How install LEMP on Ubuntu?

Setting up a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP) on an Ubuntu server is a great way to run your websites or web applications efficiently. In this guide, we’ll walk you through the installation process, step-by-step.

Update System Packages

Before installing any new software, it’s always a good practice to update your system to ensure you have the latest security patches and software updates.

sudo apt update
sudo apt upgrade

Install Nginx

Nginx is a powerful and efficient web server. To install it, run the following command:

sudo apt install nginx

Once the installation is complete, you can start and enable Nginx to run on boot:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Install MySQL

Next, we need to install MySQL, which will serve as our database management system.

sudo apt install mysql-server

After installation, it’s important to run the security script to configure your MySQL installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts to set a root password and secure your installation.

Install PHP

Now, let’s install PHP along with the necessary extensions for working with Nginx and MySQL.

sudo apt install php-fpm php-mysql

To check if PHP is installed correctly, use the following command:

php -v

Configure Nginx to Use PHP

Once PHP is installed, we need to configure Nginx to process PHP files. Open the default Nginx configuration file:

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

Look for the following section and update it to look like this:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your_domain_or_IP;

    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/php7.x-fpm.sock;  # Make sure to replace 7.x with your PHP version
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Save the file and exit. Then, test the Nginx configuration for syntax errors:

sudo nginx -t

If there are no errors, reload Nginx:

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Start and Enable Services

Finally, start all the services (Nginx, MySQL, PHP) and enable them to run on system boot:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl start mysql
sudo systemctl start php7.x-fpm  # Replace with your PHP version
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo systemctl enable mysql
sudo systemctl enable php7.x-fpm

Test Your LEMP Stack

To test your LEMP stack, create a simple PHP file in the web root directory:

sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php

Add the following content:

<?php
phpinfo();
?>

Now, open your web browser and navigate to your server’s IP address or domain name followed by /info.php (e.g., http://your_domain_or_IP/info.php). If everything is set up correctly, you should see the PHP information page. That’s it! You’ve successfully set up a LEMP stack on your Ubuntu server. Enjoy hosting your websites or web applications!