Installing InvoicePlane on FreeBSD 12 Using Nginx: A Step-by-Step Guide

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InvoicePlane is a free and open-source invoicing application. This guide will walk you through the installation process on a FreeBSD 12 system using Nginx.

Requirements

  • Web Server: Nginx (this tutorial uses Nginx).
  • MySQL version 5.5 or greater, or MariaDB equivalent.
  • PHP version 7.0, 7.1, or 7.2 with the following extensions:
    • php-gd
    • php-hash
    • php-json
    • php-mbstring
    • php-mcrypt
    • php-mysqli
    • php-openssl
    • php-recode
    • php-xmlrpc
    • php-zlib

Prerequisites

  • A server running FreeBSD 12.
  • A non-root user with sudo privileges.

Initial Steps

Verify your FreeBSD version:

uname -ro
# FreeBSD 12.1-RELEASE

Set the timezone:

tzsetup

Update your operating system packages for the latest updates and security fixes:

freebsd-update fetch install
pkg update && pkg upgrade -y

Install essential administration packages for FreeBSD 12.0:

pkg install -y sudo vim unzip wget bash

Step 1 – Install PHP and Required Extensions

InvoicePlane requires PHP version 7.0 or greater. Install PHP and necessary extensions:

sudo pkg install -y php72 php72-ctype php72-curl php72-dom php72-hash php72-iconv php72-gd php72-json php72-mbstring php72-openssl php72-session php72-simplexml php72-xml php72-zip php72-zlib php72-pdo php72-pdo_mysql php72-mysqli php72-filter php72-ftp php72-tokenizer php72-calendar php72-pecl-APCu php72-opcache

Verify the PHP version:

php --version
# PHP 7.2.7 (cli) (built: Jul 25 2019 01:28:53) ( NTS )
# Copyright (c) 1997-2018 The PHP Group
# Zend Engine v3.3.7, Copyright (c) 1998-2018 Zend Technologies
# with Zend OPcache v7.3.7, Copyright (c) 1999-2018, by Zend Technologies

Enable and start PHP-FPM service:

sudo sysrc php_fpm_enable=yes
sudo service php-fpm start

Step 2 – Install MySQL

Install MySQL database server:

sudo pkg install -y mysql57-server

Verify MySQL version:

mysql --version
# mysql  Ver 14.14 Distrib 5.7.26, for FreeBSD12.0 (amd64) using EditLine wrapper

Enable and start MySQL service:

sudo sysrc mysql_enable="yes"
sudo service mysql-server start

Run mysql_secure_installation to secure MySQL and set a password for the root user:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Respond to the prompts as follows:

Would you like to setup VALIDATE PASSWORD plugin? N
New password: your_secure_password
Re-enter new password: your_secure_password
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] Y

Connect to MySQL shell as root:

sudo mysql -u root -p
# Enter password

Create a database and user for InvoicePlane:

CREATE DATABASE dbname;
CREATE USER 'username'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'password';
GRANT ALL ON dbname.* TO 'username';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Exit MySQL:

exit

Note: Replace dbname, username, and password with your own values.

Step 3 – Install acme.sh and Obtain Let’s Encrypt Certificate (Optional)

Securing your website with HTTPS is a recommended practice. We will use Acme.sh to get a Let’s Encrypt TLS certificate.

Install Acme.sh:

sudo pkg install -y acme.sh

Check Acme.sh version:

acme.sh --version
# v2.8.2

Obtain RSA and ECC/ECDSA certificates for your domain:

# RSA
sudo acme.sh --issue --standalone --home /etc/letsencrypt -d example.com --keylength 2048
# ECDSA
sudo acme.sh --issue --standalone --home /etc/letsencrypt -d example.com --keylength ec-256

Your certificates and keys will be located in:

  • For RSA: /etc/letsencrypt/example.com
  • For ECC/ECDSA: /etc/letsencrypt/example.com_ecc

Step 4 – Install NGINX

Install the NGINX web server:

sudo pkg install -y nginx

Check NGINX version:

nginx -v
# nginx version: nginx/1.14.2

Enable and start NGINX service:

sudo sysrc nginx_enable=yes
sudo service nginx start

Configure Nginx for InvoicePlane:

sudo vim /usr/local/etc/nginx/invoiceplane.conf

Add the following configuration:

server {
    listen 80;
    listen [::]:80;

    server_name example.com;

    root /usr/local/www/invoiceplane;

    index index.php index.html;

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

    location ~* \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_index index.php5;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }
}

Test the NGINX configuration:

sudo nginx -t

Reload NGINX:

sudo service nginx restart

Step 5 – Install InvoicePlane

Download the latest stable version of InvoicePlane:

sudo mkdir -p /usr/local/www
cd /usr/local/www
sudo curl -O -J -L https://invoiceplane.com/download/v1.5.9
sudo unzip v1.5.9.zip
sudo rm v1.5.9.zip
sudo mv ip invoiceplane

Navigate to the InvoicePlane directory:

cd /usr/local/www/invoiceplane

Copy the example configuration file:

sudo cp ipconfig.php.example ipconfig.php

Edit the ipconfig.php file and set your URL:

sudo vim ipconfig.php
# Example: IP_URL=http://example.com

Change ownership of the InvoicePlane directory:

sudo chown -R www:www /usr/local/www/invoiceplane

Edit PHP settings to set the timezone:

sudo vim /etc/php.ini

Find and set:

date.timezone = Region/City

Restart the PHP-FPM service:

sudo service php-fpm restart

Access the InvoicePlane installer in your browser:

http://example.com/index.php/setup

Once installation completes, log into InvoicePlane with the chosen credentials.

To secure your installation, disable the setup:

Edit ipconfig.php and change:

DISABLE_SETUP=false to DISABLE_SETUP=true

Finalize InvoicePlane Setup

Access the web installation wizard by visiting http://example.com in your browser. Follow the setup prompts:

Links

FAQ

What is InvoicePlane?

InvoicePlane is an open-source application designed to help manage invoices, clients, and payments seamlessly.

Can I use Apache instead of Nginx?

Yes, InvoicePlane supports Apache web server as well, although this tutorial specifically covers Nginx.

Is HTTPS mandatory for InvoicePlane?

While not mandatory, securing your site with HTTPS is highly recommended to protect data transmission.