How to Install Apache MySQL PHP (LAMP Stack) on Ubuntu 24.04

Set up a complete LAMP stack on Ubuntu 24.04 to host dynamic web applications with Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

Introduction
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The LAMP stack is a foundational set of open-source tools used to host and serve web applications. It includes:

Linux: The operating system (Ubuntu 24.04)
Apache: The web server
MySQL: The database engine
PHP: The scripting language

This guide walks you through installing and configuring each component on Ubuntu 24.04.

Step 1: Install Apache Web Server
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Update the package index:

sudo apt update

Install Apache:

sudo apt install apache2 -y

Start and enable the Apache service:

sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

Check that Apache is running:

sudo systemctl status apache2

Allow HTTP traffic through the firewall:

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp

Confirm installation by visiting http://SERVER-IP in a browser.

Step 2: Install MySQL Database Server
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Install MySQL:

sudo apt install -y mysql-server

Enable and start MySQL:

sudo systemctl enable mysql
sudo systemctl start mysql

Secure the installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Respond to the prompts to configure password policies and remove insecure defaults.

Log into MySQL and update the root password:

sudo mysql
mysql> ALTER USER 'root'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Strong@@password123';
mysql> FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
mysql> EXIT;

Re-login using the new password:

sudo mysql -u root -p

Create a new database and user:

CREATE DATABASE content_database;
CREATE USER 'dbadmin'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Strong@@password123';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON content_database.* TO 'dbadmin'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Step 3: Install PHP and PHP-FPM
#

Install PHP and modules:

sudo apt install -y php php-fpm php-mysql php-opcache php-cli libapache2-mod-php

Check PHP version:

php -v

Start and enable PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl start php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php8.3-fpm

Check PHP-FPM status:

sudo systemctl status php8.3-fpm

Step 4: Configure PHP-FPM with Apache
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Enable Apache modules:

sudo a2enmod proxy_fcgi setenvif

Enable PHP-FPM configuration:

sudo a2enconf php8.3-fpm
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Optional: Tune /etc/php/8.3/fpm/pool.d/www.conf for performance.

Step 5: Set Up Apache Virtual Host
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Remove the default config:

sudo rm /etc/apache2/sites-enabled/000-default.conf
sudo rm /etc/apache2/sites-available/000-default.conf

Create a new config file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/app.example.com.conf

Add configuration (replace with your domain):

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName app.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/app.example.com

    <Directory /var/www/app.example.com>
        Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
        AllowOverride All
        Require all granted
    </Directory>

    <FilesMatch \.php$>
        SetHandler "proxy:unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/"
    </FilesMatch>

    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/app.example.com_error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/app.example.com_access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable and test the configuration:

sudo a2ensite app.example.com.conf
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Create web root:

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/app.example.com

Create a sample PHP file:

sudo nano /var/www/app.example.com/info.php

Add:

<?php phpinfo(); ?>

Visit http://app.example.com/info.php to verify.

Step 6: Configure UFW Firewall
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Allow web traffic:

sudo ufw allow "Apache Full"
sudo ufw reload

Step 7: Enable HTTPS with Let’s Encrypt
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Install Certbot:

sudo snap install certbot --classic

Request a certificate:

sudo certbot --apache -d app.example.com -m admin@example.com --agree-tos

Test auto-renewal:

sudo certbot renew --dry-run

Step 8: Test the LAMP Stack
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Create table and data:

CREATE TABLE messages (
    content_id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
    content VARCHAR(255) NOT NULL
);
INSERT INTO messages (content) VALUES ('Hello World! Greetings from Vultr');

Create test PHP app:

sudo nano /var/www/app.example.com/setup.php

Add:

<?php
$hostname = "localhost";
$username = "dbadmin";
$password = "Strong@@password123";
$dbname = "content_database";

$conn = new mysqli($hostname, $username, $password, $dbname);

if ($conn->connect_error) {
    die("Connection Failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
}

$sql = "SELECT content FROM messages";
$result = $conn->query($sql);

if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
    $row = $result->fetch_assoc();
    echo "<h2 style='color: blue; text-align: center;'>" . htmlspecialchars($row["content"]) . "</h2>";
} else {
    echo "<h1>No records found.</h1>";
}

$conn->close();
?>

Fix permissions:

sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/app.example.com/

Access: https://app.example.com/setup.php

Conclusion
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You’ve successfully installed and configured a secure LAMP stack on Ubuntu 24.04, complete with Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Your server is now ready to host dynamic PHP-based web applications. For further customization, consult the official documentation for each component.