Setting Up OwnCloud on Your Raspberry Pi

Ben
Ben
@benjislab

The Raspberry Pi, a versatile and compact computing device, can be transformed into a myriad of different servers, one of which is a personal cloud server using OwnCloud. OwnCloud is an open-source software that allows you to set up your own cloud storage solution, similar to Dropbox or Google Drive, but on your private server. This guide will walk you through the process of installing OwnCloud on your Raspberry Pi, turning it into a central hub for your files, accessible from anywhere with internet connectivity.

Why Choose OwnCloud for Your Raspberry Pi?

  • Privacy and Control: Keep your data stored privately, under your control, without relying on third-party cloud services.
  • Accessibility: Access your files from anywhere, on any device, with an internet connection.
  • Collaboration: Share files and folders with others, and collaborate on documents in real-time.

Preparing Your Raspberry Pi

Before starting the installation process, ensure your Raspberry Pi is ready:

  1. Raspberry Pi Setup: Have a Raspberry Pi with Raspberry Pi OS installed and running.
  2. Internet Connection: Ensure your Raspberry Pi is connected to the internet via Ethernet or Wi-Fi.
  3. Update Your Raspberry Pi: Run the following commands to update your Raspberry Pi's software to the latest version:
sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Installing OwnCloud

  1. Install Apache, PHP, and MySQL: OwnCloud runs on a web server. Installing Apache, PHP, and MySQL (or MariaDB) is necessary for OwnCloud to function. Use the following command:
sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server libapache2-mod-php7.3 php7.3-gd php7.3-json php7.3-mysql php7.3-curl php7.3-mbstring php7.3-intl php7.3-imagick php7.3-xml php7.3-zip
  1. Configure MySQL: Secure your MySQL installation and set up a database for OwnCloud:
sudo mysql_secure_installation sudo mysql -u root -p CREATE DATABASE owncloud; GRANT ALL ON owncloud.* TO  'ownclouduser'@'localhost'  IDENTIFIED BY  'password'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; EXIT;

Replace 'password' with a strong password of your choice.

  1. Download and Install OwnCloud: Download the latest version of OwnCloud from their official website, extract it, and move it to your web server directory:
wget https://download.owncloud.org/community/owncloud-complete-latest.tar.bz2 tar -xjf owncloud-complete-latest.tar.bz2 sudo  mv  owncloud /var/www/html/
  1. Set Permissions: Adjust the file permissions to allow the web server to access the OwnCloud directory:
sudo  chown  -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/owncloud/ sudo  chmod  -R 755 /var/www/html/owncloud/
  1. Configure Apache: Create an Apache configuration file for OwnCloud and enable the site:
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/owncloud.conf

Insert the following configuration, then save and exit:

Alias /owncloud "/var/www/html/owncloud/" <Directory /var/www/html/owncloud/> Options +FollowSymlinks AllowOverride  All  Require  all  granted </Directory>

Enable the new configuration and rewrite module, then restart Apache:

sudo a2ensite owncloud sudo a2enmod rewrite sudo systemctl restart apache2

Accessing OwnCloud

After installation, access OwnCloud by navigating to http://your_raspberry_pi_ip/owncloud in a web browser. Complete the setup by creating an admin account and entering your database details as configured earlier.

Conclusion

By following the steps outlined in this guide, you have successfully turned your Raspberry Pi into a personal cloud server with OwnCloud. This setup not only provides you with a private space to store, share, and manage your files but also offers the flexibility to access your data securely from anywhere. OwnCloud on Raspberry Pi is an excellent solution for those seeking control over their data without sacrificing convenience and accessibility.