Installing LAMP on CentOS

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LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) on CentOS

LAMP is a popular stack that includes Linux, Apache, MySQL, and PHP, which together form a complete web server environment. Each component has a specific role:

  • Linux: The operating system
  • Apache: The web server
  • MySQL: The database management system
  • PHP: The programming language for dynamic web content

This guide will walk you through installing and configuring LAMP on CentOS 6 step by step.

Step 1: Preparation

Switch to Root User

To perform administrative tasks, switch to the root user:

sudo su -

Create a New User

It’s recommended to create a separate user for managing website files:

useradd -m username

This command will create a home directory at /home/username.

Set Up a Directory for Your Website

For organization, create a directory where your website files will be stored:

mkdir /home/username/my-first-domain.com
chown -R username:username /home/username/my-first-domain.com

Now, let’s move on to installing Apache.

Step 2: Installing and Configuring Apache

Install Apache

Use yum to install Apache:

yum install httpd -y

Enable Apache to Start on Boot

chkconfig httpd on

Start Apache

service httpd start

If successful, you should see:
Starting httpd: [OK]

Step 3: Configuring Apache

Install a Text Editor (Nano)

If you don’t have nano, install it:

yum install nano -y

Modify Apache Configuration File

Open the main Apache configuration file:

nano /etc/httpd/conf/httpd.conf

Find this section and comment it out (add # at the beginning of each line):

<Directory />
    Options FollowSymLinks
    AllowOverride None
    Require all denied
</Directory>

Then, add the following lines to allow access to your home directory:

<Directory /home/username/>
    AllowOverride All
</Directory>

Save and exit the file (CTRL + X, then Y, then ENTER).

Step 4: Adding a Website (Virtual Host)

Create a virtual host configuration file:

nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/my-first-domain.com.conf

Add the following content (replace with your details):

<VirtualHost Server-IP:80>
    ServerName my-first-domain.com
    ServerAlias www.my-first-domain.com
    ServerAdmin mail@my-first-domain.com
    DocumentRoot /home/username/my-first-domain.com
</VirtualHost>
  • Server-IP: Your server’s IP address
  • ServerName: The main domain
  • ServerAlias: Additional names for the site
  • DocumentRoot: The folder where site files are stored

Check for Errors and Restart Apache

Run the following command to check for syntax errors:

service httpd configtest

If everything is correct, you should see:
Syntax OK

Restart Apache to apply the changes:

service httpd restart

Step 5: Testing Apache and PHP

Create a test PHP file in your website directory:

echo "<?php echo 'It works!'; ?>" > /home/username/my-first-domain.com/index.php

Set proper permissions:

chown username:username /home/username/my-first-domain.com/index.php
chmod 644 /home/username/my-first-domain.com/index.php

Now, open a browser and visit:

http://my-first-domain.com/index.php

If you see It works!, Apache and PHP are working correctly.

Step 6: Installing MySQL

Install MySQL Server

yum install mysql-server -y

Enable MySQL to Start on Boot

chkconfig mysqld on

Start MySQL

service mysqld start

Step 7: Securing MySQL

Run the MySQL security script to set a root password and improve security:

/usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts:

  • Set a root password (Yes)
  • Remove anonymous users (Yes)
  • Disallow root login remotely (Yes)
  • Remove the test database (Yes)

Now, connect to MySQL using:

mysql -u root -p

Enter the root password you just created.

Step 8: Installing PHP and Modules

Install PHP

yum install php -y

Install MySQL Support for PHP

yum install php-mysql -y

Check Installed PHP Modules

php -m

Install Additional PHP Modules (if needed)

yum install php-common php-mbstring php-mcrypt php-devel php-xml php-gd -y

Step 9: Adding Remi Repository (Optional for Latest PHP Versions)

Enable the Remi Repository

wget http://rpms.famillecollet.com/enterprise/remi-release-6.rpm
sudo rpm -Uvh remi-release-6*.rpm

By default, Remi is disabled. To enable it permanently:

sudo nano /etc/yum.repos.d/remi.repo

Find the line:

enabled=0

Change it to:

enabled=1

Now, you can install PHP from Remi:

sudo yum --enablerepo=remi install php-xml -y

Final Step: Restart Apache

For changes to take effect, restart Apache one last time:

service httpd restart

Conclusion

You have successfully installed and configured LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP) on CentOS.

Now you can:
✅ Host websites and applications
✅ Manage databases with MySQL
✅ Use PHP to create dynamic web pages

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