Follow the steps in this guide to install Zammad Helpdesk and customer support system on Debian 12 and Debian 11 Linux operating system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The recommended server server requirements for this installation are:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 2 CPU cores<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 4 GB of RAM<\/strong> (+4 GB if you want to run Elasticsearch on the same server)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
For optimal performance, i.e up to 40 agents, below are the recommended hardware specifications.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- 4 CPU cores<\/strong><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- 6 GB of RAM <\/strong>(+6 GB if you want to run Elasticsearch on the same server)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
Step 1: Update Debian System<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Before you begin the installation ensure your Debian system is up-to-date:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt update\nsudo apt -y full-upgrade<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf you have kernel updates it is recommended to perform system restart:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl reboot<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall required dependencies:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install wget curl apt-transport-https gnupg2 libimlib2 libimlib2-dev -y<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 2: Install MariaDB and Apache Web Server<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
A database server and web server which will serve as proxy to Zammad is required. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Set correct locale on the server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt install locales\nsudo locale-gen en_US.UTF-8\necho \"LANG=en_US.UTF-8\" | sudo tee \/etc\/default\/locale<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWe’ll use MariaDB Database Server but you can also choose to use PostgreSQL:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt -y install mariadb-server<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInitiate database security with the command below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo mysql_secure_installation<\/span>\n\nNOTE: RUNNING ALL PARTS OF THIS SCRIPT IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL MariaDB\n SERVERS IN PRODUCTION USE! PLEASE READ EACH STEP CAREFULLY!\n\nIn order to log into MariaDB to secure it, we'll need the current\npassword for the root user. If you've just installed MariaDB, and\nhaven't set the root password yet, you should just press enter here.\n\nEnter current password for root (enter for none): \nOK, successfully used password, moving on...\n\nSetting the root password or using the unix_socket ensures that nobody\ncan log into the MariaDB root user without the proper authorisation.\n\nYou already have your root account protected, so you can safely answer 'n'.\n\nSwitch to unix_socket authentication [Y\/n] n\n ... skipping.\n\nYou already have your root account protected, so you can safely answer 'n'.\n\nChange the root password? [Y\/n] Y\nNew password: \nRe-enter new password: \nPassword updated successfully!\nReloading privilege tables..\n ... Success!\n\n\nBy default, a MariaDB installation has an anonymous user, allowing anyone\nto log into MariaDB without having to have a user account created for\nthem. This is intended only for testing, and to make the installation\ngo a bit smoother. You should remove them before moving into a\nproduction environment.\n\nRemove anonymous users? [Y\/n] Y\n ... Success!\n\nNormally, root should only be allowed to connect from 'localhost'. This\nensures that someone cannot guess at the root password from the network.\n\nDisallow root login remotely? [Y\/n] Y\n ... Success!\n\nBy default, MariaDB comes with a database named 'test' that anyone can\naccess. This is also intended only for testing, and should be removed\nbefore moving into a production environment.\n\nRemove test database and access to it? [Y\/n] Y\n - Dropping test database...\n ... Success!\n - Removing privileges on test database...\n ... Success!\n\nReloading the privilege tables will ensure that all changes made so far\nwill take effect immediately.\n\nReload privilege tables now? [Y\/n] Y\n ... Success!\n\nCleaning up...\n\nAll done! If you've completed all of the above steps, your MariaDB\ninstallation should now be secure.\n\nThanks for using MariaDB!<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCheck and configure database server encoding if not set like below:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo vim \/etc\/mysql\/mariadb.conf.d\/50-server.cnf<\/span>\ncharacter-set-server = utf8mb4\ncollation-server = utf8mb4_general_ci<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nRestart mariadb<\/em> database server after the configuration:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl restart mariadb<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nInstall Apache web server which will proxy requests to Zammad service:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt -y install apache2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEnable Apache headers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo a2enmod headers\nsudo systemctl stop apache2\nsudo systemctl start apache2\nsudo systemctl restart apache2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCheck service status:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo systemctl status apache2.service<\/span>\n\u25cf<\/span> apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server\n Loaded: loaded (\/lib\/systemd\/system\/apache2.service; enabled; preset: enabled)\n Active: active (running)<\/span> since Fri 2025-03-21 18:02:02 EAT; 2s ago\n Docs: https:\/\/httpd.apache.org\/docs\/2.4\/\n Process: 5532 ExecStart=\/usr\/sbin\/apachectl start (code=exited, status=0\/SUCCESS)\n Main PID: 5537 (apache2)\n Tasks: 55 (limit: 7032)\n Memory: 14.9M\n CPU: 42ms\n CGroup: \/system.slice\/apache2.service\n \u251c\u25005537 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n \u251c\u25005539 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n \u2514\u25005540 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n\nMar 21 18:02:02 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Starting apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server...\nMar 21 18:02:02 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Started apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 3: Install ElasticSearch<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Once the system is rebooted add Elasticsearch repository:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
wget -qO - https:\/\/artifacts.elastic.co\/GPG-KEY-elasticsearch | sudo gpg --dearmor -o \/usr\/share\/keyrings\/elasticsearch-keyring.gpg\necho \"deb [signed-by=\/usr\/share\/keyrings\/elasticsearch-keyring.gpg] https:\/\/artifacts.elastic.co\/packages\/8.x\/apt stable main\" | sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/elastic-8.x.list\nsudo apt update -y<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nThen install Elasticsearch:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt-get update && sudo apt-get install elasticsearch<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWhen installing Elasticsearch, security features are enabled and configured by default. When you install Elasticsearch, the following security configuration occurs automatically:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Authentication and authorization are enabled, and a password is generated for the
elastic<\/code> built-in superuser.<\/li>\n\n\n\n- Certificates and keys for TLS are generated for the transport and HTTP layer, and TLS is enabled and configured with these keys and certificates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
The password and certificate and keys are output to your terminal. You can reset the password for the
elastic<\/code> user with theelasticsearch-reset-password<\/code><\/a> command.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-01-1024x455.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nWe recommend storing the
elastic<\/code> password as an environment variable in your shell. For example:<\/p>\n\n\n\nexport ELASTIC_PASSWORD=\"your_password\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAfter you installed Elasticsearch and its attachment plugin:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo \/usr\/share\/elasticsearch\/bin\/elasticsearch-plugin install ingest-attachment<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nEnsure elasticsearch is enabled by default and start it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl enable elasticsearch\nsudo systemctl start elasticsearch<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nCheck that elasticsearch is running:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ sudo systemctl status elasticsearch<\/mark>\n\u25cf elasticsearch.service - Elasticsearch\n Loaded: loaded (\/lib\/systemd\/system\/elasticsearch.service; enabled; preset: enabled)\n Active: active (running) since Fri 2025-03-21 18:29:08 EAT; 3min 40s ago\n Docs: https:\/\/www.elastic.co\n Main PID: 6161 (java)\n Tasks: 92 (limit: 7032)\n Memory: 3.4G\n CPU: 42.000s\n CGroup: \/system.slice\/elasticsearch.service\n \u251c\u25006161 \/usr\/share\/elasticsearch\/jdk\/bin\/java -Xms4m -Xmx64m -XX:+UseSerialGC -Dcli.name=server -Dcli.script=\/usr\/share\/elasticsearch>\n \u251c\u25006219 \/usr\/share\/elasticsearch\/jdk\/bin\/java -Des.networkaddress.cache.ttl=60 -Des.networkaddress.cache.negative.ttl=10 -XX:+AlwaysP>\n \u2514\u25006241 \/usr\/share\/elasticsearch\/modules\/x-pack-ml\/platform\/linux-x86_64\/bin\/controller\n\nMar 21 18:28:51 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Starting elasticsearch.service - Elasticsearch...\nMar 21 18:28:54 zammad.africanfine.com systemd-entrypoint[6219]: CompileCommand: dontinline java\/lang\/invoke\/MethodHandle.setAsTypeCache bool don>\nMar 21 18:28:54 zammad.africanfine.com systemd-entrypoint[6219]: CompileCommand: dontinline java\/lang\/invoke\/MethodHandle.asTypeUncached bool don>\nMar 21 18:29:08 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Started elasticsearch.service - Elasticsearch.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 4: Install Zammad on Debian 12 \/11<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Install Repository Key:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
curl -fsSL https:\/\/dl.packager.io\/srv\/zammad\/zammad\/key | \\\n gpg --dearmor | sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/pkgr-zammad.gpg> \/dev\/null<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAdd repository to Debian:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Debian 11 (Bullseye):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"deb [signed-by=\/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/pkgr-zammad.gpg] https:\/\/dl.packager.io\/srv\/deb\/zammad\/zammad\/stable\/debian 11<\/strong> main\"| \\\n sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/zammad.list > \/dev\/nul<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nDebian 12 (Bookworm):<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n
echo \"deb [signed-by=\/etc\/apt\/keyrings\/pkgr-zammad.gpg] https:\/\/dl.packager.io\/srv\/deb\/zammad\/zammad\/stable\/debian 12<\/strong> main\"| \\\n sudo tee \/etc\/apt\/sources.list.d\/zammad.list > \/dev\/null<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nWith the repository added you can begin the installation of Zammad on Debian 12 \/ Debian 11 system:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo apt update -y \nsudo apt install zammad<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nAccept any installation prompts you get on the screen.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Reading package lists... Done\nBuilding dependency tree... Done\nReading state information... Done\nThe following packages were automatically installed and are no longer required:\n linux-image-6.1.0-25-amd64 linux-image-6.1.0-30-amd64\nUse 'sudo apt autoremove' to remove them.\nThe following additional packages will be installed:\n liblzf1 libpq5 redis-server redis-tools\nSuggested packages:\n ruby-redis\nThe following NEW packages will be installed:\n liblzf1 libpq5 redis-server redis-tools zammad\n0 upgraded, 5 newly installed, 0 to remove and 0 not upgraded.\nNeed to get 181 MB of archives.\nAfter this operation, 625 MB of additional disk space will be used.\nDo you want to continue? [Y\/n] y<\/span><\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nA database named zammad<\/strong><\/em> is created by the installer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Welcome to the MariaDB monitor. Commands end with ; or \\g.\nYour MariaDB connection id is 69\nServer version: 10.11.11-MariaDB-0+deb12u1 Debian 12\n\nCopyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle, MariaDB Corporation Ab and others.\n\nType 'help;' or '\\h' for help. Type '\\c' to clear the current input statement.\n\nMariaDB [(none)]> SHOW DATABASES;<\/mark>\n+--------------------+\n| Database |\n+--------------------+\n| information_schema |\n| mysql |\n| performance_schema |\n| sys |\n| zammad |\n+--------------------+\n5 rows in set (0.009 sec)\n\nMariaDB [(none)]> <\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf you have ufw <\/em>firewall open http and https ports:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo ufw allow 80,443\nsudo ufw reload<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStart Zammad service and enable it to start at system boot:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl start zammad\nsudo systemctl enable zammad<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nSet the Elasticsearch server address:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo zammad run rails r \"Setting.set('es_url', 'https:\/\/localhost:9200')\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nNow you need your password which was shown to you while installing Elasticsearch.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
# Set Elasticsearch user and password<\/em>\nsudo zammad run rails r \"Setting.set('es_user', 'elastic')\"\nsudo zammad run rails r \"Setting.set('es_password', '<password>')\"<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nBuild\/rebuild the search index:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo zammad run rake zammad:searchindex:rebuild<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nFirst, disable the Apache default virtual host file with the following command:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo a2dissite 000-default.conf<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nRestart apache2<\/em> web server:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo systemctl restart apache2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nConfirm service is started without an error:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
$ systemctl status apache2<\/span>\n\u25cf apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server\n Loaded: loaded (\/lib\/systemd\/system\/apache2.service; enabled; preset: enabled)\n Active: active (running) since Fri 2025-03-21 19:21:23 EAT; 11s ago\n Docs: https:\/\/httpd.apache.org\/docs\/2.4\/\n Process: 8684 ExecStart=\/usr\/sbin\/apachectl start (code=exited, status=0\/SUCCESS)\n Main PID: 8689 (apache2)\n Tasks: 55 (limit: 7032)\n Memory: 9.3M\n CPU: 33ms\n CGroup: \/system.slice\/apache2.service\n \u251c\u25008689 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n \u251c\u25008690 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n \u2514\u25008691 \/usr\/sbin\/apache2 -k start\n\nMar 21 19:21:23 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Starting apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server...\nMar 21 19:21:23 zammad.africanfine.com systemd[1]: Started apache2.service - The Apache HTTP Server.<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nIf you get an error \u201capachectl[2095]: Invalid command \u2018RequestHeader\u2019, perhaps misspelled or defined by a module not included in the server configuration<\/strong>\u201c, ensure you’ve enabled Apache headers:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
sudo a2enmod headers\nsudo systemctl stop apache2\nsudo systemctl start apache2<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nStep 4: Access Zammad Web Interface<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
Open your web browser and access Zammad web interface on the URL.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
http://your_server_ip_or_hostname<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nYou should see the following screen. Select “Setup new system<\/strong>” to initiate configuration.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-03-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nCreate the first admin user account for Zammad.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-04-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nInput organization name<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-05-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSetup Email comments channel – this is an optional configuration that can be done after the installation and you can skip it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-06-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nConfigure notification email sending Local MTA or configure your own SMTP settings.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-07-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nIf you did not skip the SMTP configuration, then setup the communiation channels you want to use with your Zammad. Otherwise, skip this step for later setup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-08-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nConnect an email account:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-09-1024x582.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nComplete installation of Zammad Helpdesk on Debian 12 \/ Debian 11 Linux system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-11-1024x581.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nAdd certificate to Zammad<\/h5>\n\n\n\n
Show and copy the auto-generated certificate from Elasticsearch and add it to Zammad. Make sure to copy\/paste the delimiters (e.g.
-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----<\/code>) too.<\/p>\n\n\n\nsudo cat \/etc\/elasticsearch\/certs\/http_ca.crt<\/code><\/pre>\n\n\n\nGo to the admin panel of Zammad and add your copied certificate under SSL Certificates<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-12-1024x581.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nClick Add SSL Certificate<\/strong>, then add what you just pasted from your terminal:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-13-1024x581.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nThen click Add<\/strong>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
![\"\"](\"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/03\/Install-Zammad-Helpdesk-on-Debian-Debian-14-1024x581.png\" "\\"\\"")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nReference:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- Zammad documentation pages<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Apache \/ Nginx configurations for Zammad<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
More guides from our team:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
- \n
- How To Install MediaWiki on Ubuntu |Debian<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Install Centrifugo Messaging Server on Ubuntu | Debian<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- How To Install Suricata on Debian (Bookworm)<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
In this article we discuss the installation of Zammad Helpdesk on Debian 12 \/ Debian 11 Linux system. Zammad is a web based helpdesk and customer support system, released under GNU AGPLv3 open source license. With this tool it is easy and quicker to manage your customer communications via several channels such as twitter, telephone, … Read more<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":75994,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26,299,47,50],"tags":[39772],"class_list":["post-161429","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-debian","category-how-to","category-linux","category-linux-tutorials","tag-zammad-helpdesk"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161429","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=161429"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/161429\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/75994"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=161429"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=161429"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/computingforgeeks.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=161429"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Install Centrifugo Messaging Server on Ubuntu | Debian<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n\n
- Apache \/ Nginx configurations for Zammad<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- Certificates and keys for TLS are generated for the transport and HTTP layer, and TLS is enabled and configured with these keys and certificates.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- 6 GB of RAM <\/strong>(+6 GB if you want to run Elasticsearch on the same server)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n
- 4 GB of RAM<\/strong> (+4 GB if you want to run Elasticsearch on the same server)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n