How to install Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP(LEMP Stack) on AWS Amazon Linux 2023

Setting up a LEMP stack (Linux, Nginx, MySQL/MariaDB, PHP) on AWS Amazon Linux 2023 enables you to host high-performance web applications on a reliable, scalable infrastructure. This guide demonstrates how to install a LEMP stack on an AWS Amazon Linux 2023 server

What is the LEMP Stack?

The LEMP stack is an open-source software stack used for hosting dynamic websites and web applications. Here's what it consists of:

• Linux : The operating system that powers the server.
• Nginx : A high-performance web server and reverse proxy.
• MySQL/MariaDB : The database system for storing application data.
• PHP : A server-side scripting language for building dynamic websites.

Prerequisites for Installing the LEMP Stack on AWS

Before getting started, ensure you have the following:

1. An AWS EC2 instance running Amazon Linux 2023 .
2. An SSH client for accessing your server.

Step 1: Launch an AWS EC2 Instance

If you don’t already have an EC2 instance, follow this guide to create one: Instructions on how to create an AWS EC2

Step 2: Update Your Amazon Linux System

After connecting to your instance via SSH, update the package manager to ensure you have the latest software:

sudo dnf update -y
sudo dnf upgrade -y

Step 3: Install Nginx

Install Nginx

Run the following commands to install Nginx:

sudo dnf install nginx -y

Start and Enable Nginx

Start the Nginx service and configure it to launch automatically on boot:

sudo systemctl start nginx
sudo systemctl enable nginx

Verify Nginx Installation

Visit your server’s public IP address in a browser. You should see the default Nginx welcome page

Step 4: Install and Configure MySQL

Install MySQL

MySQL is a popular MySQL-compatible database system. To install MySQL, follow these steps:

## Download the RPM file
sudo wget https://dev.mysql.com/get/mysql80-community-release-el9-1.noarch.rpm 

## Install RPM file
sudo dnf install mysql80-community-release-el9-1.noarch.rpm -y

## You need the public key of mysql to install the software.
sudo rpm --import https://repo.mysql.com/RPM-GPG-KEY-mysql-2023

# If you need to install mysql client:
sudo dnf install mysql-community-client -y

# If you need server:
sudo dnf install mysql-community-server -y

Start and Enable MySQL

Start the MySQL service and configure it to run at boot:

sudo systemctl start mysqld
sudo systemctl enable mysqld

Verify MySQL

Check the MySQL version by run the following command:

mysql -V

# mysql  Ver 8.0.40 for Linux on x86_64 (MySQL Community Server - GPL)

Secure MySQL

When install Mysql, the temporary root password will be output to /var/log/mysqld.log. To retrieve the temporary root password:

sudo grep 'temporary password' /var/log/mysqld.log

# 2024-12-05T10:40:36.341933Z 6 [Note] [MY-010454] [Server] A temporary password is generated for root@localhost: fsCWX&F6TfCd

Now, we know the MySQL password Run the secure installation wizard to set up your MySQL server:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Follow the prompts to:

• Set a root password.
• Remove anonymous users.
• Disable remote root login (optional).
• Remove the test database.

Enter password for user root: fsCWX&F6TfCd
New password: Secret123!@#
Re-enter new password: Secret123!@#
Change the password for root ? ((Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : y
Do you wish to continue with the password provided?(Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : y
Remove anonymous users? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : y
Disallow root login remotely? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : No
Remove test database and access to it? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : y
Reload privilege tables now? (Press y|Y for Yes, any other key for No) : y

Follow the prompts to set a root password and remove unnecessary options.

Try to connect MySQL

mysql -u"root" -p
-- Then Input root user password: Secret123!@#

Step 5: Install PHP

Install PHP and Extensions

Install PHP 8.3 and the necessary extensions:

sudo dnf install php8.3 php8.3-cli php8.3-fpm php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-gd php8.3-zip  php8.3-pdo php8.3-mysqlnd -y

Configure PHP-FPM

Edit the PHP-FPM configuration to set the user and group to nginx:

sudo vi /etc/php-fpm.d/www.conf

Update these lines:

user = nginx
group = nginx

Start and enable PHP-FPM:

sudo systemctl start php-fpm
sudo systemctl enable php-fpm

Step 6: Configure Nginx to Work with PHP

Edit the Nginx configuration file to process PHP files:

sudo vi /etc/nginx/conf.d/site1.conf

Update the server block to include:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name your-domain.com;

    root /usr/share/nginx/html;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        include fastcgi_params;
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php-fpm/www.sock;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
    }

    location ~ /\.ht {
        deny all;
    }
}

Restart Nginx to apply changes:

sudo systemctl restart nginx

Step 7: Test the LEMP Stack

Create a PHP info file to confirm PHP is working:

echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" | sudo tee /usr/share/nginx/html/info.php

Visit http://your-server-ip/info.php to view the PHP info page. If Your server IP is 13.112.242.48 then visit http://13.112.242.48/info.php

If you see the PHP info page, the LEMP stack is successfully installed.

Step 8: Secure Your LEMP Stack

1. Set Up a Firewall : Use AWS Security Groups to allow only necessary traffic.
2. Enable HTTPS : Install a free SSL certificate using Certbot for secure connections.
3. Harden MySQL : Restrict root login and create a dedicated user for your application.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You’ve successfully set up a LEMP stack on AWS Amazon Linux 2023. Your server is now ready to host PHP-based web applications. For better performance and security, consider optimizing your Nginx configuration and applying additional server hardening practices