How to Install File Browser on Ubuntu 24.04

File Browser is a modern, web-based file manager that allows you to manage your files and folders from any browser. This guide walks you through installing and configuring FileBrowser on Ubuntu 24.04.

Step 1: Update Your System

Before installing File Browser, it’s important to update your system and install the required packages. Open a terminal and run:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2 – Install Required Packages

Install basic utilities needed for FileBrowser:

sudo apt install -y curl wget tar

Step 3 – Download and Install FileBrowser

Use the official installation script to install FileBrowser:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/filebrowser/get/master/get.sh | bash
sudo mv filebrowser /usr/local/bin/filebrowser
sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/filebrowser

Step 4 – Create Required Directories

Create the configuration and root directories:

sudo mkdir -p /etc/filebrowser
sudo mkdir -p /srv/filebrowser
sudo chmod 755 /etc/filebrowser /srv/filebrowser

Step 5 – Initialize FileBrowser Configuration

sudo filebrowser config init -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db
sudo filebrowser config set -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db --root /srv/filebrowser
sudo filebrowser config set -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db --port 8080
sudo filebrowser config set -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db --address 0.0.0.0

Step 6 – Create Admin User

Create an admin user with a secure password:

sudo filebrowser users add admin AdminPassword123! --perm.admin -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db

Verify the user was created:

sudo filebrowser users ls -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db

Step 7 – Set Up Systemd Service

Create a systemd service file for FileBrowser:

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

Add the following content:

[Unit]
Description=FileBrowser
After=network.target

[Service]
Type=simple
User=root
ExecStart=/usr/local/bin/filebrowser -d /etc/filebrowser/database.db
Restart=on-failure
RestartSec=5

[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target

Reload systemd and start the service:

sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable --now filebrowser

Step 8 – Configure Firewall

Allow the web port through UFW:

sudo ufw allow 8080/tcp

Step 9 – Verify Installation

Wait for the service to start and test authentication:

curl -X POST http://localhost:8080/api/login -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"username":"admin","password":"AdminPassword123!"}'

Step 10 – Access FileBrowser

Open your browser and go to:

http://<your-server-ip>:8080

Use the credentials:

Username: admin
Password: AdminPassword123!

FileBrowser Installation Complete

You now have a fully functional, web-based file manager running on your Ubuntu 24.04 server. Access your files securely from anywhere with a browser.

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