1. Update the System

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

2. Install Apache, MariaDB, PHP and Extensions

sudo apt install -y apache2 mariadb-server libapache2-mod-php \
php php-mysql php-gd php-curl php-xml php-zip php-mbstring php-bz2 \
php-intl php-gmp php-imagick unzip wget -y

3. Create Database and User

sudo mysql -u root

Inside MariaDB:

CREATE DATABASE nextcloud;
CREATE USER 'nextclouduser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourPassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON nextcloud.* TO 'nextclouduser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

4. Download and Install Nextcloud

cd /tmp
wget https://download.nextcloud.com/server/releases/latest.zip
unzip latest.zip
sudo mv nextcloud /var/www/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/nextcloud

5. Configure Apache

5.1 HTTP → HTTPS Redirect (Port 80)

This avoids the issue where Apache’s default page shows up or ZeroTier IP access fails.
Create a global redirect config:

sudo tee /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud-http.conf >/dev/null <<'EOF'
<VirtualHost *:80>
    RewriteEngine On
    RewriteCond %{HTTPS} !=on
    RewriteRule ^ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [R=301,L]
</VirtualHost>
EOF

sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo a2ensite nextcloud-http.conf

5.2 HTTPS VirtualHost

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/nextcloud-ssl.conf

Example content (replace with your real IP/domain):

<VirtualHost *:443>
    ServerName 192.168.xx.xx
    ServerAlias 192.168.yy.yy

    DocumentRoot /var/www/nextcloud
    <Directory /var/www/nextcloud>
        Require all granted
        AllowOverride All
        Options FollowSymLinks MultiViews
    </Directory>

    SSLEngine on
    SSLCertificateFile /etc/ssl/nextcloud/nextcloud-selfsigned.crt
    SSLCertificateKeyFile /etc/ssl/nextcloud/nextcloud-selfsigned.key

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_ssl_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/nextcloud_ssl_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

6. Generate a Self-Signed SSL Certificate

sudo mkdir -p /etc/ssl/nextcloud
cd /etc/ssl/nextcloud

sudo openssl req -x509 -nodes -days 365 -newkey rsa:2048 \
  -keyout nextcloud-selfsigned.key \
  -out nextcloud-selfsigned.crt

Tip: For Common Name (CN) enter the IP or domain you plan to use.
If you need to support multiple IPs (LAN + ZeroTier), generate a SAN certificate.

7. Enable Modules and Sites

sudo a2enmod ssl headers env dir mime
sudo a2ensite nextcloud-ssl.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

8. Configure Firewall (if UFW is enabled)

sudo ufw allow 80
sudo ufw allow 443

9. Finish Nextcloud Setup

9.1 Access the Installer

Open in browser:

https://192.168.xx.xx
https://192.168.yy.yy   (ZeroTier IP)

Both should now work.

9.2 Fill in Setup Details

Admin username & password
Data folder (recommended: /var/nextcloud-data, not a VMware hgfs share)
Database user: nextclouduser
Database password: the strong password you set earlier
Database name: nextcloud

9.3 Fix Data Directory Permissions

If on a native Linux disk:

sudo mkdir -p /var/nextcloud-data
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/nextcloud-data
sudo chmod -R 770 /var/nextcloud-data

If on VMware hgfs/Windows share, chmod won’t work → add to config.php:

'check_data_directory_permissions' => false,

9.4 Configure Trusted Domains

Edit:

sudo nano /var/www/nextcloud/config/config.php

Add your LAN and ZeroTier IPs:

'trusted_domains' =>
  array (
    0 => 'localhost',
    1 => '192.168.xx.xx',
    2 => '192.168.yy.yy',
  ),

This prevents the “Access through untrusted domain” error.

10. Client Notes

In the Nextcloud mobile app:

Yes → delete file on server and all synced devices.
Remove locally → only delete the local copy, file remains on the server.

📌 Key Takeaways

Default Apache page issue → solved by disabling 000-default.conf or global 80→443 redirect.
ZeroTier IP access issue → solved by adding ServerAlias and global redirect.
Data directory permission issue → solved by correct 770 on native disk or disabling check in config.
Untrusted domain error → solved by adding all used IPs/domains into trusted_domains.
HTTPS → self-signed is fine for testing; for production, use Let’s Encrypt.