How to Install LEMP Stack on Debian 12

LEMP stack is a popular set of open-source software used to host dynamic websites and applications. It includes Linux, Nginx (pronounced “Engine-X”), MariaDB/MySQL, and PHP.

Step 1 – Update System

Before doing anything, update your packages:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Step 2 – Install Nginx (Web Server)

Nginx is a high-performance web server that will serve your website content:

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

Start and enable Nginx:

sudo systemctl enable --now nginx

Check if it’s running:

systemctl status nginx

Step 3 – Install MariaDB (or MySQL)

MariaDB is a reliable open-source alternative to MySQL. It’s used for storing databases:

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y

Secure your installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

During setup, you can:

• Set a root password

• Remove anonymous users

• Disallow remote root login

• Remove test databases

Step 4 – Install PHP and Extensions

PHP processes server-side scripts. To integrate PHP with Nginx, install php-fpm and essential modules:

sudo apt install php-fpm php-mysql -y

Verify PHP version:

php -v

Step 5 – Configure Nginx to Use PHP

Create a sample server block (virtual host):

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com

Paste the following configuration (replace example.com and paths as needed):

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/html;

    index index.php index.html index.htm;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

Enable the new site and reload Nginx:

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/
sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 6 – Test PHP Processing

Create a test file:

echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /var/www/html/info.php

Open your browser and visit:
http://your-server-ip/info.php

You should see the PHP info page.

You’ve successfully installed the LEMP stack on Debian 12. This setup is now ready for hosting PHP-based applications like WordPress, Laravel, and more.

Need help with advanced configuration or hosting? Contact our support team at DropVPS.com.