Installation overview
NADA is deployed as a web application on a server with PHP and a supported database. Choose a platform guide below for complete install instructions. This overview follows the same pattern as the Metadata Editor installation, with NADA-specific options such as Microsoft SQL Server.
System requirements
| Component | Requirement |
|---|---|
| CPU | Dual-core or higher |
| RAM | 4 GB minimum; 8 GB+ recommended for larger catalogs |
| Storage | 20 GB+ free; catalog files grow under datafiles |
| Database | MySQL 8.x or MariaDB 10.x+, or Microsoft SQL Server 2012+ with full-text (pick one) |
| PHP | 7.4 minimum; PHP 8.x recommended. Extensions: xsl, xml, mbstring, plus mysqli (MySQL/MariaDB) or sqlsrv (SQL Server) |
| Web server | Apache 2.4+, NGINX, or IIS 10+ |
Recommended
New installs should use PHP 8.x and MySQL 8.x or MariaDB 10.x+. PHP 7.4 remains the minimum supported version. MySQL 5.7 and older are not recommended.
Choose your installation path
| Environment | Guide |
|---|---|
| Linux server (Apache or NGINX) | Installation (Linux) |
| Windows server (IIS) | Installation (Windows) |
| Git + Composer | Install with Git (then finish with your platform guide) |
| Docker | Install with Docker |
| Upgrade an existing install | Upgrading |
Linux and Windows installs differ substantially (packages vs PHP Manager/IIS, permissions, web server config). Use the platform guide for your OS — do not mix steps from both.
Standard folder layout
The web server document root must point at the NADA application root (the folder that contains index.php).
nada/ ← application root (contains index.php)
├── application/
├── datafiles/ ← catalog data (writable)
├── files/ ← sessions, thumbnails, temp (writable)
├── logs/ ← logs (writable)
├── themes/
└── …| Platform | Example path |
|---|---|
| Linux | /var/www/nada or /var/www/html/nada |
| Windows (IIS) | C:\inetpub\wwwroot\nada |
Source: https://github.com/ihsn/nada — prefer tagged releases for production.
NOTE
The folder name often becomes part of the catalog URL (for example data, microdata, or catalog).
Installation checklist
- Follow Linux or Windows through stack install, download, database, permissions, web server, and installer.
- Complete Configurations — especially email.
- (Optional) Solr, clean URLs, CSP, themes.
- (Production) Harden credentials; move
datafilesoutside the web root when possible; plan backups. - Continue with Getting started.
Database options
| Database | Documentation |
|---|---|
| MySQL 8.x or MariaDB 10.x+ | Covered in each platform guide · also MySQL / MariaDB |
| Microsoft SQL Server | Install with SQL Server (common on Windows) |
Related documentation
- Installation (Linux) · Installation (Windows)
- PHP settings · MySQL / MariaDB · SQL Server
- Configurations · Upgrading · Debug
- Getting started · API guide
Metadata Editor (companion tool): Installation overview