How to Install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS

This article provides a guide demonstrating how to install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS.

What is Sakai LMS?

Sakai LMS is an open-source learning management system designed for colleges, universities, and online education providers to deliver courses, manage learning resources, and support collaboration between instructors and students.

It’s maintained by the Apereo Foundation and is widely used in higher education around the world.

Key Features

• Course Management – Create, organize, and manage courses with modules, assignments, quizzes, and grading.
• Collaboration Tools – Built-in forums, chat, messaging, wikis, and announcements for communication.
• Assessment & Grading – Online quizzes, tests, assignments, and gradebook for tracking student performance.
• Content Delivery – Upload, organize, and share documents, videos, and learning resources.
• Customization – Flexible layout, tools, and permissions; can be tailored for specific institutional needs.
• Integrations – Supports LTI (Learning Tools Interoperability) to connect with other ed-tech tools.
• Multi-Language Support – Suitable for international deployments.

Typical Use Cases

• Universities and Colleges – For online and blended learning.
• Corporate Training – As a platform for staff skill development.
• Non-profits and Community Education – To deliver educational programs.
• Research Collaboration – As a workspace for academic teams.

Technology Stack

• Backend: Java (runs on Apache Tomcat)
• Database: PostgreSQL, MySQL, or Oracle
• Frontend: Web-based, mobile-responsive
• License: Open Source (Educational Community License 2.0)

Why Institutions Choose Sakai

• Free and Open Source – No licensing fees.
• Community-Driven Development – Improvements guided by educators and institutions.
• Scalable & Secure – Suitable for small classes or large universities.
• Long-term Support – Backed by an active global user base and Apereo Foundation.

Here’s a step-by-step guide demonstrating how to install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS. This will set up a production-ready environment with Tomcat, PostgreSQL, and Java.

Prerequisites

Before starting, ensure you have:

• AlmaLinux 8 or AlmaLinux 9 VPS (2+ CPU, 4GB+ RAM recommended)
• Root or sudo access
• Domain name pointing to the VPS (optional but recommended)
• Firewall open for HTTP (80) and HTTPS (443)

Update system packages:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf install epel-release -y

How to Install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS

To install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS, follow the steps below:

1. Install Java (OpenJDK 17)

   Sakai LMS requires Java 17 or newer:

   sudo dnf install java-17-openjdk java-17-openjdk-devel -y
   

   Verify installation:

   java -version
   

2. Install and Configure PostgreSQL

   Sakai recommends PostgreSQL for production.

   sudo dnf install postgresql-server postgresql-contrib -y
   sudo postgresql-setup --initdb
   sudo systemctl enable --now postgresql
   

   Set PostgreSQL password:

   sudo -u postgres psql
   

   Inside the psql shell:

   CREATE USER sakaiuser WITH PASSWORD 'StrongPassHere';
   CREATE DATABASE sakaidb WITH OWNER sakaiuser ENCODING 'UTF8';
   \q
   

   Edit PostgreSQL authentication:

   sudo nano /var/lib/pgsql/data/pg_hba.conf
   

   Change relevant lines to:

   host    sakaidb    sakaiuser    127.0.0.1/32    md5
   

   Restart PostgreSQL:

   sudo systemctl restart postgresql
   

3. Install Apache Tomcat

   sudo dnf install wget -y
   cd /opt
   sudo wget https://dlcdn.apache.org/tomcat/tomcat-9/v9.0.92/bin/apache-tomcat-9.0.92.tar.gz
   sudo tar xzf apache-tomcat-9.0.92.tar.gz
   sudo mv apache-tomcat-9.0.92 tomcat9
   

   Set permissions:

   sudo useradd -r -m -U -d /opt/tomcat9 -s /bin/false tomcat
   sudo chown -R tomcat: /opt/tomcat9
   

4. Download and Deploy Sakai LMS

   Find the latest Sakai release from https://source.sakaiproject.org.

   Example for Sakai 23:

   cd /opt/tomcat9/webapps
   sudo wget https://source.sakaiproject.org/release/23.0/artifacts/sakai-23.0.war -O sakai.war
   

5. Configure Sakai Database Connection

   Create Sakai configuration directory:

   sudo mkdir -p /opt/tomcat9/sakai
   

   Create sakai.properties:

   sudo nano /opt/tomcat9/sakai/sakai.properties
   

   Add:

   # Database Settings
   driverClassName=org.postgresql.Driver
   url=jdbc:postgresql://localhost:5432/sakaidb
   username=sakaiuser
   password=StrongPassHere
   
   hibernate.dialect=org.hibernate.dialect.PostgreSQLDialect
   
   # Server URL
   serverUrl=http://yourdomain.com:8080
   
   # File storage
   bodyPath=/opt/tomcat9/sakai-content
   

6. Add PostgreSQL JDBC Driver

   cd /opt/tomcat9/lib
   sudo wget https://jdbc.postgresql.org/download/postgresql-42.7.3.jar
   

7. Create Systemd Service for Tomcat

   sudo nano /etc/systemd/system/tomcat.service
   

   Paste:

   [Unit]
   Description=Apache Tomcat 9
   After=network.target
   
   [Service]
   Type=forking
   User=tomcat
   Group=tomcat
   
   Environment="JAVA_HOME=/usr/lib/jvm/java-17-openjdk"
   Environment="CATALINA_PID=/opt/tomcat9/temp/tomcat.pid"
   Environment="CATALINA_HOME=/opt/tomcat9"
   Environment="CATALINA_BASE=/opt/tomcat9"
   
   ExecStart=/opt/tomcat9/bin/startup.sh
   ExecStop=/opt/tomcat9/bin/shutdown.sh
   
   [Install]
   WantedBy=multi-user.target
   

   Enable and start:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl enable tomcat
   sudo systemctl start tomcat
   

8. Open Firewall Ports

   sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-port=8080/tcp
   sudo firewall-cmd --reload
   

9. Access Sakai LMS

   Visit:

   http://yourdomain.com:8080/sakai
   

   Follow the web installer to finish configuration.

10. (Optional) Set Up Nginx Reverse Proxy + HTTPS

    Install Nginx & Certbot:

    sudo dnf install nginx certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
    

    Create Nginx config:

    sudo nano /etc/nginx/conf.d/sakai.conf
    

    Add:

    server {
        listen 80;
        server_name yourdomain.com;
    
        location / {
            proxy_pass http://localhost:8080/;
            proxy_set_header Host $host;
            proxy_set_header X-Real-IP $remote_addr;
        }
    }
    

    Enable HTTPS:

    sudo systemctl enable --now nginx
    sudo certbot --nginx -d yourdomain.com
    

Final Notes

• For production, consider enabling Tomcat security settings and database backups.
• Tune JVM memory in /opt/tomcat9/bin/setenv.sh.
• Review Sakai official admin docs for cluster setups.

Conclusion

You now know how to install Sakai LMS on AlmaLinux VPS.