How to Install LAMP on Ubuntu 26.04 and 24.04

To install a LAMP stack on Ubuntu 26.04 or 24.04, use APT to install Apache, MySQL and PHP from Ubuntu’s repositories. Together, these tools let your Ubuntu computer serve websites and run PHP applications backed by a database.

This guide takes you from installation to a working PHP test, with a separate database user, firewall checks and troubleshooting. If you need help, leave a comment or contact us.

How to Install LAMP on Ubuntu

The same package names work on both releases. Ubuntu chooses the default versions for your release, so you do not need to add a third-party repository.

sudo apt update

sudo apt install apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-cli curl

systemctl is-active apache2
systemctl is-active mysql

hostname -I

Test PHP in Apache

A terminal version check alone does not prove that Apache can run PHP. This temporary file tests the web server and the MySQL extension together.

sudo sh -c 'test ! -e /var/www/html/lamp-check.php && test ! -L /var/www/html/lamp-check.php && printf "%s\n" "<?php echo \"PHP is working. MySQL extension: \" . (extension_loaded(\"mysqli\") ? \"loaded\" : \"missing\");" > /var/www/html/lamp-check.php'

sudo rm /var/www/html/lamp-check.php

Your basic LAMP installation is complete if the Apache page and PHP test work. A separate website and a public deployment are optional for local development. For an existing site, the active Apache virtual host (a configuration for a particular website) may use a different document root, the directory containing the site’s files. The default path above applies to the default site.

Set Up a Website

Apache can serve separate sites from their own directories. A virtual host tells Apache which site to serve for a requested hostname. Its document root is the folder containing that site’s files. This example uses lamp.example.com, a placeholder for a domain you control. It does not create DNS records. For a local-only test, you can use the Host header below.

First check that neither example path exists. If the command prints a path, stop and choose unused names instead of overwriting a site. A blank result means neither path was found; the command can return a nonzero status when a path is missing.

ls -ld /var/www/lamp.example.com /etc/apache2/sites-available/lamp.example.com.conf 2>/dev/null

Create a directory for your site and a small PHP page. The page reveals no server configuration.

sudo mkdir -p /var/www/lamp.example.com/public
printf '%s\n' '<?php echo "Apache and PHP are working.";' | sudo tee /var/www/lamp.example.com/public/index.php > /dev/null

Create the Apache configuration:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/lamp.example.com.conf

Paste the following, save with Ctrl+O and Enter, then exit with Ctrl+X:

<VirtualHost *:80>
    ServerName lamp.example.com
    DocumentRoot /var/www/lamp.example.com/public
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
    <Directory /var/www/lamp.example.com/public>
        Options -Indexes
        AllowOverride None
        Require all granted
    </Directory>
    ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/lamp-error.log
    CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/lamp-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Enable the site and check the configuration. Continue to reload only if the test reports Syntax OK.

sudo a2ensite lamp.example.com.conf
sudo apache2ctl configtest

sudo systemctl reload apache2

Test this virtual host locally without changing DNS. The expected response is Apache and PHP are working.

curl -H 'Host: lamp.example.com' http://127.0.0.1/

The default Apache site remains enabled. Visiting the server by IP address can therefore show its default page because that request does not match your new hostname. For a real site, replace the example hostname throughout with your own, point its DNS to your server and configure HTTPS with a trusted certificate before accepting passwords. The example site remains HTTP until you configure TLS.

Create a Database and User

Many PHP apps need their own database. Create a separate user for each app instead of giving an app MySQL root access. The following example creates a local-only user; replace the password with a unique, long password and keep it private. SQL statements may be stored in MySQL client history, so handle that history as sensitive data.

sudo mysql

CREATE DATABASE lamp_app CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'lamp_user'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'replace-with-a-unique-long-password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON lamp_app.* TO 'lamp_user'@'localhost';
EXIT;

mysql -u lamp_user -p lamp_app

The grant gives this account privileges on lamp_app only, not on every database or the whole MySQL server. Use localhost, lamp_app and lamp_user in your application’s database settings, along with the password you chose. Follow the application’s own requirements for PHP extensions and database permissions.

Test PHP and MySQL Together

This checks that PHP can authenticate to the database, not just that its extension is installed. Run it on the server and enter the application user’s password when prompted. The password is not placed in the shell command history. Replace the example database and user if you chose different names.

IFS= read -r -s -p 'Database password: ' LAMP_PASSWORD; printf '\n'
printf '%s\n' "$LAMP_PASSWORD" | php -r '$p = rtrim(fgets(STDIN), "\r\n"); try { $db = new mysqli("localhost", "lamp_user", $p, "lamp_app"); echo "Connection successful.\n"; } catch (Throwable $e) { fwrite(STDERR, "Connection failed. Check the user, password and database.\n"); exit(1); }'
unset LAMP_PASSWORD

The password is hidden while you type and is not placed in the command history. This checks PHP from the terminal. The earlier browser test checks PHP through Apache; neither test proves that your web application has its database settings correct. Configure and test the application separately.

Secure and Maintain Your Server

The steps above establish a working stack, not a complete production deployment. Keep Ubuntu and your web apps updated, back up both database and website files, and use HTTPS before sending passwords or other private data over a network.

Check your firewall before changing it:

sudo ufw status verbose

If UFW is active and you want other machines to reach the website over HTTP, allow port 80. For HTTPS, allow 443 after configuring a certificate and Apache for TLS. A cloud provider may also have a separate firewall. Do not open MySQL port 3306 to the internet for this local setup.

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp

sudo ufw allow 22/tcp
sudo ufw status numbered

Check that the rule allows your actual SSH port before continuing. Then enable UFW and check its status:

sudo ufw enable
sudo ufw status verbose

For database administration, keep the default local root socket authentication unless you have a specific reason to change it. Review MySQL accounts and remove any test accounts or databases you do not need. Avoid exposing temporary PHP test files.

Troubleshoot LAMP

sudo systemctl status apache2 --no-pager
sudo journalctl -u apache2 -n 50 --no-pager
sudo systemctl status mysql --no-pager
sudo journalctl -u mysql -n 50 --no-pager

Check which process is listening on port 80:

sudo ss -ltnp '( sport = :80 )'

A LISTEN row can show the process using the port. If the output contains only the header, no TCP listener was found at that moment. Identify the service before changing it: stopping it could take another website or application offline.

sudo rm /var/www/html/lamp-check.php
sudo apache2ctl configtest
sudo systemctl status apache2 --no-pager

sudo dpkg --configure -a
sudo apt --fix-broken install

Remove the LAMP Packages

Removing the stack can break other sites and applications. Back up your databases, configuration and website files first. This command removes the named packages but does not promise to remove every dependency or all database and site data. Review the proposed changes before confirming.

sudo apt remove apache2 mysql-server php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-cli

Do not run purge or autoremove blindly on a shared server. Check what would be removed and keep backups before deleting any remaining configuration or data.

Helpful Resources

Read the official Ubuntu guides for Apache, MySQL and PHP.

Frequently Asked Questions

Related: How to Optimize Apache | Ubuntu Server Manual | Back Up Files on Ubuntu