How to install LEMP server on CentOS 8 - Tutorials and How To

LEMP, an acronym for Linux Nginx ( Pronounced and Engine-X) MySQL and PHP is a popular web development stack used by developers to test and launch websites. LEMP is a close cousin to the LAMP server which ships with Apache webserver instead of Nginx. In this tutorial, we demonstrate how to install LEMP server on CentOS 8.

LEMP combines a hybrid system of tools that include :

Nginx(pronounced Engine X) for the webserver
MariaDB/MySQL to act as the database management server.
PHP to serve as the server-side script language.

Let’s now get down to installing the LEMP server.

Prerequisites

Before getting started out, ensure that you have an instance of CentOS 8 at your avail with an SSH connection. If you don’t have one ready, you can readily deploy a fully managed cloud VPS starting at $3.71 per month

Step 1: Update the system

To get started, begin by updating the system using the command:

$ sudo dnf update

Step 2: Install Nginx

Next, we will install the second component of the LEMP stack which is the Nginx web server.

$ sudo dnf install nginx –y

Install LEMP server on CentOS 8

Upon successful installation, start the webserver using the command:

$  sudo systemctl start nginx

Additionally, you can configure the webserver to start on boot using the command.

$ sudo systemctl enable nginx

To confirm the Nginx version by running this command

$ nginx –v

You can verify the running status of the server by invoking:

$ sudo systemctl status nginx

Nginx running in LEMP

The image above confirms that the Nginx webserver is up and running. You can also verify that Nginx is installed by browsing your Server’s IP address as shown. This displays the default Nginx welcome page.

http://server-ip

How to install LEMP server on CentOS 8

Step 3: Install the MariaDB database server

MariaDB is a free and open-source database server that is a fork of MySQL. It became quite popular, especially after MySQL was acquired by Oracle. It ships with numerous features and optimizations such as better security and stability, additional storage engines, and overall better performance.

To install MariaDB on CentOS 8, run the command.

$ sudo dnf install mariadb-server mariadb

Install MariaDB server on CentOS 8

Once the installation is complete, start the database server as shown.

$ systemctl start mariadb

For best use, set MariaDB to start on boot using the command:

$ systemctl enable mariadb

Just to be sure that the server is running, execute:

$ systemctl status mariadb

Check MariaDB status

The output indicates the MariaDB server is up and running. Now, the default settings in MariaDB are quite weak and extra steps are required to harden the server. Therefore, run the script below to make additional tweaks to further secure your server.

$ mysql_secure_installation

Be sure to set the root password.

Set-root-password

For the remaining prompts, simply type in ‘Y’ for Yes and hit ENTER.

How to secure MariaDB

To log in, to MariaDB, simply run:

$ sudo mysql -u root -p

Step 4: Install PHP-FPM

To install the t PHP-FPM plus its related modules on CentOS 8, run the following command:

$ sudo dnf  install php php-mysqlnd php-fpm php-opcache php-gd php-xml php-mbstring -y

To start it after the installation, execute:

$ sudo systemctl start php-fpm

Next, configure the PHP-FPM to start on boot using the command:

$ sudo systemctl enable php-fpm

Next, proceed to edit the config file using this command

Usually, PHP-FPM is set to run as an Apache user. However, we have installed Nginx and we need to configure the user to Nginx. Therefore, proceed and open the /etc/php-fpm.d/www.conf. file:

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

Scroll and locate the following lines:

user = apache
group = apache

Now change both values to Nginx.

user = nginx
group = nginx

Save and exit the configuration file. Then restart Nginx and php-fpm.

$ sudo systemctl restart nginx
$ sudo systemctl restart php-fpm

Step 4: Test PHP

Here, you will test the PHP-FPM module configurations with the Nginx web server by editing the root directory. Create a sample PHP file as shown:

$ sudo vim  /usr/share/nginx/html/info.php

Paste the following PHP code inside

<?php

phpinfo();

 ?>

Save and close

To see if it works, fire up your browser and browse the server’s address as shown

http://server-IP/info.php

You should get the webpage below showing the PHP version alongside the server status and PHP modules.

Check if PHP is installed

If you don’t get to see the webpage, be sure to restart both PHP-FPM and Nginx and repeat the process.

$ sudo systemctl restart nginx php-fpm

Conclusion

If you have come this far, its our hope that you are now in a position to install LEMP server on CentOS 8.