Installing Confluence on Linux

In this guide we'll run you through installing Confluence in a production environment, with an external database, using the Linux installer.

This is the most straightforward way to get your production site up and running on a Linux server.

Other ways to install Confluence:

Evaluation - get your free trial up and running in no time.
TAR.GZ – install Confluence manually from an archive file.
Windows – install Confluence on a Windows server.

On this page:

Before you begin

Before you install Confluence, there are a few questions you need to answer.

Are you using a supported operating system?	Tell me more... Check the Supported Platforms page for the version of Confluence you are installing. This will give you info on supported operating systems, databases and browsers. Good to know: We don't support installing Confluence on OSX for production sites. The Confluence installer includes Java (JRE) and Tomcat, so you don't need to install these separately. Confluence can only run on Oracle JDK or AdoptOpenJDK.
Does your Linux server have a font config package installed?	Tell me more... Many Linux distributions don't include a suitable font config package by default, so you will need to install one before you can run the Confluence installer. See Confluence 6.13 or later fails with FontConfiguration error when installing on Linux OS for commands to install a suitable package on several popular Linux distributions.
Do you want to run Confluence as a service?	Tell me more... Running Confluence as a service means that Confluence will automatically start up when Linux is started. If you choose to run Confluence as a service: You must use `sudo` to run the installer to be able to install Confluence as a service. The installer will create a dedicated user account, `confluence`, that will run the service. If you choose not to run Confluence as a service: You will start and stop Confluence by running the `start-confluence.sh` file in your Confluence installation directory. Confluence will be run as the user account that was used to install Confluence, or you can choose to run as a dedicated user. Confluence will need to be restarted manually if your server is restarted.
Are ports 8090 and 8091 available?	Tell me more... Error rendering macro 'includeplus' User 'anonymous' does not have permission to view the page with ID 859451395.
Is your database set up and ready to use?	Tell me more... Error rendering macro 'includeplus' User 'anonymous' does not have permission to view the page with ID 1044091858.
Do you have a Confluence license?	Tell me more... Error rendering macro 'includeplus' User 'anonymous' does not have permission to view the page with ID 1044091867.

There’s a known issue during setup where a load balancer (or proxy) pings the server and breaks Confluence installation or migration to Data Center. See CONFSERVER-61189 - Getting issue details... STATUS
During installation, you need to disable load balancer health checks and make sure you don’t open multiple tabs that point to the same Confluence URL.

Install Confluence

1. Download Confluence

Download the installer for your operating system – https://www.atlassian.com/software/confluence/download

2. Run the installer

Make the installer executable.
Show me how to do this...
Change to the directory where you downloaded Confluence then execute this command:
$ chmod a+x atlassian-confluence-X.X.X-x64.bin
Where X.X.X is is the Confluence version you downloaded.
Run the installer – we recommend using sudo to run the installer as this will create a dedicated account to run Confluence and allow you to run Confluence as a service.
Show me how to do this...
To use sudo to run the installer execute this command:
$ sudo ./atlassian-confluence-X.X.X-x64.bin
Where X.X.X is is the Confluence version you downloaded.
You can also choose to run the installer as with root user privileges.
Follow the prompts to install Confluence. You'll be asked for the following info:
- Install type – choose option 2 (custom) for the most control.
- Destination directory – this is where Confluence will be installed.
- Home directory – this is where Confluence data like logs, search indexes and files will be stored.
- TCP ports – these are the HTTP connector port and control port Confluence will run on. Stick with the default unless you're running another application on the same port.
- Install as service – this option is only available if you ran the installer as sudo.
Once installation is complete head to http://localhost:8090/ in your browser to begin the setup process.
(Replace 8090 if you chose a different port during installation).

Trouble installing Confluence?

If you're installing Confluence on a fresh Linux installation see Confluence throws a Confluence is vacant error on install for troubleshooting options.

FontConfiguration error? See Confluence 6.13 or later fails with FontConfiguration error when installing on Linux OS to find out how to install a suitable font configuration package.