How to Deploy FreeScout HelpDesk on Debian 12

Introduction

In this tutorial, we’ll walk you through installing FreeScout — a free, open-source, self-hosted help desk and shared inbox system — on a Debian 12 server using the LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MariaDB, PHP). FreeScout is a lightweight alternative to services like Help Scout, Zendesk, and Freshdesk, and it’s ideal for small to mid-sized support teams.

Whether you want full control over your data or you’re building a scalable internal support system, this step-by-step guide will help you deploy FreeScout reliably on your infrastructure.

Step 1: Update the System

Keep your system up to date:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2: Install Required Packages

Install Nginx, MariaDB, PHP-FPM, and necessary PHP extensions:

sudo apt install nginx mariadb-server libmariadb-dev git php-fpm php-mysql php-mbstring php-xml php-imap php-zip php-gd php-curl php-intl -y

Check services:

sudo systemctl status nginx

sudo systemctl status mariadb

sudo systemctl status php8.2-fpm

php -v
php -m

Step 3: Configure PHP

Edit the PHP config:

sudo nano /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini

Update the following settings:

memory_limit = 512M 
upload_max_filesize = 16M 
cgi.fix_pathinfo = 0

Restart PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

Step 4: Secure MariaDB and Create a Database

Secure the MariaDB installation:

sudo mariadb-secure-installation

Then, log in and create the database:

sudo mariadb -u root -p

Inside the MariaDB shell:

CREATE DATABASE freescout CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci; 
CREATE USER 'freescout'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourpassword';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON freescout.* TO 'freescout'@'localhost'; 
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
SHOW GRANTS FOR 'freescout'@'localhost';
quit

Step 5: Clone FreeScout

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/freescout

cd /var/www/freescout

git clone https://github.com/freescout-helpdesk/freescout .

Step 6: Set Permissions

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/freescout 
sudo find /var/www/freescout -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \; 
sudo find /var/www/freescout -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;

Step 7: Configure Nginx

Create a new Nginx config file:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout

Paste in this configuration (change yourdomain.com):

server {
server_name yourdomain.com;
root /var/www/freescout/public;
index index.php index.html index.htm;

error_log /var/www/freescout/storage/logs/web-server.log;

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~ \.php$ {
fastcgi_split_path_info ^(.+\.php)(/.+)$;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
fastcgi_index index.php;
fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
include fastcgi_params;
}
location ~* ^/storage/attachment/ {
expires 1M;
access_log off;
try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
}
location ~* ^/(?:css|js)/.*\.(?:css|js)$ {
expires 2d;
access_log off;
add_header Cache-Control “public, must-revalidate”;
}
location ~ /\. {
deny all;
}

Create a symbolic link to enable the Nginx configuration:

ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/freescout /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

nginx -t

systemctl restart nginx

Step 8: (Optional) Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt

Install Certbot and set up SSL for your domain:

apt install certbot python3-certbot-nginx -y
certbot --nginx --agree-tos --redirect --hsts --staple-ocsp --email yourmail -d yourdomain

Choose to redirect all HTTP traffic to HTTPS when prompted.

Step 9: Allow Firewall Access

Allow HTTP (port 80) and HTTPS (port 443) via TCP\

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp

Enable the firewall (if not already enabled)

sudo ufw enable

Check the firewall status

sudo ufw status verbose

Step 10: Complete Installation via Web Installer

Open your browser and go to:

https://yourdomain

Or use your IP address if no domain is set.

Then:

• Click Check Requirements

• Click Check Permissions

• Enter the database credentials you created

• Set your admin user

• Click Install

Conclusion

That’s it! You’ve successfully installed FreeScout Help Desk on Debian 12 using the LEMP stack.

You can now:

• Log in to your FreeScout dashboard

• Configure support mailboxes (IMAP/SMTP)

• Add agents and teams

• Install optional modules from the marketplace