Build your own cloud with ownCloud

1 Set up your environment

The first thing you’ll need is a Linux-based PC (or a hosted Linux server) running PHP 5.6 or later. In the configuration options, set the open_basedir variable to none. Next, install MySQL, create a new blank database, and make a note of the database name, username and password. Download the ownCloud installer script ( pcpro.link/279own) and place it on your server in a web-accessible location.

2 Install the software

Run the installer script by entering its URL directly into a web browser. This should complete in a couple of seconds, before presenting the login screen. Create a new username and password for your personal cloud, then expand the Storage and Database section, switch from the default database engine to MySQL/MariaDB, and enter the credentials you set up in step 1.

3 Download clients

You should be able to access your new cloud right away through a web browser. Visit pcpro.link/279install and you’ll find links to install native file-syncing clients for Windows, macOS and all major Linux distributions – as well as mobile apps for Android, iOS and BlackBerry. When prompted to provide the address of your server, enter “<yourdomain>/<owncloudfolder>/remote.pgp/webdav/”.

4 Connect via WebDAV

If you need to use a computer that doesn’t have the ownCloud software installed, you can also access your files via the WebDAV protocol. Simply use the Add Network Location feature on Windows (or the equivalent function on other operating system) and enter the same credentials as in step 3. Here we’re using the Ubuntu file manager to access files that were previously synced by the Windows client.