How to install and manage Nextcloud using Snap

Snap is a package man­age­ment system for Linux that offers pre­con­figured software packages. The com­bin­a­tion of Snap and Nextcloud is ideal for those looking for easy in­stall­a­tion without sig­ni­fic­ant ad­min­is­trat­ive effort. However, for complex con­fig­ur­a­tions involving multiple cus­tom­isa­tions, Nextcloud Snap may not be the ideal solution.

What is Snap?

Snap is a software dis­tri­bu­tion and package man­age­ment system designed for Linux. Ori­gin­ally developed for Ubuntu, it is now also available for other dis­tri­bu­tions such as Debian and Fedora. Snap provides software in pre­con­figured packages known as ‘Snaps’, which include all the necessary de­pend­en­cies, elim­in­at­ing the need for manual server con­fig­ur­a­tion.

Is combining Nextcloud and Snap worth it?

Whether in­stalling Nextcloud using Snap is worth­while largely depends on your specific needs and technical expertise. Since Snap includes all de­pend­en­cies in a pre­con­figured package, manual con­fig­ur­a­tion and ad­just­ment for different Linux dis­tri­bu­tions are not required. Therefore, this method is par­tic­u­larly suitable for beginners or those looking to deploy Nextcloud quickly and easily.

However, if you require custom con­fig­ur­a­tions or ad­just­ments to specific com­pon­ents, a manual in­stall­a­tion might be more ap­pro­pri­ate. This will then allow you to configure specific PHP settings or select a preferred database system. Or­gan­isa­tions with high scalab­il­ity demands or specific security re­quire­ments will also benefit more from a manual in­stall­a­tion.

What are the ad­vant­ages and dis­ad­vant­ages of in­stalling Nextcloud using Snap?

In­stalling Nextcloud using Snap has both ad­vant­ages and dis­ad­vant­ages that need to be weighed in­di­vidu­ally. This in­stall­a­tion method offers con­veni­ence and automated updates but comes with lim­it­a­tions in terms of flex­ib­il­ity.

Ad­vant­ages of Nextcloud Snap in­stall­a­tion

• Quick and simple in­stall­a­tion: Snap provides a pre-con­figured package that makes setting up Nextcloud par­tic­u­larly easy.

• Automatic updates: Security and software updates are applied auto­mat­ic­ally, so your cloud is always up to date.

• Com­pat­ible with various dis­tri­bu­tions: Snap runs on numerous Linux operating systems, including Ubuntu, Debian, Fedora, and Arch Linux.

• High stability: The package manager ensures an isolated en­vir­on­ment that minimises potential conflicts with other ap­plic­a­tions.

Dis­ad­vant­ages of Nextcloud Snap in­stall­a­tion

• Limited flex­ib­il­ity: Snap uses fixed con­fig­ur­a­tions like Apache, MySQL, and certain PHP versions, which cannot be swapped out or cus­tom­ised in­di­vidu­ally.

• Per­form­ance drawbacks: Compared to a manually optimised in­stall­a­tion, per­form­ance may be be slightly lower since Snap runs in an isolated en­vir­on­ment, making ad­just­ments to PHP or database per­form­ance difficult.

• De­pend­ence on Canonical: Snap was developed by Canonical and many de­velopers criticise the company’s control over the Snap Store, which some argue con­tra­dicts Linux’s open-source ethos.

How to install and manage Nextcloud using Snap

Before you can install Nextcloud using Snap, you need to meet a few basic re­quire­ments. First, set up an Ubuntu server, create an A-Record for the subdomain, and make sure you have admin rights (sudo) to access the server console.

Below, we explain how to install and manage Nextcloud using Snap step by step. The example provided sets up Nextcloud on Ubuntu 22.04, but you can also use other supported Linux operating systems as well.

Step 1: Install Snap

Snap is already pre-installed on most Ubuntu servers. If not, you can install it using the following command:

sudo apt install snapd

Step 2: Install Nextcloud

Install Nextcloud by running the following command:

sudo snap install nextcloud

Step 3: Add Trusted Domains

Next, add Trusted Domains in Nextcloud to allow access to the server. To add the server’s IP address and a subdomain, enter the following commands in the server console:

sudo snap run nextcloud.occ config:system:set trusted_domains 0 --value=<IP-address>
sudo snap run nextcloud.occ config:system:set trusted_domains 1 --value=<cloud.your.domain>

To check whether the entries have been created, use this command:

sudo snap run nextcloud.occ config:system:get trusted_domains 0
sudo snap run nextcloud.occ config:system:get trusted_domains 1

Step 4: Add Let’s Encrypt

To enable HTTPS on your Nextcloud server, you need to install an SSL script like Let’s Encrypt. Use the following command:

sudo nextcloud.enable-https lets-encrypt

The output will prompt you to accept the SSL cer­ti­fic­ate requests by entering the letter “Y” (for Yes). Then, provide your email address and domain name.

Step 5: Create a Nextcloud account

Go to your Nextcloud server’s webpage using a web browser. You will be prompted to create an account with ad­min­is­trat­ive rights. Once created, you can log in and access the Nextcloud dashboard.

Step 6: Manage Nextcloud using Snap

Finally, here are some commands that will help you manage Nextcloud using Snap:

• Increase memory limit: sudo snap set nextcloud php.memory-limit=512M

• Update Nextcloud (if an update is available): sudo snap refresh nextcloud

• Restart server: sudo snap restart nextcloud

• Restore a previous version: sudo snap revert nextcloud

• Check the status of the Nextcloud instance: sudo snap services nextcloud

• Uninstall Nextcloud: sudo snap remove nextcloud