How to Install Apache, MySQL, PHP (LAMP Stack) on Rocky Linux 9

Introduction

Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP Stack) is a collection of open-source software applications that manage the runtime and development of dynamic web applications on a server. Apache works as a web server to deliver web application files, MySQL as the database backend, and PHP processes dynamic web application contents to deliver web applications on the server.

This article explains how to install the LAMP stack on Rocky Linux 9 to enable the development and delivery of web applications on your server.

Prerequisites

Before you begin:

• Deploy a Rocky Linux 9 instance on Vultr.
• Create a new domain A record pointing to the instance's IP address. For example, app.example.com.
• Access the server using SSH as a non-root user with sudo privileges.
• Update the server.

Install Apache

Apache is available in the default repositories on Rocky Linux 9 and uses the httpd web server package to run. Follow the steps below to update the DNF package index and install the Apache on your server.

1. Update the server's package index.

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   $ sudo dnf update

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2. Install the httpd Apache web server package.

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   $ sudo dnf install httpd -y

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3. Enable the httpd Apache service to automatically start at system boot.

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   $ sudo systemctl enable httpd

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   Output:

   Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/httpd.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/httpd.service.

4. Start the Apache web server.

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   $ sudo systemctl start httpd

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5. View the Apache service status and verify that it's running.

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   $ sudo systemctl status httpd

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   Output:

   ● httpd.service - The Apache HTTP Server
     Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/httpd.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
     Active: active (running) since Thu 2024-06-20 09:28:49 UTC; 16s ago
       Docs: man:httpd.service(8)
   Main PID: 48262 (httpd)
     Status: "Total requests: 0; Idle/Busy workers 100/0;Requests/sec: 0; Bytes served/sec:   0 B/sec"
      Tasks: 177 (limit: 48896)
     Memory: 38.3M
        CPU: 64ms
     CGroup: /system.slice/httpd.service
             ├─48262 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
             ├─48263 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
             ├─48264 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
             ├─48265 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND
             └─48266 /usr/sbin/httpd -DFOREGROUND

   The Apache service is active and running on your server based on the active (running) value in the above output.

6. Temporarily stop the default firewalld utility to enable access to the Apache HTTP port 80.

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   $ sudo systemctl stop firewalld

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7. Access your server IP address using a web browser such as Chrome to verify that Apache is actively delivering web applications.

   http://SERVER-IP

   

Install MySQL

MySQL is available in the default package repositories on Rocky Linux 9. Follow the steps below to install the latest MySQL version on your server using the default DNF package manager.

1. Install the MySQL database server package.

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   $ sudo dnf install mysql-server -y

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2. View the installed MySQL version on your server.

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   $ mysql --version

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   Your output should be similar to the one below:

   mysql  Ver 8.0.36 for Linux on x86_64 (Source distribution)

3. Enable MySQL to automatically start at system boot.

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   $ sudo systemctl enable mysqld

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   Output:

   Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/mysqld.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/mysqld.service.

4. Start the MySQL service.

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   $ sudo systemctl start mysqld

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5. View the MySQL service status and verify that it's running.

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   $ sudo systemctl status mysqld

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   Output:

       ● mysqld.service - MySQL 8.0 database server
        Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/mysqld.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
        Active: active (running) since Thu 2024-06-20 09:40:44 UTC; 1min 30s ago
      Main PID: 49549 (mysqld)
        Status: "Server is operational"
         Tasks: 38 (limit: 48896)
        Memory: 473.7M
           CPU: 2.210s
        CGroup: /system.slice/mysqld.service
                └─49549 /usr/libexec/mysqld --basedir=/usr

   The MySQL service is active and running on your server based on the above output.

6. Run the MySQL secure installation script to enable authentication on your database server.

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   $ sudo mysql_secure_installation

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   Reply to the following prompts to set up the root database user password, remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove the test database on your server.

   • VALIDATE PASSWORD component: Enter Y and press Enter to enable password validation.
   • Password Validation Policy: Enter 2 to enable strong password usage on the server.
   • New password: Enter a new root database user password.
   • Re-enter new password: Enter the user password again and press Enter to validate the password strength.
   • Do you wish to continue with the password provided? Enter Y to apply the new root database user password.
   • Remove anonymous users? Enter Y to remove anonymous users from your database server.
   • Disallow root login remotely? Enter Y to disable remote access to the root database user.
   • Remove test database and access to it? Enter Y to remove the test database.
   • Reload privilege tables now? Enter Y to reload the MySQL privilege tables and press Enter to apply your configuration changes.

7. Restart the MySQL service to apply changes.

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   $ sudo systemctl restart mysqld

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Access MySQL

1. Log in to the MySQL console as the root user.

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   $ sudo mysql -u root -p

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   Enter the root user password you set earlier when prompted to access the console.

2. Create a new sample database example_vultr.

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   mysql> CREATE DATABASE example_vultr;

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3. List all available databases to verify that the new database is created.

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   mysql> SHOW DATABASES;

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   Output:

   +--------------------+
   | Database           |
   +--------------------+
   | example_vultr      |
   | information_schema |
   | mysql              |
   | performance_schema |
   | sys                |
   +--------------------+
   5 rows in set (0.00 sec)

4. Exit the MySQL console.

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   mysql> EXIT

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Install PHP and Configure PHP-FPM

PHP enables the processing of dynamic web contents and PHP-FPM manages PHP connections to process requests using pools with specific resource configurations. Follow the steps below to install PHP and configure PHP-FPM on the server.

1. Install PHP and PHP-FPM.

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   $ sudo dnf install php php-fpm -y

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2. Install common PHP extensions required by most dynamic web applications.

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   $ sudo dnf install php-mysqlnd php-gd php-curl php-mbstring php-xml php-zip -y

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3. View the installed PHP version on your server.

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   $ php -v

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   Your output should be similar to the one below:

   PHP 8.0.30 (cli) (built: Aug  3 2023 17:13:08) ( NTS gcc x86_64 )
   Copyright (c) The PHP Group
   Zend Engine v4.0.30, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
       with Zend OPcache v8.0.30, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

4. View the installed PHP-FPM version and verify that it matches your PHP version information.

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   $ php-fpm -v

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   Your output should be similar to the one below:

   PHP 8.0.30 (fpm-fcgi) (built: Aug  3 2023 17:13:08)
   Copyright (c) The PHP Group
   Zend Engine v4.0.30, Copyright (c) Zend Technologies
       with Zend OPcache v8.0.30, Copyright (c), by Zend Technologies

5. Enable the PHP-FPM service to automatically at system boot.

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   $ sudo systemctl enable php-fpm

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   Output:

   Created symlink /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/php-fpm.service → /usr/lib/systemd/system/php-fpm.service.

6. Start the PHP-FPM service.

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   $ sudo systemctl start php-fpm

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7. View the PHP-FPM service status and verify that it's running.

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   $ sudo systemctl status php-fpm

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   Output:

   ● php-fpm.service - The PHP FastCGI Process Manager
        Loaded: loaded (/usr/lib/systemd/system/php-fpm.service; enabled; preset: disabled)
        Active: active (running) since Fri 2024-07-19 21:35:13 UTC; 55s ago
      Main PID: 52503 (php-fpm)
        Status: "Processes active: 0, idle: 5, Requests: 0, slow: 0, Traffic: 0req/sec"
         Tasks: 6 (limit: 4632)
        Memory: 12.9M
           CPU: 53ms
        CGroup: /system.slice/php-fpm.service
                ├─52503 "php-fpm: master process (/etc/php-fpm.conf)"
                ├─52504 "php-fpm: pool www"
                ├─52505 "php-fpm: pool www"
                ├─52506 "php-fpm: pool www"
                ├─52507 "php-fpm: pool www"
                └─52508 "php-fpm: pool www"

   PHP-FPM is active and running on your server based on the above service output.

8. Open the default PHP-FPM pool configuration using a text editor such as nano.

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   $ sudo nano /etc/php-fpm.d/www.conf

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   • Find the following user and group directives. Keep apache as the default value to enable PHP-FPM connections to the Apache web server.
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   user = apache
   group = apache

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   • Find the following listen directive and verify the PHP-FPM UNIX socket path to use when connecting to the service.

   listen = /run/php-fpm/www.sock

   Save and close the file.

9. Restart PHP-FPM to apply your configuration changes.

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   $ sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

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Configure Apache with PHP-FPM

Apache connects to the PHP-FPM service using the UNIX socket path defined in your pool configuration. PHP-FPM uses a virtual host configuration in the /etc/httpd/conf.d/ directory by default to handle connections to the Apache web server. Follow the steps below to modify the virtual host file and configure Apache with PHP-FPM to process PHP requests on your server.

1. Open the default PHP-FPM virtual host configuration php.conf using a text editor such as nano.

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   $ sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/php.conf

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2. Find the following mod_php block and verify that SetHandler points to your PHP-FPM UNIX socket path /run/php-fpm/www.sock.

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   <FilesMatch \.(php|phar)$>
       SetHandler "proxy:unix:/run/php-fpm/www.sock|fcgi://localhost"
   </FilesMatch>

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   Save and close the file.

   The above configuration enables Apache to process and forward PHP requests to your PHP-FPM UNIX socket path. Replace the default path /run/php-fpm/www.sock with the value in your PHP-FPM pool configuration.

3. Test the Apache configuration for syntax errors.

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   $ sudo apachectl configtest

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   Output:

   Syntax OK

4. Restart Apache to apply your configuration changes.

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   $ sudo systemctl restart httpd

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5. Create a new sample PHP application file phptest.php in the default web root directory /var/www/html/.

   CONSOLE

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   $ sudo nano /var/www/html/phptest.php

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6. Add the following contents to the file.

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   <?php
       phpinfo();
   ?>

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   Save and close the file.

   The above PHP application code displays your installed PHP version information when accessed in a web browser.

7. Access your server IP address in a new web browser window using the /phptest.php URL path.

   http://SERVER-IP/phptest.php

   Verify that the Apache web server delivers your PHP application and displays the version information in your browser.

   

Test the Installation

Apache delivers web applications using virtual host configurations on your server. PHP-FPM processes dynamic web application requests while the MySQL database server interacts with PHP using the php-mysqlnd module. Follow the steps below to create a new sample PHP application that queries the MySQL database to output a Greetings from Vultr message when accessed in a web browser.

1. Log in to the MySQL database server as the root user.

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   $ sudo mysql -u root -p

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2. Create a new user dbadmin to use with the example_vultr database you created earlier. Replace Strong@@password123 with your desired password.

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   mysql> CREATE USER 'dbadmin'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'Strong@@password123';

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3. Grant the user full privileges to the example_vultr database.

   SQL

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   mysql> GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON example_vultr.* TO 'dbadmin'@'localhost';

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4. Switch to the database.

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   mysql> use example_vultr;

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5. Create a new sample table greetings with two columns.

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   mysql> CREATE TABLE greetings (
       id INT AUTO_INCREMENT PRIMARY KEY,
       message VARCHAR(255)
   );

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   The above SQL query creates a new greetings table with the following columns:

   • id: Stores numeric data that is auto-incremented whenever a new record is created.
   • message: Stores mixed character data (VARCHAR) such as strings.

6. Add a new Greetings from Vultr! string in the message column within the table.

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   mysql> INSERT INTO greetings (message) VALUES ('Greetings from Vultr!');

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7. Exit the MySQL console.

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   mysql> EXIT

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8. Create a new Apache virtual host configuration in the /etc/httpd/conf.d/ directory. For example, app.example.com.conf.

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   $ sudo nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/app.example.com.conf

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9. Add the following contents to the file.

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   <VirtualHost *:80>
       ServerAdmin webmaster@app.example.com
       ServerName app.example.com
       ServerAlias app.example.com
       DocumentRoot /var/www/app.example.com
   
       <Directory /var/www/app.example.com>
           Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
           AllowOverride All
           Require all granted
       </Directory>
   
       <IfModule dir_module>
           DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
       </IfModule>
   
       ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/app.example.com_error.log
       CustomLog /var/log/httpd/app.example.com_access.log combined
   </VirtualHost>

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   Save and close the file.

   The above configuration creates a new Apache virtual host that listens for incoming connections on the HTTP port 80 using your domain app.example.com to deliver web application files from the /var/www/app.example.com directory. The default PHP-FPM virtual host configuration /etc/httpd/conf.d/php.conf processes all dynamic PHP requests to the Apache web server.

10. Test the Apache configuration for errors.

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    $ sudo apachectl configtest

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    Output:

    Syntax OK

11. Create the new virtual host's web root directory /var/www/app.example.com.

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    $ sudo mkdir /var/www/app.example.com

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12. Create a new sample PHP application file index.php in the directory.

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    $ sudo nano /var/www/app.example.com/index.php

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13. Add the following contents to the file.

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    <?php
        $servername = "localhost";
        $username = "dbadmin";
        $password = "Strong@@password123"; 
        $dbname = "example_vultr";
    
        // Create connection
        $conn = new mysqli($servername, $username, $password, $dbname);
    
        // Check connection
        if ($conn->connect_error) {
            die("Connection failed: " . $conn->connect_error);
        }
    
        $sql = "SELECT message FROM greetings";
        $result = $conn->query($sql);
    
        if ($result->num_rows > 0) {
            while($row = $result->fetch_assoc()) {
            
            echo '<h1 style="text-align: center;">'.$row["message"].'</h1>';
            
            }
        } else {
            echo "0 results";
        }
        $conn->close();
    
    ?>

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    Save and close the file.

    The above PHP application connects to the MySQL database server using your provided user details to select and display all records in the message column within the greetings table.

14. Enable the Apache SELinux web server context on the virtual host's web root directory and all files.

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    $ sudo semanage fcontext -a -t httpd_sys_content_t "/var/www/app.example.com(/.*)?"

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15. Apply the SELinux context.

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    $ sudo restorecon -Rv /var/www/app.example.com/

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16. Restart the Apache web server to apply changes.

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    $ sudo systemctl restart httpd

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17. Access your domain in a new web browser window.

    http://app.example.com

    Verify that Apache serves your PHP application and displays the message Greetings from Vultr when the database connection is successful.

    

Secure the Server

Firewalld is the default firewall management utility that is available and active on Vultr Rocky Linux 9 servers by default. Use the firewall to allow network connections on the Apache HTTP port 80 to deliver web applications on a server. In addition, generate trusted SSL certificates using a trusted authority such as Let's Encrypt to secure connections to the Apache web server with HTTPS traffic. Follow the steps below to set up new firewall rules and secure your Apache virtual host domain with SSL certificates.

1. Start the firewalld utility.

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   $ sudo systemctl start firewalld

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2. Allow network connections to the Apache HTTP port 80.

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   $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=http

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3. Allow network connections to the Apache HTTPS port 443.

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   $ sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service=https

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4. Reload the firewall configuration to apply changes.

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   $ sudo firewall-cmd --reload

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5. View all services allowed through your firewall configuration.

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   $ sudo firewall-cmd --list-services

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   Output:

   cockpit dhcpv6-client http https ssh

Generated Trusted Let's Encrypt SSL Certificates

1. Install the Certbot Let's Encrypt client plugin for Apache.

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   $ sudo dnf install certbot-apache

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2. Generate a new SSL certificate for your virtual host domain. Replace app.example.com with your actual domain and admin@example.com with your email address.

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

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   Output:

   Account registered.
   Requesting a certificate for vultrtest.ddns.net
   
   Successfully received certificate.
   Certificate is saved at: /etc/letsencrypt/live/vultrtest.ddns.net/fullchain.pem
   Key is saved at:         /etc/letsencrypt/live/vultrtest.ddns.net/privkey.pem
   This certificate expires on 2024-10-17.
   These files will be updated when the certificate renews.
   Certbot has set up a scheduled task to automatically renew this certificate in the background.

3. Test the Certbot automatic SSL renewal process.

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   $ sudo certbot renew --dry-run

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4. Restart Apache to apply your configuration changes.

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   $ sudo systemctl restart apache

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5. Access your domain in a new web browser window using HTTPS and verify that Apache serves your web application files.

   http://app.example.com

   

Conclusion

You have installed Apache, MySQL, and PHP (LAMP stack) on your Rocky Linux 9 server to deliver dynamic web applications. You can create multiple virtual host configurations and deliver web applications on your server using different domains that point to your server's IP address. For more information and configuration options on each application within the stack, visit the following resources:

• Apache documentation.
• MySQL documentation.
• PHP documentation.