How to install a LEMP stack (Nginx, PHP, MySQL)

A LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP) is the foundation for most PHP sites, including WordPress. Here is how to install it.

1. Nginx

apt-get update -y
apt-get install -y nginx

2. MySQL

apt-get install -y mysql-server
mysql_secure_installation

3. PHP-FPM

apt-get install -y php-fpm php-mysql

4. Wire Nginx to PHP

In the server block, add PHP file processing:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name example.com;
    root /var/www/mysite;
    index index.php index.html;

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php-fpm.sock;
    }
}

nginx -t && systemctl reload nginx

5. Test PHP

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

Open /info.php in a browser, then delete the file. For the database, see MySQL users and privileges.