LAMP stack ( Linux, Apache, MariaDB / MySQL, and PHP) is the most widely used software technology stack used by hosting companies to host websites and blogs. In addition, this stack is commonly used to deploy content management systems such as WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc.
Here, we will see how to install LAMP stack on Ubuntu 20.04.
Install AMP Stack
In Ubuntu, you can install the AMP stack manually by installing Apache, MariaDB, and PHP one by one or the whole stack with a single command.
When installing AMP Stack using a single command, it will install MySQL v8.0. But, at the same time, if you choose to install the LAMP stack manually, you will get MariaDB v10.6.
Method 1: Install LAMP Stack Manually (One by one)
We will install AMP (Apache v2.4, PHP v8.1, and MariaDB v10.6) on Ubuntu 20.04.
Install Apache
First, update the package repository index.
sudo apt update
Then, install the apache2 package using the apt command.
sudo apt install -y apache2 apache2-utils
Install MariaDB
MariaDB has replaced MySQL as a default database server in Ubuntu, and it is available (v10.6) from the Ubuntu repository.
You can also install the latest version of MariaDB from the MariaDB repository.
sudo apt install -y mariadb-server mariadb-client
Then, run the mysql_secure_installation command to secure the MySQL installation.
sudo mysql_secure_installation
Output:
NOTE: RUNNING ALL PARTS OF THIS SCRIPT IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL MariaDB
SERVERS IN PRODUCTION USE! PLEASE READ EACH STEP CAREFULLY!
In order to log into MariaDB to secure it, we'll need the current
password for the root user. If you've just installed MariaDB, and
haven't set the root password yet, you should just press enter here.
Enter current password for root (enter for none):
OK, successfully used password, moving on...
Setting the root password or using the unix_socket ensures that nobody
can log into the MariaDB root user without the proper authorisation.
You already have your root account protected, so you can safely answer 'n'.
Switch to unix_socket authentication [Y/n] N
... skipping.
You already have your root account protected, so you can safely answer 'n'.
Change the root password? [Y/n] Y
New password: xxx
Re-enter new password: xxx
Password updated successfully!
Reloading privilege tables..
... Success!
By default, a MariaDB installation has an anonymous user, allowing anyone
to log into MariaDB without having to have a user account created for
them. This is intended only for testing, and to make the installation
go a bit smoother. You should remove them before moving into a
production environment.
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y
... Success!
Normally, root should only be allowed to connect from 'localhost'. This
ensures that someone cannot guess at the root password from the network.
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
... Success!
By default, MariaDB comes with a database named 'test' that anyone can
access. This is also intended only for testing, and should be removed
before moving into a production environment.
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
- Dropping test database...
... Success!
- Removing privileges on test database...
... Success!
Reloading the privilege tables will ensure that all changes made so far
will take effect immediately.
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] Y
... Success!
Cleaning up...
All done! If you've completed all of the above steps, your MariaDB
installation should now be secure.
Thanks for using MariaDB!
Install PHP
By default, the Apache server supports serving static HTML files only, not PHP. Therefore, you will need to install PHP and the PHP extension package for MariaDB/MySQL if required to enable PHP support.
Ubuntu 22.04 comes with PHP v8.1.
sudo apt install -y php php-mysql libapache2-mod-php
After the installation, restart the Apache webserver.
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Now, you can head to Testing LAMP Stack.
Method 2: Install LAMP Stack In Single Command
We will install AMP (Apache v2.4, PHP v8.1, and MySQL v8.0) on Ubuntu 20.04.
Update the repository cache using the apt command.
sudo apt update
Paste below the line in the terminal and hit enter.
sudo apt install -y lamp-server^
The above command will search and install the required packages for the LAMP server. You will need to wait for a few minutes to let the installation of the LAMP stack complete.
Run the mysql_secure_installation command to secure the MySQL installation.
sudo mysql_secure_installation
Output:
Securing the MySQL server deployment. Connecting to MySQL using a blank password. VALIDATE PASSWORD COMPONENT can be used to test passwords and improve security. It checks the strength of password and allows the users to set only those passwords which are secure enough. Would you like to setup VALIDATE PASSWORD component? Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No: Y s There are three levels of password validation policy: LOW Length >= 8 MEDIUM Length >= 8, numeric, mixed case, and special characters STRONG Length >= 8, numeric, mixed case, special characters and dictionary file Please enter 0 = LOW, 1 = MEDIUM and 2 = STRONG: 2 Please set the password for root here. New password: xxx Re-enter new password: xxx Estimated strength of the password: 100 Do you wish to continue with the password provided?(Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : Y By default, a MySQL installation has an anonymous user, allowing anyone to log into MySQL without having to have a user account created for them. This is intended only for testing, and to make the installation go a bit smoother. You should remove them before moving into a production environment. Remove anonymous users? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : Y Success. Normally, root should only be allowed to connect from 'localhost'. This ensures that someone cannot guess at the root password from the network. Disallow root login remotely? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : Y Success. By default, MySQL comes with a database named 'test' that anyone can access. This is also intended only for testing, and should be removed before moving into a production environment. Remove test database and access to it? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : Y - Dropping test database... Success. - Removing privileges on test database... Success. Reloading the privilege tables will ensure that all changes made so far will take effect immediately. Reload privilege tables now? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : Y Success. All done!
MySQL uses the Unix Socket authentication mechanism for MySQL root user when installed from the Ubuntu repository. This authentication mechanism allows MySQL root user to log in only from the Unix socket (# prompt or sudo).
To disable Unix Socket authentication and enable the native password mechanism, follow the below steps.
Log in as a MariaDB root user.
sudo mysql -u root -p
No password required
use mysql; update user set plugin='mysql_native_password' where user='root'; flush privileges; quit;
Test LAMP Stack
Apache’s default document root is /var/www/html and the main configuration file is /etc/apache2/apache2.conf. You can find additional configurations like virtual hosts and modules in the /etc/apache2/*-enabled directory.
For testing the PHP, we will place one PHP file on to the default document root of Apache.
echo "" | sudo tee /var/www/html/info.php
Now open a web browser and type the following into the web address to access the test page:
http://ip.ad.dr.ess/info.php
The page will look like the below.
Scroll the page down to see the details of PHP extensions for MySQL/MariaDB.
Conclusion
That’s All. I hope, by now, you have LAMP stack on Ubuntu 20.04. Please share your feedback in the comments section.
