Set Up the BitrixVM Environment on CentOS

What you need

A fresh CentOS 7 or CentOS Stream 8-9 server
Root access, or a user with sudo
Basic knowledge of the command line

Step 1: Update the system

sudo yum update -y

Reboot the server after a big update.

Step 2: Install the tools

Add the EPEL repository:

sudo yum install -y epel-release

Install Apache, MariaDB and PHP:

sudo yum install -y httpd mariadb-server php php-mysqlnd php-xml php-mbstring php-opcache

Start both services and make them run at boot:

sudo systemctl start httpd && sudo systemctl enable httpd
sudo systemctl start mariadb && sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Step 3: Secure MariaDB

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Set a root password and answer y to the questions. This removes insecure default settings.

Step 4: Download and run the BitrixVM script

Download the setup script from the official Bitrix download page. The example below uses the address from the Bitrix site:

wget http://www.bitrixsoft.com/download/scripts/bitrix-env.sh

Make the script executable and run it:

chmod +x bitrix-env.sh && sudo ./bitrix-env.sh

Follow the questions on the screen.

Step 5: Set up Apache and PHP

Open the Apache config:

sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Add a virtual host for your site. Replace your_domain.com:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    DocumentRoot "/home/bitrix/www"
    ServerName your_domain.com
    ServerAlias www.your_domain.com
    <Directory "/home/bitrix/www">
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog "/var/log/httpd/bitrix-error_log"
    CustomLog "/var/log/httpd/bitrix-access_log" combined
</VirtualHost>

Restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

Open the PHP file sudo nano /etc/php.ini and set:

memory_limit = 512M
max_execution_time = 300
post_max_size = 32M
upload_max_filesize = 32M

Save the file and restart Apache again.

Step 6: Finish in the browser

Open http://your_domain.com. The Bitrix installation page appears. Follow the steps and enter your database details when asked.

Note: The BitrixVM script may install its own web stack. If it asks you to remove or replace Apache, MariaDB or PHP, follow the Bitrix instructions. They win over the manual steps here.

Quick recap

Update CentOS, install the stack and secure MariaDB.
Run the Bitrix script and set up Apache and PHP.
Finish the installation in your browser.