connect to Your Raspberry Pi

If you’re using a monitor and keyboard directly connected to the Raspberry Pi, log in using:

Username: pi
Password: raspberry (or the one you set)

If you're using another computer or phone, the easiest way is to use an SSH app.

🔷 Recommended: Termius

Works on Windows, Mac, Linux, Android, and iOS
Create a free account (optional)
In Termius, create a new Host:

Address: raspberrypi.local (or use your Pi’s IP)
Username: pi
Password: raspberry

Click Connect

🖥️ Alternative for Windows: PuTTY

Download from putty.org
Open PuTTY and type raspberrypi.local
Click "Open" and log in with pi / raspberry

If the above address doesn’t work, skip to Step 7 to find your Raspberry Pi’s IP address.

Step 2: Update Your Raspberry Pi

This makes sure all the software is up to date.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 3: Install Web Server and PHP

This installs Apache, MariaDB, and PHP so Nextcloud can run.

sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server libapache2-mod-php php php-mysql php-gd php-json php-curl php-mbstring php-intl php-imagick php-xml php-zip php-bcmath php-gmp unzip -y

Step 4: Set Up the Database

Nextcloud needs a database to store usernames, settings, and file info. We'll use MariaDB, a lightweight version of MySQL.

🔹 A. Open the MariaDB Console

This command lets you interact with the database server:

sudo mariadb

🔸 If prompted for a password, just press Enter (there is no password set by default).

🔹 B. Create the Database and User

Copy and paste the following commands one by one into the MariaDB prompt:

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

Here’s what each line does:

CREATE DATABASE: Makes a new database called nextcloud
CREATE USER: Creates a user called nextclouduser with a password (yourpassword)
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES: Gives full access to that user only for the nextcloud database
FLUSH PRIVILEGES: Applies the changes
EXIT: Leaves the MariaDB interface

🛡️ Tip:

Make sure to remember the username and password — you'll need them when setting up Nextcloud in your browser later.

Step 5: Configure Apache

In this step, you'll tell Apache where to find your Nextcloud files and how to serve them to browsers.

🔹 A. Create a New Apache Configuration File

This file will define how your site is accessed:

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

Paste the following into the file:

<VirtualHost *:80>
  DocumentRoot /var/www/html/nextcloud
  ServerName your-pi-ip

  <Directory /var/www/html/nextcloud/>
    Require all granted
    AllowOverride All
    Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
  </Directory>
</VirtualHost>

🔸 Replace your-pi-ip with your Raspberry Pi’s IP address or your No-IP domain name (e.g., mypihost.ddns.net).

🔹 B. Enable the New Site and Required Modules

These commands activate your config and enable necessary Apache features:

sudo a2ensite nextcloud.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite headers env dir mime

What each command does:

a2ensite: Activates your new site config
a2enmod: Turns on key Apache features like URL rewriting and header handling

🔹 C. Restart Apache

This applies the changes:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

💡 Tips for Beginners:

If Apache fails to restart, double-check the config file for typos.
To test your Apache configuration before restarting, run:
```
sudo apache2ctl configtest
```
If it says Syntax OK, you're good to go.
You can also check Apache status anytime with:
```
sudo systemctl status apache2
```

Step 6: Find Pi's IP Address

hostname -I

Use the IP to access your Pi in a browser.

Step 7: Finish in Browser

Open a browser and go to:

http://192.168.x.x/nextcloud

Replace IP with yours. Use:

User: nextclouduser
Password: yourpassword
Database: nextcloud
Host: localhost

Step 8: Enable Services

sudo systemctl enable apache2
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 9: Mount External HDD (Optional)

If you want to use an external hard drive for storing Nextcloud files, follow these steps to mount it permanently.

🔹 A. Plug in Your Drive

Connect your USB hard drive to the Raspberry Pi.

🔹 B. Find the Drive Name

Run this command to list all storage devices:

lsblk

Look for something like /dev/sda1 with a size that matches your drive. Make note of the name (e.g., sda1).

🔹 C. Create a Mount Point

This is the folder where the drive will be accessed from:

sudo mkdir /media/nextcloud-hdd

🔹 D. Mount the Drive Manually (Temporary)

sudo mount /dev/sda1 /media/nextcloud-hdd

This temporarily mounts the drive. But it won’t survive a reboot—so next we’ll set up auto-mounting.

🔹 E. Get the Drive’s UUID

The UUID is a unique ID that doesn’t change, even if the drive’s name changes:

sudo blkid

Find the line for /dev/sda1 (or your device) and copy the UUID value.

🔹 F. Edit the fstab File (Permanent Mount)

This file controls what gets mounted at boot:

sudo nano /etc/fstab

At the bottom, add a new line using the UUID you copied:

UUID=xxxx-xxxx /media/nextcloud-hdd ext4 defaults,nofail 0 2

⚠️ Replace xxxx-xxxx with your actual UUID. If your drive is NTFS or exFAT, change ext4 to ntfs or exfat.

🔹 G. Test It

Make sure your changes work:

sudo mount -a

If there are no errors, your drive is now permanently mounted!

🔍 Tip:

You can check if it worked by running:

df -h

This shows mounted drives and their available space.

Step 10: Give Access to External Hard Drive (Optional)

To allow Nextcloud to read and write files to your mounted HDD, you need to give proper permissions to the web server (Apache).

🔹 A. Change Ownership to Apache

This gives full control of the drive to Apache's default user www-data:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /media/nextcloud-hdd

What it does: This command recursively (-R) changes the owner of all files and folders inside the HDD mount point to the web server user.

🔹 B. Adjust File Permissions

This ensures that the Apache server can read, write, and execute within the mounted folder:

sudo chmod -R 750 /media/nextcloud-hdd

What it means:

7 = read, write, execute (for owner: www-data)
5 = read and execute (for group)
0 = no access (for others)

This keeps the drive secure while letting Nextcloud function properly.

🔹 C. Add Nextcloud Data Directory (Optional)

If you want Nextcloud to store user files directly on the HDD, create a dedicated folder:

sudo mkdir /media/nextcloud-hdd/data
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /media/nextcloud-hdd/data

Then, during the browser setup in Step 7, set the Data Folder as:

/media/nextcloud-hdd/data

✅ Done!

Your HDD is now ready for Nextcloud file storage with proper permissions and access control.

Step 11: Enable HTTPS (Optional but Recommended)

HTTPS encrypts your connection, making it safer—especially if you plan to access your Nextcloud over the internet.

🔹 A. Install Certbot (Let's Encrypt)

This tool automatically sets up a free SSL certificate from Let's Encrypt.

sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-apache -y

🔹 B. Run Certbot

This command will configure your Apache web server to use HTTPS:

sudo certbot --apache

When you run it:

It will ask for your email (used for renewal notices)
It will ask you to agree to the terms
Then it will scan your Apache config and ask which domain to secure
Select your No-IP domain (e.g. mypihost.ddns.net)
Choose the option to redirect all traffic to HTTPS

If successful, you’ll see a confirmation and your site will now be accessible at:

https://yourname.ddns.net/nextcloud

🔄 C. Auto-Renewal (Built-In)

Certbot sets up automatic renewal by default. You can test it with:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

⚠️ Note:

If your router or firewall blocks port 80 or 443, this will fail. Make sure those ports are forwarded to your Raspberry Pi’s IP address.

Step 12: Download Nextcloud and Set Up No-IP Access

🔹 A. Download Nextcloud

This installs the Nextcloud files into your web directory.

cd /var/www/html
sudo wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.zip
sudo unzip latest.zip
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data nextcloud
sudo chmod -R 755 nextcloud

🔹 B. Set Up No-IP Dynamic DNS (Optional)

This lets you access your Raspberry Pi remotely using a hostname like yourname.ddns.net.

1. Create Your No-IP Account

Go to noip.com and create a free account
Pick a free hostname like mypihost.ddns.net
Save the domain—it’s how you’ll access your Pi from the internet

2. Install the No-IP Client on Pi

cd ~
sudo apt install git build-essential -y
git clone https://github.com/no-ip/noip-ddns
cd noip-ddns
make
sudo make install

During setup, enter your No-IP email, password, and hostname.

3. Start and Enable No-IP Client

sudo /usr/local/bin/noip2
sudo /usr/local/bin/noip2 -S

4. Make No-IP Run on Boot

sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/noip2.service

Paste this:

[Unit]
Description=No-IP Dynamic DNS Update Service
After=network.target

[Service]
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/noip2
Restart=always

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

sudo systemctl enable noip2
sudo systemctl start noip2

✅ Access Nextcloud Remotely

Now go to:

http://yourname.ddns.net/nextcloud

This will redirect to your Raspberry Pi, even if your home IP changes.