TYPO3 is an enterprise-grade CMS widely used in Europe for large, complex websites needing sophisticated multi-site and multi-language management. This guide covers a complete installation.
Prerequisites
- Ubuntu 22.04/24.04 VPS: 4 vCPU, 4-8 GB RAM (TYPO3 is more resource-intensive than simpler CMS platforms)
- Nginx or Apache, PHP 8.1+, MySQL/MariaDB
- Composer
Step 1 — Install Required PHP Extensions
sudo apt install php8.2-gd php8.2-curl php8.2-mbstring php8.2-xml php8.2-zip php8.2-mysql php8.2-intl php8.2-soap -y
Step 2 — Create the Database
sudo mysql
CREATE DATABASE typo3;
CREATE USER 'typo3'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'CHANGE_ME_STRONG_PASSWORD';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON typo3.* TO 'typo3'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
Step 3 — Install TYPO3 via Composer
composer create-project typo3/cms-base-distribution /var/www/typo3
Step 4 — Set Correct Permissions
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/typo3
Step 5 — Configure Nginx
server {
listen 80;
server_name yourdomain.com;
root /var/www/typo3/public;
index index.php;
location / {
try_files $uri /index.php$is_args$args;
}
location ~ \.php$ {
include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
}
}
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/typo3 /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t && sudo systemctl reload nginx
Step 6 — Run the Web-Based Installer
http://yourdomain.com/typo3/install.php
Follow the setup wizard: database connection, admin account creation, and initial site configuration.
Step 7 — Add HTTPS
sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com
Step 8 — Set Up the Scheduler (TYPO3's Cron System)
sudo crontab -e -u www-data
* * * * * /var/www/typo3/vendor/bin/typo3 scheduler:run
Accessing the Backend
https://yourdomain.com/typo3
TYPO3's Multi-Site Capability
TYPO3 natively supports managing multiple websites/languages from a single installation with shared content where desired — particularly valuable for organizations with many related sites or extensive multilingual requirements.
Installing Extensions
composer require typo3/cms-form
Then activate via the backend's Extension Manager, or automatically via Composer-managed configuration.
Common Errors
Installer fails a system requirement check — TYPO3 has fairly strict PHP extension and configuration requirements; review the specific failing check and address it before proceeding.
Backend is slow — TYPO3 benefits significantly from OPcache and Redis/Memcached caching configuration; verify these are properly set up for production use.
Continue Reading
- Choosing the Right CMS for Your Project: WordPress vs Drupal vs Joomla vs Craft
- How to Set Up Multilingual Content in Joomla/Drupal
- How to Optimize Performance for Drupal/Joomla on a VPS
Browse more articles in CMS Platforms Beyond WordPress.