Welcome Dev, in this article we will guide you on how to host a PHP website on Ubuntu server. We will provide step-by-step instructions that will enable you to follow the process with ease, even if you have no prior experience in server administration. Whether you are a blogger, a business owner, or a developer, this guide will help you deploy your website on an Ubuntu server quickly and securely.
Prerequisites
Before we jump into the process, here are a few things you should take care of:
- Make sure you have a reliable and stable internet connection.
- You should have access to an Ubuntu server. You can either create a virtual machine or purchase a dedicated server from a hosting provider.
- You should have root access to your server.
- Ensure that your server meets the minimum requirements for hosting a PHP website. You can check the requirements from the official PHP website.
Step 1: Update the Server
Before you install any software on your Ubuntu server, it is essential to update the system to the latest stable release. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo apt update |
Update the package lists from the repositories. |
sudo apt upgrade |
Upgrade the installed packages to the latest version. |
This command will ensure that you have the latest security patches and bug fixes for your system.
Step 2: Install Apache Web Server
The Apache web server is a widely-used web server software that provides a stable and reliable platform for hosting PHP websites. To install the Apache web server on your Ubuntu server, run the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo apt install apache2 |
Install Apache web server. |
After the installation is complete, you can check if Apache is running by navigating to your server’s IP address in your web browser. You should see the Apache default page if everything is set up correctly.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: How do I find my server’s IP address?
A: You can find your server’s IP address by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
ip addr show eth0 | grep inet | awk ‘{ print $2; }’ | sed ‘s/\/.*$//’ |
Display the IP address of the eth0 interface. |
Q: What is the Apache default page?
A: The Apache default page is a web page that confirms that the Apache web server software is installed and running on your server. It is also used to test if your server can serve web pages correctly.
Step 3: Install PHP
PHP is a popular server-side scripting language that is used to create dynamic and interactive web pages. To install PHP on your Ubuntu server, you can run the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql |
Install PHP and its modules. |
After the installation is complete, you can test if PHP is working correctly by creating a PHP info file. To create the PHP info file, run the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php |
Create a PHP info file. |
Then, add the following code to the file:
Code |
Description |
|---|---|
<?php phpinfo(); ?> |
Display PHP configuration information. |
Save and close the file, then navigate to http://your_server_ip/info.php in your web browser. You should see a page that displays all the PHP configuration information.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a server-side scripting language?
A: A server-side scripting language is a programming language that is used to create web applications that run on a server. The server executes the code, generates HTML, and sends it to the client’s web browser.
Q: What is a PHP module?
A: A PHP module is a pre-compiled library that extends the functionality of PHP. It provides additional features and allows PHP to interact with other software on the server.
Step 4: Create a Virtual Host
A virtual host allows you to host multiple websites on a single server by directing traffic based on the domain name. To create a virtual host on your Ubuntu server, follow these steps:
- Create a directory to store your website files. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo mkdir /var/www/your_website |
Create a directory for your website. |
- Give ownership of the directory to the Apache web server. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/your_website |
Change the ownership of the directory to the Apache web server. |
- Create a virtual host file in the Apache configuration directory. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/your_website.conf |
Create a virtual host file. |
Then, add the following configuration to the file:
Configuration |
Description |
|---|---|
<VirtualHost *:80> ServerName your_website.com ServerAlias www.your_website.com DocumentRoot /var/www/your_website ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined </VirtualHost> |
Create a virtual host configuration. |
- Enable the virtual host by creating a symlink to the sites-enabled directory. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo a2ensite your_website.conf |
Enable the virtual host. |
- Restart the Apache web server to apply the changes. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo systemctl restart apache2 |
Restart the Apache web server. |
After completing these steps, your website should be accessible via your domain name.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a virtual host?
A: A virtual host is a method of hosting multiple websites on a single server. It allows you to assign a unique domain name to each website and direct traffic accordingly.
Q: What is a document root?
A: A document root is the directory on the file system where the web server looks for files to serve to clients. It is typically set to the directory where your website files are stored.
Step 5: Install a Database Server
Most web applications require a database to store and retrieve information. In this guide, we will use MySQL as our database server. To install MySQL on your Ubuntu server, follow these steps:
- Install MySQL by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo apt install mysql-server |
Install MySQL database server. |
- Run the MySQL security script by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo mysql_secure_installation |
Secure your MySQL installation. |
Answer the questions prompted by the script to secure your MySQL installation.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a database?
A: A database is a system for storing and retrieving data. It allows you to organize and manipulate large sets of data efficiently.
Q: What is MySQL?
A: MySQL is a popular open-source relational database management system. It is widely used in web applications to store and retrieve data.
Step 6: Install PHP Modules
PHP modules provide additional functionality to your PHP installation. In this section, we will install the modules required to run most web applications. Run the following command to install the necessary modules:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo apt install php-curl php-gd php-intl php-mbstring php-xml php-xmlrpc |
Install the required PHP modules. |
After installing the modules, restart the Apache web server to apply the changes:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo systemctl restart apache2 |
Restart the Apache web server. |
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a PHP module?
A: A PHP module is a pre-compiled library that extends the functionality of PHP. It provides additional features and allows PHP to interact with other software on the server.
Q: What is curl?
A: Curl is a command-line tool for transferring data between servers. It is commonly used in PHP to make HTTP requests and retrieve data from remote servers.
Step 7: Install a Text Editor
As a developer, you need a text editor to edit your website files. In this guide, we recommend using Visual Studio Code, a powerful and popular code editor. To install Visual Studio Code on your Ubuntu server, follow these steps:
- Download the Visual Studio Code package from the official website. You can do this by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
wget https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkID=760868 |
Download the Visual Studio Code package. |
- Install the package by running the following command:
Command |
Description |
|---|---|
sudo dpkg -i code_*.deb |
Install the Visual Studio Code package. |
After installing Visual Studio Code, you can use it to edit your website files. You can also use any other text editor that you are comfortable with.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a text editor?
A: A text editor is a program for editing plain text files. It is used to write and edit code, configuration files, and other types of text-based documents.
Q: What is Visual Studio Code?
A: Visual Studio Code is a free and open-source code editor developed by Microsoft. It supports many programming languages and provides advanced features such as debugging and source control integration.
Step 8: Deploy Your Website
Now that you have set up the server, installed the necessary software, and created a virtual host, you can deploy your website. Here are the steps to follow:
- Create your website files and place them in the document root directory that you specified in the virtual host configuration.
- Create a MySQL database for your website and grant privileges to a user to access the database.
- Edit the configuration files of your website to connect to the MySQL database.
- Test your website by navigating to your domain name in a web browser.
After testing your website, you can start promoting it and attracting visitors.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Q: What is a document root?
A: A document root is the directory on the file system where the web server looks for files to serve to clients. It is typically set to the directory where your website files are stored.
Q: What is MySQL?
A: MySQL is a popular open-source relational database management system. It is widely used in web applications to store and retrieve data.
Conclusion
Congratulations! You have successfully learned how to host a PHP website on an Ubuntu server. We hope this guide helped you to get started with server administration and website deployment. If you have any questions or comments, please feel free to leave them below.