# LAMP Stack

The LAMP stack (Linux, Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) is the classic combination for hosting web applications and dynamic websites. This image ships all four components pre-installed and configured to work together, ready for you to deploy your application.

PHP’s `mail()` function and the local mail transfer agent deliver mail directly over port 25, which is blocked by default. Use an SMTP plugin or authenticated relay on port 587, or see [SMTP Port 25](https://docs.zcp.zsoftly.ca/public-cloud/networking/public-network/smtp-port-25) to request access.

## Software included

| Component | Version |
| --- | --- |
| Apache | 2.4.x |
| MariaDB | Latest stable |
| PHP | 8.4 |
| PHP extensions | cli, mysql, curl, gd, mbstring, xml, zip, bcmath, intl |
| Ubuntu | 24.04 LTS |

## Environment variables

This image takes no deploy-time variables. MariaDB is installed with socket authentication for `root`, and no application database is created. Create one after first boot:

```bash
sudo mariadb -e "CREATE DATABASE app;"
sudo mariadb -e "CREATE USER 'app'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<password>';"
sudo mariadb -e "GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON app.* TO 'app'@'localhost';"
```

## Getting started

### 1. Connect to your VM

```bash
ssh ubuntu@<your-vm-ip>
```

### 2. Verify services are running

There is no first-boot configuration. All services start immediately.

```bash
systemctl status apache2
systemctl status mariadb
php --version
```

### 3. Access the default web page

Open a browser and navigate to:

```text
http://<your-vm-ip>
```

### 4. Deploy your application

Place your application files in the web root:

```bash
sudo cp -r my-app/* /var/www/html/
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/html/
```

### 5. Set up a database

On a fresh install, no password is required. Authentication uses the system socket. Connect as root:

```bash
sudo mariadb
```

Create a database and user for your application:

```sql
CREATE DATABASE myapp CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'myapp'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY '<strong-password>';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON myapp.* TO 'myapp'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;
```

## Managing the LAMP stack

```bash
# Restart Apache
sudo systemctl restart apache2


# Restart MariaDB
sudo systemctl restart mariadb


# View Apache logs
sudo tail -f /var/log/apache2/error.log


# View MariaDB logs
sudo journalctl -u mariadb -f
```

Key directories and files:

| Path | Purpose |
| --- | --- |
| `/var/www/html/` | Default web root |
| `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` | Apache virtual hosts |
| `/etc/php/8.4/apache2/php.ini` | PHP configuration for Apache |
| `/etc/mysql/mariadb.conf.d/` | MariaDB configuration |

To create a virtual host for a domain, add a configuration file to `/etc/apache2/sites-available/` and enable it:

```bash
sudo a2ensite myapp.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2
```

## Security

Port 80 is open by default. UFW is enabled.

After setting up HTTPS, restrict HTTP traffic:

```bash
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw delete allow 80/tcp
```

Set a strong MariaDB root password and restrict database users to `localhost` unless remote access is required.

## Next steps

- [Apache documentation](https://httpd.apache.org/docs/)
- [MariaDB documentation](https://mariadb.com/kb/en/)
- [PHP documentation](https://www.php.net/docs.php)