# How to Perform a Clean Install of Snipe-IT: Complete Step-by-Step Guide > Perform a clean install of Snipe-IT using the grokability snipe-it sh installer. Automate OS detection, LAMP stack setup, database provisioning, and Laravel bootstrapping with this guide. - Repository: [Grokability, Inc./snipe-it](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it) - Tags: how-to-guide - Published: 2026-07-31 --- **Execute the [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) Bash installer from the grokability/snipe-it repository to automate operating system detection, LAMP stack configuration, database provisioning, and Laravel bootstrapping.** Snipe-IT is an open-source IT asset management system built on Laravel 12 designed to run on a standard **LAMP** (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) or **LEMP** (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP) stack. The repository provides an official installation script that performs a clean install idempotently, detecting your distribution and handling package dependencies, web server configuration, and application setup automatically. ## Automated Installation Using snipeit.sh The [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) script at the root of the grokability/snipe-it repository orchestrates the entire installation process. It is designed to be **idempotent**, checking for existing packages, users, and databases before creating them, making it safe to re-run on clean virtual machines. ### Operating System Detection and Package Installation The installer begins by inspecting `/etc/*release` files to identify your distribution (Ubuntu, Debian, Raspbian, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, or Amazon Linux) and sets a `$distro` variable that drives the rest of the workflow. In [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) lines 24-33, the script determines which package manager to use (`apt`, `yum`, or `dnf`). The `install_packages` helper function (lines 28-61) then installs required system packages including `apache2`/`httpd`, PHP with necessary extensions, `mariadb-server`, `git`, `unzip`, and other build dependencies. This ensures the base LAMP requirements are satisfied before the application is deployed. ### Web Server Configuration and Virtual Hosts The `create_virtualhost` function (lines 63-76 in [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh)) generates an Apache virtual host configuration pointing the document root to `"$APP_PATH/public"`. On Ubuntu and Debian systems, it enables the site using `a2ensite`, while on CentOS-based distributions it drops the configuration into `/etc/httpd/conf.d/`. This step is critical for Laravel's public directory routing to function correctly. ### Database and User Provisioning The script automatically generates a secure random password and creates a MariaDB database named `snipeit` with a dedicated user `snipeit_dbuser` (lines 38-42). These credentials are later injected into the application's environment file. The installer handles all SQL commands required to set up the database engine, user grants, and authentication. ### Source Code Deployment and Environment Setup Snipe-IT is cloned from GitHub into `/var/www/html/snipeit` and the `master` branch is checked out (lines 42-48). The script then copies `.env.example` to `.env` and uses `sed` to substitute critical values including the timezone, database credentials, `APP_URL`, and `APP_KEY` placeholders (lines 49-60). The `.env.example` file in the repository root serves as the template for all environment-specific configuration, including mail settings and S3 storage options that you may customize post-installation. ### Composer Dependencies and Application Bootstrap The installer downloads Composer securely, verifies its SHA-384 signature, and installs it globally via the `install_composer` function (lines 109-134). It then executes: ```bash composer install --no-dev --prefer-source ``` This command (lines 71-78) installs all PHP dependencies into the `vendor` directory without development packages. Finally, the script generates the Laravel application key, runs database migrations, and adds the scheduler cron entry (lines 82-89). ## Manual Configuration and Post-Installation Tasks While [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) automates the deployment, understanding the manual steps allows for customization and troubleshooting. ### Environment File Configuration After installation, the `.env` file in the application root contains your database and application settings. A minimal production configuration looks like this: ```text APP_ENV=production APP_DEBUG=false APP_KEY=base64:xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx= APP_URL=http://snipeit.example.com APP_TIMEZONE=UTC APP_LOCALE=en-US DB_CONNECTION=mysql DB_HOST=localhost DB_DATABASE=snipeit DB_USERNAME=snipeit_dbuser DB_PASSWORD=RandomGeneratedPassword ``` You can manually edit these values to change the timezone, locale, or database connection parameters without re-running the installer. ### Laravel Artisan Commands To manually regenerate the application key or clear caches after installation, switch to the dedicated application user and run Artisan commands: ```bash # Switch to the application user sudo -i -u snipeitapp # Generate a new app key (if you ever need to rotate it) php /var/www/html/snipeit/artisan key:generate --force # Run pending migrations php /var/www/html/snipeit/artisan migrate --force # Clear cached configuration & views php /var/www/html/snipeit/artisan config:clear php /var/www/html/snipeit/artisan view:clear ``` ### Scheduler Cron Setup The installer automatically adds a cron entry for the Laravel scheduler, which handles background tasks like sending notifications and generating reports. The entry added to `/etc/cron.d/snipeit` or the root crontab is: ```cron * * * * * /usr/bin/php /var/www/html/snipeit/artisan schedule:run >> /dev/null 2>&1 ``` This ensures scheduled tasks run every minute without requiring a dedicated worker process. ## File Permissions and Security Hardening The script creates a dedicated system user `snipeitapp` and adds it to the Apache group (lines 78-99). This user owns the application files, while the web server requires write access only to specific directories: `storage/`, `public/uploads/`, and `bootstrap/cache/`. The final housekeeping steps (lines 88-101) tighten permissions on the `storage` directory and restart the Apache service. If the host supports SELinux or UFW firewall, the script optionally applies security contexts and opens port 80/443. ## Docker Installation Alternative For containerized deployments, the repository includes Docker configuration in [`docker/README.md`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/docker/README.md). You can perform a clean install using the official image: ```bash docker pull snipe/snipe-it docker run -d \ -e APP_URL=http://localhost \ -e DB_HOST=your-db-host \ -e DB_DATABASE=snipeit \ -e DB_USERNAME=snipeit \ -e DB_PASSWORD=yourpassword \ -p 80:80 snipe/snipe-it ``` The [`docker-compose.yml`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/docker-compose.yml) file in the repository root provides a complete stack with MariaDB for local development or simple production deployments. ## Summary - **Use [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh)** for automated, idempotent installation on Ubuntu, Debian, CentOS, Rocky, Alma, or Amazon Linux. - **Verify prerequisites**: Apache/Nginx, PHP with extensions, MariaDB/MySQL, and Git must be available or installed via the script. - **Document root** must point to the `public/` directory for Laravel routing to function correctly. - **Database credentials** are auto-generated and injected into `.env`, but can be customized manually. - **Run Artisan commands** as the `snipeitapp` user to avoid permission conflicts with the web server. - **Docker** provides a containerized alternative documented in [`docker/README.md`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/docker/README.md). ## Frequently Asked Questions ### What operating systems are supported for a clean install of Snipe-IT? The [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) installer supports Ubuntu, Debian, Raspbian, CentOS, Rocky Linux, Alma Linux, and Amazon Linux by detecting `/etc/*release` files and adjusting package manager commands accordingly. For other distributions, manual installation following the steps in [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) is required. ### How do I configure the database connection during installation? The installer automatically creates a MariaDB database named `snipeit` and user `snipeit_dbuser` with a randomly generated password, injecting these values into `.env` via `sed`. You can override the password by setting environment variables before running the script, or manually edit `.env` post-installation to point to external database servers. ### Is the snipeit.sh installer safe to run multiple times? Yes, the script is **idempotent**. It checks for existing packages, system users, databases, and virtual host configurations before creating them, as implemented in functions throughout lines 24-101. This makes it safe to re-run if the installation is interrupted or if you need to reapply configurations. ### How do I set up SSL/HTTPS after the initial installation? The [`snipeit.sh`](https://github.com/grokability/snipe-it/blob/main/snipeit.sh) script configures standard HTTP virtual hosts. After installation, you should manually edit the Apache configuration files created in `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` (Debian/Ubuntu) or `/etc/httpd/conf.d/` (CentOS) to add SSL certificate paths, or use a tool like Certbot to automatically configure HTTPS and redirect HTTP traffic to HTTPS.