Blog Post

How to Install Nginx and PHP on Debian Server

April 29, 2023 Debian by Shahriar Kabir

Install Nginx – If you’re looking to host a website on a Debian server, you’ll need to install a web server and a scripting language. In this article, we’ll cover how to install Nginx and PHP on a Debian server.

Prerequisites

Before we start, you’ll need to have root access to your server and have updated the package list.

Installing Nginx

Nginx is a popular web server that’s known for its high performance and low resource usage. Here’s how to install it:

Step 1: Update the package list

sudo apt update

Step 2: Install Nginx

sudo apt install nginx

Step 3: Start Nginx

sudo systemctl start nginx

Step 4: Verify Nginx is Running

sudo systemctl status nginx

Installing PHP

PHP is a popular scripting language that’s often used for web development. Here’s how to install it:

Step 1: Install PHP and Required Extensions

sudo apt install php-fpm php-mysql

Step 2: Configure PHP

sudo nano /etc/php/7.4/fpm/php.ini

Uncomment the following line by removing the semicolon:

;cgi.fix_pathinfo=1

Save and close the file.

Step 3: Restart PHP

sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm

Configuring Nginx for PHP

Now that we have both Nginx and PHP installed, we need to configure Nginx to use PHP. Here’s how:

Step 1: Create a New Server Block

sudo nano /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com

Replace “example.com” with your domain name.

Step 2: Add the Following Code to the File

server {

listen 80;

listen [::]:80;

root /var/www/example.com/html;

index index.php index.html index.htm;

server_name example.com www.example.com;

location / {
try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
}location ~ \.php$ {
include snippets/fastcgi-php.conf;
fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php7.4-fpm.sock;
}
}

Step 3: Enable the Server Block

sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/example.com /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/

Step 4: Test the Configuration

sudo nginx -t

Step 5: Reload Nginx

sudo systemctl reload nginx

Conclusion

In this article, we covered how to install Nginx and PHP on a Debian server. With these tools, you can host a website and serve dynamic content.

FAQs

What is Nginx? Nginx is a popular web server that’s known for its high performance and low resource usage.
What is PHP? PHP is a popular scripting language that’s often used for web development.
How do I start Nginx? You can start Nginx using the following command: sudo systemctl start nginx.
How do I restart PHP? You can restart PHP using the following command: sudo systemctl restart php7.4-fpm.
How do I test my Nginx configuration? You can test your Nginx configuration using the following command: sudo nginx -t.