Learn how to install Akaunting on Linux Ubuntu 22.04 LTS

Introduction

Akaunting is a freemium software that’s written in PHP and uses modern technologies to make the advanced easy to use features it supports possible. The software stores information in a MySQL database service, and it can be used with web servers such as Apache, or LiteSpeed. In this tutorial, we’ll guide you through the process of installing Akaunting with the LAMP stack on a Linux Ubuntu 22.04 server.

Requirements

The following is a list of items needed to complete the installation successfully:
1) A desktop or laptop with 4GB RAM, a dual core processor and 50 GB of free disk space
2) Linux Ubuntu 22.04 or any newer version
3) For Cloud deployments, a domain name and a public static IP address is needed.
4) An SSH client such as Putty or the macOS terminal app
5) User privileges: root or non-root user with sudo privileges.

Overview

The following is an overview of the steps covered in this tutorial:
1) Open an SSH connection to your Linux Ubuntu server
2) Create the Akaunting bash script.
3) Set execute permissions and run the script.
4) Access the Akaunting dashboard and complete the post installation setup
5) Conclusion and next steps

Step 1: Open an SSH connection to your Ubuntu server.

The first step is opening an SSH connection to your Linux Ubuntu server. If you are a macOS user, open the Terminal application by going to Applications > Utilities > Terminal. In the Terminal window, type the following command:

   ssh username@server_ip

Replace ‘username’ with your actual username on the server, and ‘server_ip’ with the IP address or domain name of your Ubuntu server. Enter your password (if required) and press Enter. You won’t see any characters while typing. If everything is set up correctly, you should be logged into your Ubuntu server via SSH.

If you are a Windows user, open the Command Prompt or PowerShell. In the Command Prompt or PowerShell window, type the following command:

ssh username@server_ip

Replace ‘username’ with your actual username on the server, and ‘server_ip’ with the IP address or domain name of your Ubuntu server. Enter your password (if required) and press Enter. If everything is configured correctly, you should now be logged into your Ubuntu server via SSH.

If you use SSH keys for authentication instead of passwords, macOS users can store their SSH keys in the ‘~/.ssh/’ directory, while Windows users typically store their SSH keys in ‘C:\Users\YourUsername\.ssh\’. Make sure your Ubuntu server has SSH server installed and running. You can install OpenSSH server on Ubuntu by running

sudo apt install openssh-server

Ensure that your firewall settings allow SSH connections to your Ubuntu server. By default, SSH uses port 22, so make sure it’s open.

Step 2: Create the Akaunting bash script. Set execute permissions and run the script

Once you’ve gained SSH access to your ubuntu server, use the download button at the top of this page to download the akaunting installation bash script. Open the script file using your favourite text editor and copy all text in the file. Return to the SSH command prompt and run the following commands:

cd /opt/
nano akaunting.sh

Paste the text you copied from the script file you downloaded and press CTRL + 0, hit enter and press CTRL + X to exit the file. Set execute permission on the script by running the command:

chmod +x akaunting.sh

Run the script using the command:

./akaunting.sh

Enter your domain name on the “Enter your domain name prompt” and press the enter key on your keyboard. You will see command line interface output indicating the script is running and installing the Akaunting business management software.

Step 3: Access the Akaunting dashboard and complete the post installation setup

When the Akaunting installation process completes, you will see the message “Installation completed successfully. You can access Akaunting at http://example.com”. Copy the URL and paste it in the address bar on a new browser window. When the page loads, you will see the Akaunting language selection page. Select your desired langauge and click Next.

On the Database page, enter the database username, password and name. You can obtain these details from the bash script. Click Next and set your Company name, email address and the admin password you will use to access the Akaunting webadmin dashboard. Click Next and login to the Akaunting dashboard using your email address and password.

When you login, you will see a Company and Currency configuration page. Click the link to get an API key and sign up for a user account at akaunting.com. Login to your user account and copy the API on the main page. Return your you Akaunting server and paste the key on the API Key field.

Enter your TAX number, Address, Country, Financial Year Start, Logo and click the Save button. Select your currency, click Next and click the Skip link to access the Akaunting dashboard.

Conclusion.

Congratulations! You have successfully installed Akaunting on your Ubuntu 22.04 server using the LAMP stack! Take some time to explore the various features offered by Akaunting. Get familiar with the dashboard layout, menus, and functionalities. If you have existing financial data, you can import it into Akaunting to save time and avoid manual entry. Akaunting offers various import options depending on your data format (CSV, XLSX, etc.).

Akaunting allows you to customize various settings like currencies, date formats, and user roles. Explore the settings menu and configure Akaunting to best suit your needs. If you have multiple users who need access to Akaunting, create user accounts and assign them appropriate roles (admin, accountant, etc.) to control access levels.

Remember to back up your Akaunting data regularly. Consider additional security measures like implementing a strong firewall and keeping your server software updated. For further assistance, refer to the Akaunting documentation. It provides detailed information on various functionalities, configuration options, and troubleshooting guides.