FossBilling is an open-source billing and client management software designed for web hosting companies, freelancers, and digital businesses. It provides extensive customization and full control over your data, making it an excellent choice for those seeking a self-hosted alternative to proprietary billing platforms. In this guide, we’ll walk you through installing FossBilling, configuring it with a reverse proxy, managing logs, setting up backups, updating the application, and leveraging its unique features.
Installing FossBilling
📦 Docker/Docker Compose Setup
The easiest way to deploy FossBilling is with Docker. Below is an example docker-compose.yml file tailored for FossBilling, including persistent storage and database configurations.
version: '3.8'
services:
fossbilling:
image: fossbilling/fossbilling:latest
container_name: fossbilling
ports:
- "8080:80"
volumes:
- fossbilling_data:/var/www/fossbilling
environment:
- DB_HOST=db
- DB_NAME=fossbilling
- DB_USER=fossbilling_user
- DB_PASS=secure_password
depends_on:
- db
db:
image: mariadb:10.5
container_name: fossbilling_db
restart: always
environment:
MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: root_password
MYSQL_DATABASE: fossbilling
MYSQL_USER: fossbilling_user
MYSQL_PASSWORD: secure_password
volumes:
- db_data:/var/lib/mysql
volumes:
fossbilling_data:
db_data:
Deploy FossBilling using the following commands:
docker-compose up -d
🚀 Manual Installation
For manual installation, follow these steps to install FossBilling on a Linux server:
- Install dependencies:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y apache2 php php-cli php-mysql mariadb-server unzip curl
- Download and extract FossBilling:
curl -LO https://github.com/FOSSBilling/FOSSBilling/releases/latest/download/fossbilling.zip
unzip fossbilling.zip -d /var/www/fossbilling
- Set permissions:
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/fossbilling
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/fossbilling
- Set up Apache or Nginx to serve the app, and complete the web-based installation wizard at
http://your-server-ip.
Configuring Nginx as a Reverse Proxy
🌐 Nginx Configuration
Set up Nginx to serve FossBilling and forward requests to the backend.
Create a server block file for FossBilling:
sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/fossbilling
Add the following content:
server {
listen 80;
server_name example.com;
root /var/www/fossbilling/public;
index index.php index.html;
location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~ \.php$ {
include fastcgi_params;
fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
}
location ~ /\.ht {
deny all;
}
}
Enable and reload the configuration:
sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/fossbilling /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
🔒 SSL/TLS Setup
Secure the connection with Let's Encrypt:
sudo apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx
sudo certbot --nginx -d example.com
Schedule automatic renewal:
sudo systemctl enable certbot.timer
🛠️ Testing and Reloading Nginx
Validate the Nginx configuration:
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx
Logging and Debugging FossBilling
🗃️ Enabling Debug Logs
To enable debug logs, update config.php in the FossBilling directory:
'log_level' => 'debug',
📄 Viewing Logs
View logs in Docker or on the filesystem:
docker logs fossbilling
tail -f /var/www/fossbilling/logs/app.log
🛠️ Troubleshooting Common Issues
Check for common issues like incorrect DB credentials in config.php or permissions errors:
sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/fossbilling
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/fossbilling
📤 Exporting Logs
Forward logs to ELK for advanced analysis:
docker run -d --name logstash -v /path/to/logstash.conf:/usr/share/logstash/pipeline/logstash.conf docker.elastic.co/logstash/logstash:7.17.0
Backup and Restore
🗂️ File-Based Backups
Backup configuration and app files:
tar -czvf fossbilling_backup_$(date +%F).tar.gz /var/www/fossbilling
🔄 Database Backups
Export the database:
mysqldump -u fossbilling_user -p fossbilling > fossbilling_db_backup.sql
Restore the database:
mysql -u fossbilling_user -p fossbilling < fossbilling_db_backup.sql
📅 Automated Backup Scripts
Create a cron job for periodic backups:
crontab -e
## Add the following line:
0 2 * * * tar -czvf /backups/fossbilling_backup_$(date +\%F).tar.gz /var/www/fossbilling
Updating and Upgrading FossBilling
⬆️ Updating Docker Images
Update FossBilling in Docker:
docker-compose pull fossbilling
docker-compose up -d
🛠️ Manual Updates
For manual installations, download the latest release and overwrite files:
curl -LO https://github.com/FOSSBilling/FOSSBilling/releases/latest/download/fossbilling.zip
unzip -o fossbilling.zip -d /var/www/fossbilling
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/fossbilling
sudo systemctl reload apache2
🔍 Checking for Updates
Stay informed by visiting FossBilling’s GitHub releases page:
https://github.com/FOSSBilling/FOSSBilling/releases
Leveraging FossBilling’s Unique Features
🔧 Enabling APIs
Activate and test APIs by enabling API access in the admin panel under "Settings > API." Use this example to test with curl:
curl -X POST https://example.com/api/login \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"username":"admin","password":"your_password"}'
🌟 Advanced Configurations
Customize FossBilling by tweaking config.php for advanced features like multi-currency or email integration:
'currency' => 'USD',
'mail_settings' => [
'smtp_host' => 'smtp.example.com',
'smtp_port' => 587,
'smtp_user' => 'user@example.com',
'smtp_pass' => 'secure_password',
],
Wrapping Up
With this guide, you now have all the tools to deploy, configure, manage, and scale FossBilling efficiently. By self-hosting FossBilling, you gain full control over your billing system while maintaining flexibility and security. Use the provided examples to set up a robust ecosystem tailored to your needs, and take full advantage of FossBilling’s powerful features to streamline your operations.
