How to Install WHMCS on Ubuntu 25.10

WHMCS is the industry-standard billing and automation platform for hosting companies, VPS providers, domain resellers, and IT service businesses. Ubuntu 25.10 provides a clean, stable base for running WHMCS with Apache, PHP, and MariaDB.

Step 1: Update Your System

Start by ensuring all packages are up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Apache Web Server

WHMCS runs smoothly on Apache:

sudo apt install apache2 -y
sudo systemctl enable --now apache2

Verify:

systemctl status apache2

Step 3: Install PHP and Required Extensions

WHMCS requires a specific set of PHP modules. Install them all at once:

sudo apt install -y php php-cli php-fpm php-common php-mysql php-curl php-zip php-xml php-json php-mbstring php-gd php-intl php-opcache php-bcmath php-imagick

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Check version:

php -v

Step 4: Install MariaDB (Database Server)

WHMCS uses MySQL/MariaDB. Install and secure it:

sudo apt install mariadb-server -y
sudo systemctl enable --now mariadb
sudo mysql_secure_installation

Step 5: Create Database and User for WHMCS

Log into MariaDB:

sudo mysql -u root

Run:

CREATE DATABASE whmcs;
CREATE USER 'whmcsuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPasswordHere';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON whmcs.* TO 'whmcsuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 6: Download WHMCS Files

Download WHMCS (requires a WHMCS account).
Upload the ZIP to your server using SFTP or browser.

Move to your web root:

cd /var/www/

Extract WHMCS:

sudo unzip whmcs.zip -d whmcs

Set proper permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data whmcs
sudo chmod -R 755 whmcs

Step 7: Configure Apache Virtual Host

Create site config:

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

Add:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName your-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/whmcs

    <Directory /var/www/whmcs/>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/whmcs-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/whmcs-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable config + modules:

sudo a2ensite whmcs.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 8: Install IonCube Loader (Required)

WHMCS will NOT run without IonCube.

Download loader:

cd /tmp
wget https://downloads.ioncube.com/loader_downloads/ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz
sudo tar xvf ioncube_loaders_lin_x86-64.tar.gz

Find PHP extension dir:

php -i | grep extension_dir

Copy correct loader file:

sudo cp ioncube/ioncube_loader_lin_8.2.so /usr/lib/php/20230831/

Enable it:

echo "zend_extension = /usr/lib/php/20230831/ioncube_loader_lin_8.2.so" | sudo tee /etc/php/8.2/apache2/conf.d/00-ioncube.ini

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Step 9: Run the WHMCS Installer

Open your browser:

http://your-domain.com/install

Follow the setup wizard:

Enter database details
Enter license key
Create admin account

After installation, remove the installer directory:

sudo rm -rf /var/www/whmcs/install

Whmcs Now installed.