OJS installation guide

This Open Journal Systems (OJS) installation guide covers what journal editors and technical managers need for a production-ready OJS 3.4 site — server requirements, database setup, secure configuration, and the steps that most often cause failed installs.

If you prefer a done-for-you setup, see our OJS installation service or managed OJS hosting.

OJS server requirements (3.4)

Install OJS 3.4 from the official Public Knowledge Project (PKP) release — not a development branch. Typical production requirements:

• PHP 8.1+ with extensions commonly needed by OJS (intl, mbstring, xml, zip, gd or imagick, and PDO MySQL)
• MySQL 5.7+ / MariaDB 10.3+ with a dedicated database user and strong password
• HTTPS with a valid TLS certificate before you invite authors or reviewers
• A files directory outside the web root so submissions are not publicly downloadable by URL guessing
• Reliable outbound email (SMTP) — see fixing OJS SMTP

Step-by-step OJS installation

1. Create a DNS record (and preferably the TLS certificate) for your journal hostname
2. Upload and extract the official OJS package on the host
3. Create the MySQL/MariaDB database and least-privilege user
4. Set writable permissions for cache, public, and the private files path
5. Run the web installer and complete locale, admin account, and database settings
6. Configure SMTP so password resets and review invitations actually deliver
7. Set base_url (and related config) to HTTPS and force SSL at the web server
8. Create your journal, roles, and submission workflow before opening submissions

Security and production hardening

• Keep config.inc.php unreadable to the public and outside version control with secrets
• Restrict directory listing; do not expose the files directory under the document root
• Schedule database + files backups from day one — see the OJS backup guide
• Plan upgrades; avoid unmaintained custom themes that break on OJS minor releases

After install: make the journal indexing-ready

A working installer is not the same as a journal ready for DOAJ, Crossref, or discovery services. Complete:

• Editorial workflows and role permissions
• Author guidelines, privacy, and open access policy pages
• DOI / Crossref and ORCID configuration where required — see plugins & integrations
• The full OJS 3.4 production checklist
• DOAJ policy visibility using the DOAJ application guide

Common OJS install failures

• Blank pages after install — PHP version mismatch or missing extensions
• Cannot write cache/files — incorrect ownership or SELinux/AppArmor restrictions
• Email never arrives — shared hosting mail blocked; use authenticated SMTP with SPF/DKIM
• Mixed content / broken assets — base_url still on HTTP after enabling SSL