In today’s digital landscape, having a dynamic website or web application is crucial for businesses to thrive online. One of the most popular stacks for hosting such websites is the LAMP stack. LAMP stands for Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP – a group of open-source software that work together to enable a server to host dynamic websites and web apps. In this comprehensive guide, we will walk you through the step-by-step process of installing and configuring a LAMP stack on AlmaLinux 8. So, let’s get started!

I. Installing the Apache Web Server

The first component of the LAMP stack is the Apache web server. It is responsible for serving web pages to clients. To install Apache on AlmaLinux 8, follow these steps:

1. Update the system:

sudo yum update

2. Install the Apache web server:

sudo yum install httpd

3. Enable Apache to start automatically upon system boot:

sudo systemctl enable httpd

4. Start the Apache web server:

sudo systemctl start httpd

5. Verify the status of the Apache web server:

sudo systemctl status httpd

Once the installation is complete, you should see the status as “active (running)”.

6. Configure the firewall to allow HTTP and HTTPS requests:

sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-service=http
sudo firewall-cmd --permanent --zone=public --add-service=https
sudo firewall-cmd --reload

Now, your Apache web server is up and running, and you have allowed HTTP and HTTPS requests through the firewall.

II. Installing PHP

PHP is a server-side scripting language that is used to process dynamic content on web pages. To install PHP on AlmaLinux 8, follow these steps:

1. Install the EPEL repository:

sudo rpm -Uvh https://dl.fedoraproject.org/pub/epel/epel-release-latest-8.noarch.rpm

2. Install PHP 7.4 and necessary modules:

sudo dnf module install php:7.4
sudo yum install -y php-mysqlnd php-dom php-simplexml php-xml php-intl php-xmlreader php-curl php-exif php-ftp php-gd php-iconv php-json php-mbstring php-posix php-sockets php-tokenizer

3. Restart the Apache web server:

sudo systemctl restart httpd

4. Test your PHP installation: Create a file named info.php in the /var/www/html directory with the following content:

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

You can now access http://your-server-ip/info.php in your browser and see the PHP information page.

III. Installing MariaDB Server

MariaDB is a popular open-source database server that is compatible with MySQL. To install MariaDB on AlmaLinux 8, follow these steps:

1. Install MariaDB:

sudo yum install mariadb-server mariadb

2. Enable MariaDB to start automatically upon system boot:

sudo systemctl enable mariadb

3. Start the MariaDB server:

sudo systemctl start mariadb

4. Secure your MariaDB installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the on-screen prompts to set a root password and secure your MariaDB installation.

5. Verify the status of the MariaDB server:

sudo systemctl status mariadb

If everything is installed correctly, you should see the status as “active (running)”.

Now you have successfully installed and configured the LAMP stack on your AlmaLinux 8 server. You can now start developing and hosting your dynamic websites and web applications.

Remember to regularly update and maintain your LAMP stack to ensure optimal performance and security.

And there you have it – a step-by-step guide to installing a LAMP stack on AlmaLinux 8. By following these instructions, you can have a powerful and reliable web hosting environment to support your online endeavors.

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Conclusion

In this comprehensive guide, we have walked you through the process of installing a LAMP stack on AlmaLinux 8. We started by installing the Apache web server, followed by PHP and MariaDB. Each component plays a crucial role in hosting dynamic websites and web applications.

Remember to keep your LAMP stack up to date and regularly maintain it to ensure optimal performance and security. With a properly configured LAMP stack, you can confidently host your websites and web apps, empowering your online presence.

Christian Wells