Moodle Installation on Amazon EC2 - Complete Guide

Overview

This guide provides a complete step-by-step process to install Moodle 4.4.11 on Amazon EC2 running Amazon Linux 2023. This documentation covers everything from EC2 instance creation to a fully functional Moodle Learning Management System.

Prerequisites

• AWS Account with EC2 access
• Basic knowledge of AWS console
• SSH client (Terminal, PuTTY, etc.)

---

Phase 1: AWS EC2 Setup

Step 1: Launch EC2 Instance

1. Login to AWS Console → Navigate to EC2
2. Click "Launch Instance"
3. Choose AMI: Amazon Linux 2023 (64-bit x86)
4. Instance Type: t2.medium (recommended for production)
5. Key Pair: Create new or select existing
6. Network Settings:
   • VPC: Use default VPC or create new
   • Subnet: Default or specific subnet
   • Auto-assign public IP: Enable
7. Storage: 20GB minimum (gp3 recommended)
8. Security Group: Create new with these rules:
   • SSH (22) - Your IP
   • HTTP (80) - 0.0.0.0/0
   • HTTPS (443) - 0.0.0.0/0
9. Launch Instance

Step 2: Connect to Instance

# Replace with your key file and public IP
ssh -i "your-key.pem" ec2-user@YOUR_PUBLIC_IP

---

Phase 2: System Preparation

Step 1: Update System

sudo dnf update -y

Step 2: Install Essential Packages

# Install Apache, PHP, Git, and other essentials
sudo dnf install -y httpd php php-cli php-fpm php-mysqlnd php-xml php-soap php-intl php-zip php-gd php-mbstring php-opcache php-pdo git memcached

# Start and enable services
sudo systemctl start httpd
sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start memcached
sudo systemctl enable memcached

Step 3: Install MySQL 8.0

# Download MySQL repository
sudo wget https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql80-community-release-el9-1.noarch.rpm

# Install MySQL repository
sudo dnf install mysql80-community-release-el9-1.noarch.rpm -y

# Import GPG key
sudo rpm --import https://repo.mysql.com/RPM-GPG-KEY-mysql-2023

# Install MySQL
sudo dnf install mysql-community-server -y

# Start and enable MySQL
sudo systemctl start mysqld
sudo systemctl enable mysqld

Step 4: Secure MySQL Installation

# Get temporary password
sudo grep 'temporary password' /var/log/mysqld.log

# Run security script
sudo mysql_secure_installation
# Use strong password

Step 5: Create Moodle Database

# Login to MySQL
sudo mysql -u root -p

# Create database and user
CREATE DATABASE moodledb DEFAULT CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'moodleuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Moodle2025!@#';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON moodledb.* TO 'moodleuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

---

📥 Phase 3: Moodle Installation

Step 1: Download and Setup Moodle

# Navigate to web root
cd /var/www

# Clone Moodle (latest stable)
sudo git clone -b MOODLE_404_STABLE https://github.com/moodle/moodle.git

# Set permissions
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/moodle
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/moodle

# Create moodledata directory
sudo mkdir /var/www/moodledata
sudo chown -R apache:apache /var/www/moodledata
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/moodledata

Step 2: Configure Apache Virtual Host

# Create Moodle virtual host
sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/moodle.conf

Add the following content:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot /var/www/moodle
    <Directory /var/www/moodle>
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/moodle_error.log
    CustomLog /var/log/httpd/moodle_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Step 3: Restart Apache

sudo systemctl restart httpd

---

Phase 4: PHP Configuration

Step 1: Configure PHP Settings

# Edit PHP configuration
sudo nano /etc/php.ini

Update these settings:

memory_limit = 256M
upload_max_filesize = 200M
post_max_size = 200M
max_execution_time = 300
max_input_vars = 5000
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_DEPRECATED & ~E_STRICT

Step 2: Install PHP Development Tools

# Install development packages
sudo dnf install -y php-devel php-pear gcc libsodium-devel

# Install libsodium from source
cd /tmp
wget https://download.libsodium.org/libsodium/releases/libsodium-1.0.19-stable.tar.gz
tar -xzf libsodium-1.0.19-stable.tar.gz
cd libsodium-stable
./configure
make && make check
sudo make install
sudo ldconfig

Step 3: Install PHP 8.2 with Sodium Support

# Remove PHP 8.1
sudo dnf remove -y php8.1 php8.1-*

# Install PHP 8.2 with sodium
sudo dnf install -y php8.2 php8.2-sodium php8.2-cli php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysqlnd php8.2-xml php8.2-soap php8.2-intl php8.2-zip php8.2-gd php8.2-mbstring php8.2-opcache php8.2-pdo

# Copy PHP configuration
sudo cp /etc/php.ini.rpmsave /etc/php.ini

# Update max_input_vars
sudo sed -i 's/;max_input_vars = 1000/max_input_vars = 5000/' /etc/php.ini

# Start and enable services
sudo systemctl start php-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php-fpm
sudo systemctl restart httpd

Step 4: Verify PHP Configuration

# Check PHP version
php -v

# Check sodium extension
php -m | grep sodium

# Check max_input_vars
php -i | grep max_input_vars

---

Phase 5: Moodle Web Installation

Step 1: Access Moodle Installation

1. Open browser → Navigate to http://YOUR_PUBLIC_IP
2. Verify server checks - All should show "OK"
3. Click "Continue"

Step 2: Database Configuration

• Database Host: localhost
• Database Name: moodledb
• Database User: moodleuser
• Database Password: Moodle2025!@#
• Database Port: 3306
• Tables Prefix: mdl_

Step 3: Admin Account Setup

• Username: admin (or your choice)
• Password: Strong password meeting requirements
• First Name: Admin
• Last Name: User
• Email: Your email address

Step 4: Site Configuration

• Full site name: Your LMS name
• Short name: LMS
• Timezone: Your local timezone
• Self registration: Disable (recommended)

Step 5: Complete Installation

• Click "Save changes"
• Skip registration (optional)
• Access Moodle Dashboard

---

✅ Phase 6: Post-Installation

Step 1: Verify Installation

• ✅ Access Moodle dashboard
• ✅ All server checks pass
• ✅ Admin account works
• ✅ Database connection successful

Step 2: Security Recommendations

# Set up SSL/HTTPS (recommended)
# Configure firewall rules
# Set up automated backups
# Configure email settings

Step 3: Performance Optimization

# Enable OPcache
# Configure MySQL settings
# Set up caching
# Monitor system resources

---

Troubleshooting

Common Issues and Solutions

Issue: "PHP extension sodium must be installed"

Solution: Follow Phase 4, Step 3 to install PHP 8.2 with sodium support

Issue: "max_input_vars must be at least 5000"

Solution: Update php.ini with max_input_vars = 5000

Issue: "Connection timed out"

Solution: Check security group rules and ensure HTTP (80) is open

Issue: MySQL connection failed

Solution: Verify database credentials and MySQL service status

---

System Requirements Met

• ✅ PHP 8.2.29 with sodium extension
• ✅ MySQL 8.0.43 database
• ✅ Apache HTTP Server configured
• ✅ All required PHP extensions installed
• ✅ Proper file permissions set
• ✅ Security settings configured

---

Final Result

A fully functional Moodle 4.4.11 Learning Management System running on AWS EC2 with:

• Production-ready configuration
• Secure database setup
• Optimized PHP settings
• Complete admin access
• Ready for course creation and user management

---

Support

For issues or questions:

1. Check server logs: /var/log/httpd/ and /var/log/mysqld.log
2. Verify all services are running: sudo systemctl status httpd php-fpm mysqld
3. Check PHP configuration: php -i
4. Review Moodle documentation: https://docs.moodle.org/

---

🎉 Congratulations! Your Moodle LMS is ready for production use!