Learn how to install Apache2, MariaDB and PHP (FAMP) on FreeBSD

Learn how to Install Apache2, MariaDB and PHP (FAMP) on FreeBSD

Introduction

The FAMP stack is a set of open-source software that allows a server to host a website or web application written in PHP language. This stack uses FreeBSD as the operating system, Apache as the web server, MySQL as the database management system, and PHP as the object-oriented scripting language. In this tutorial you will learn how to install Apache2, MariaDB and PHP (FAMP) on FreeBSD

Requirements

The following is a list of items needed to complete the installation successfully:
1) A desktop or laptop with atleast 4GB RAM, a dual core processor and 25GB of free disk space
2) FreeBSD 14 or newer
3) An SSH client to access the server
4) Cloud servers: A domain and a static IPv4 or IPv6 address
5) A stable internet connection

Overview

The following is an overview of the steps covered in this guide:
1) Connect to the server and install updates
2) Download and install apache2
3) Download and install MariaDB server
4) Download and install PHP
5) Conclusion

Step 1: Connect to the server and install updates

The first step is downloading and installing system updates. FreeBSD retrieves updates from repositories. To ensure you’re getting the latest information, run the following command:

freebsd-update fetch

This fetches details about available updates without actually installing them. Once the repositories are updated, use this command to install the available packages:

freebsd-update install

The system will display a list of updates and ask for your confirmation before proceeding. Carefully review the list and press y to accept and install the updates

Step 2: Download and install Apache2

To install the Apache web server on FreeBSD, you can use the default package repository. Install the Apache package using the command:

pkg install apache24

After installation, enable Apache to start at system boot time with the command

sysrc apache24_enable="YES"

To start the Apache service, enter the command

service apache24 start

Verify that Apache is running by running the command

service apache24 status

If Apache is running, you should see the output

apache24 is running as pid 1624

Step 3: Download and install MariaDB server

As the next step in the process, you need to install the MariaDB server. This package is usually included in the default repository. You can search for all available package versions using the following command:

pkg search mariadb

You will see a list of available options, including the following:

mariadb-connector-c-3.3.4: MariaDB database connector for C
mariadb-connector-odbc-3.1.17: MariaDB database connector for ODBC
mariadb1011-client-10.11.5: Multithreaded SQL database (client)
mariadb1011-server-10.11.5: Multithreaded SQL database (server)
mariadb105-client-10.5.21: Multithreaded SQL database (client)
mariadb105-server-10.5.21: Multithreaded SQL database (server)
mariadb106-client-10.6.14: Multithreaded SQL database (client)
mariadb106-server-10.6.14: Multithreaded SQL database (server)
p5-DBD-MariaDB-1.21: MariaDB driver for the Perl5 Database Interface (DBI)

After selecting the appropriate package for your system, install the MariaDB server and client package using the following command:

pkg install mariadb1011-server-10.11.5 mariadb1011-client-10.11.5

Once the packages are installed, enable the MariaDB package to start at system reboot by executing the following command:

sysrc mysql_enable="yes"

Next, start the MariaDB service:

service mysql-server start

To secure the installation, run the mysql_secure_installation script by executing the following command:

/usr/local/bin/mysql_secure_installation

Answer all the questions as shown below:

Enter current password for root (enter for none): 
Switch to unix_socket authentication [Y/n] Y
Change the root password? [Y/n] Y
New password: 
Re-enter new password: 
Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] Y
Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] Y
Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] Y
Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] Y

Finally, verify the MariaDB databases using the following command:

mysql -u root -p -e "show databases"

You will see all default databases in the following output:

+--------------------+
| Database           |
+--------------------+
| information_schema |
| mysql              |
| performance_schema |
| sys                |
+--------------------+

Step 4: Download and install PHP

Step 3 – Installing PHP To install PHP with other extensions, run the following command:

pkg install php80 mod_php80 php80-mbstring php80-zlib php80-curl php80-gd php80-mysqli nano-7.2

After installing PHP, you need to create a PHP configuration file for the Apache web server. Use the following command to create it:

nano /usr/local/etc/apache24/Includes/php.conf

Add the configurations given below:


    < IfModule dir_module>
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.html
    < FilesMatch "\.php$">
        SetHandler application/x-httpd-php
    < /FilesMatch>
    < FilesMatch "\.phps$">
        SetHandler application/x-httpd-php-source
    < /FilesMatch>
    < /IfModule>

Once you are done adding the configurations, save and close the file. Next, create an info.php file to test the web server using the following command:

nano /usr/local/www/apache24/data/info.php

Add the following code to the file:

< ?php phpinfo(); ? >

Save and close the file, and then restart the Apache service to apply the changes. Use the following command to restart the Apache service:

service apache24 restart

Finally, open your web browser and access the info.php file using the URL http://example.com/info.php. This will display the PHP information page.

Conclusion

Congratulations! You have successfully installed the FAMP stack (FreeBSD, Apache, MariaDB, and PHP) on your server. This powerful combination allows you to host dynamic websites and web applications written in PHP.

This tutorial has guided you through the process of:

1. Updating your FreeBSD system
2. Installing and configuring Apache web server
3. Installing and securing MariaDB database server
4. Installing and configuring PHP to work with Apache

Now that you have the FAMP stack up and running, you can start developing and deploying your web applications. Remember to consult the official documentation for each component for further configuration and security best practices.