Overview

Nextcloud is free open-source software you can use to share and manage your personal files with others. It’s a free alternative to file-sharing services similar to Dropbox, Google Drive, or iCloud. Nextcloud can be installed on Windows, Mac, and Linux machines. From Nextcloud’s About page.

Nextcloud offers an industry-leading, on-premises content collaboration platform.

Our technology combines the convenience and ease of use of consumer-grade solutions like Dropbox and Google Drive with the security, privacy, and control of business needs.

This article walks you through installing ownCloud using SSH. Please review the following articles before beginning as you’ll need access to a terminal and basic knowledge of how to run Shell commands:

Difference between Nextcloud and ownCloud

ownCloud was the original software Nextcloud is based on. The creator of ownCloud then spun off a new version called Nextcloud as a more user-focused version of this service. ownCloud remains its own separate service.

What types of servers can Nextcloud be installed on?

Nextcloud can be installed on Shared, VPS, and Dedicated Servers.

Although it’s possible to install on a shared server, this is not recommended. Due to the number of resources Nextcloud uses, you may find that Shared Hosting is not powerful enough for your application. A VPS or Dedicated Server is the best choice for running Nextcloud.

Downloading Nextcloud

1. Log into your server via SSH.
2. Navigate to your website directory (example.com). Make sure to change your username to your Shell user.[server]$ cd /home/username/example.com
3. Visit https://nextcloud.com/install/.
4. Click Download for Server.
5. A pop-up appears. Right-click and choose Copy link address.
6. Run the following command on your server in your website directory. Change the link to the one you copied above.[server]$ wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/nextcloud-20.0.2.zip
7. Unzip the file.[server]$ unzip nextcloud-20.0.2.zip
8. The files are unzipped into a new directory named /nextcloud.
9. Visit your site at example.com/nextcloud.
10. Create an admin username and password.
11. Click the Storage & database dropdown.
12. Select the MySQL/MariaDB option.
13. Enter your database credentials.
14. Click the Finish setup button.

The software will take a few minutes to install. When finished, you are automatically logged into your Nextcloud site.