The LEMP stack — Linux, Nginx, MySQL, and PHP — is a popular combination for hosting dynamic web applications. This guide installs and integrates all four components on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS.

Tested and valid on:

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

Prerequisites

Ubuntu 24.04 LTS server
A user with sudo privileges
UFW firewall configured

Step 1 – Install Nginx

Install and enable Nginx:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx -y
sudo systemctl enable nginx
sudo ufw allow 'Nginx Full'

Step 2 – Install MySQL

Install the MySQL 8.0 server:

sudo apt install mysql-server -y

Secure the installation:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Step 3 – Install PHP 8.3 and Required Extensions

Add the Ondrej PPA for the latest PHP and install PHP-FPM:

sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php -y
sudo apt update
sudo apt install php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-curl php8.3-zip php8.3-gd -y

Step 4 – Configure Nginx to Use PHP-FPM

Create a test server block:

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/default

Add the PHP location block inside the server block:

location ~ .php$ {
    include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
    fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock;
}

Step 5 – Test the Nginx Configuration

Validate and reload:

sudo nginx -t
sudo systemctl reload nginx

Step 6 – Test PHP Processing

Create a PHP info file:

echo '' | sudo tee /var/www/html/info.php

Visit http://your_server_ip/info.php — you should see the PHP info page. Remove afterwards:

sudo rm /var/www/html/info.php

Step 7 – Create a MySQL Database and User

Log into MySQL and create a database:

sudo mysql
CREATE DATABASE mydb;
CREATE USER 'myuser'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'StrongPassword123!';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON mydb.* TO 'myuser'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Conclusion

Your Ubuntu 24.04 LTS LEMP stack is ready. Nginx serves requests, PHP 8.3-FPM processes scripts, and MySQL 8.0 stores data. You can now deploy any PHP-based application such as WordPress or Laravel.

How to Install a LEMP Stack on Ubuntu 24.04