How to Install OpenProject on Debian 11

OpenProject is a free, open-source, and leading project management system. It is written in Ruby on Rails and AngularJS. It allows you to manage projects across a diversity of teams and departments. It is available in both community and enterprise editions. The community edition covers a wide range of features and plugins and is available for free.

OpenProject offers a rich set of features. Some of them are listed below:

• Agile and Scrum
• Bug tracking
• Wikis
• Forums
• Task management and team collaboration
• Product roadmap and release planning

In this tutorial, I will show you how to install OpenProject software on Debian 11.

Prerequisites

• A server running Debian 11.
• A valid domain name pointed with your server IP.
• A root password is configured on your server.

Getting Started

Before starting, it is a good idea to update your system packages to the updated version. You can update them by running the following command:

apt-get update -y

Once all the packages are updated, run the following command to install other necessary packages:

apt-get install gnupg2 wget apt-transport-https -y

Once you are finished, you can proceed to the next step.

Install OpenProject

By default, the OpenProject package is not included in the Debian 11 main repository. So you will need to add the OpenProject repository to the APT.

First, download and add the GPG key with the following command:

wget -qO- https://dl.packager.io/srv/opf/openproject/key | apt-key add -

Next, add the OpenProject repository with the following command:

wget -O /etc/apt/sources.list.d/openproject.list https://dl.packager.io/srv/opf/openproject/dev/installer/debian/11.repo

Once the repository is added to the APT, update the repository cache with the following command:

apt-get update -y

Once the repository is updated, install the OpenProject using the following command:

apt-get install openproject -y

Once the installation has been completed, you will get the following output:

The openproject package provides an installer. Please run the following command to finish the installation:
sudo openproject configure
==============
Setting up imagemagick (8:6.9.11.60+dfsg-1.3) ...
Processing triggers for libc-bin (2.31-13) ...
Processing triggers for man-db (2.9.4-2) ...
Processing triggers for mailcap (3.69) ...

At this point, OpenProject is installed in your system. You can now proceed to configure it.

Configure OpenProject

You can now configure the OpenProject using the command below:

openproject configure

You will be asked to select the OpenProject edition:

Select the default option and press the Enter key. You will be asked to select the external database or install it locally:

Choose the install PostgreSQL server and press the Enter key. You will be asked to install the Apache webserver:

Choose to install the Apache2 web server and press the Enter key. You will be asked to set the FQDN for your server.

Provide your FQDN and press the Enter key. You will be asked to define the server path.

Leave it blank to install the OpenProject on the root domain then press the Enter key. You will be asked to install the SSL.

Select NO and press the Enter key. You will be asked to set up SVN.

Select Install SVN and press the Enter key. You will be asked to define the repository path:

Leave it default and press the Enter key. You will be asked to install the Git repository.

Select Skip and press the Enter key. You will be asked to install Sendmail.

Select Skip and press the Enter key. You will be asked to install the Memcached server.

Select install Memcached and press the Enter key to start the configuration. Once the OpenProject is configured, you should see the following output:

SCM vendor Subversion uses remote managed repositories. Skipping.
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/openproject.service → /etc/systemd/system/openproject.service.
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/openproject.service.wants/openproject-web.service → /etc/systemd/system/openproject-web.service.
Scaling up...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/openproject-web.service.wants/openproject-web-1.service → /etc/systemd/system/openproject-web-1.service.
--> done.
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/openproject.service.wants/openproject-worker.service → /etc/systemd/system/openproject-worker.service.
Scaling up...
Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/openproject-worker.service.wants/openproject-worker-1.service → /etc/systemd/system/openproject-worker-1.service.
--> done.

The OpenProject package will install and start the Apache service automatically. You can check the status of the Apache using the following command:

systemctl status apache2

If everything is working, you will get the following output:

? apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server
     Loaded: loaded (/lib/systemd/system/apache2.service; enabled; vendor preset: enabled)
     Active: active (running) since Fri 2021-12-03 14:21:17 UTC; 1min 13s ago
       Docs: https://httpd.apache.org/docs/2.4/
   Main PID: 15724 (/usr/sbin/apach)
      Tasks: 56 (limit: 2341)
     Memory: 56.4M
        CPU: 322ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/apache2.service
             ??15724 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start
             ??15739 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start
             ??15755 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start
             ??15756 /usr/sbin/apache2 -k start

Dec 03 14:21:17 debian11 systemd[1]: Starting The Apache HTTP Server...

Access OpenProject Web UI

Now, OpenProject is installed and configured. You can now access it using the URL http://open.yourdomain.com/login. You will be redirected to the OpenProject login page:

Provide default username and password as admin/admin and click on the Sign in button. You should see the Change Password screen:

Change your default password and click on the Save button. You should see the OpenProject welcome page:

Click on the Save button. You should see the following page:

Conclusion

Congratulations! you have successfully installed OpenProject on Debian 11. You can now install and set up OpenProject in the production environment to manage your entire project management lifecycle. Feel free to ask me if you have any questions.