code-backups/webdev/localhost-setup/linux/lampp-on-debian.md

How to Install LAMPP Stack on Debian/Ubuntu [Experimental]

Ubuntu is based on Debian so it should apply to Ubuntu as well. I have tested this on latest Debian Testing (on SparkyLinux Rolling). I usually use WordPress and CakePHP on my localhost so I included instructions at the end to make them work perfectly.

Warning: This config is not written with security in mind, and is only prepared for convenience of desktop users. If you are setting up for server, please refer to proper manuals.

Note: This config is experimental. There might be better way to do some aspects. But it does work for my specific needs so I made it available. Please use carefully.

Step 1: Install stuff

Install Apache and Mysql/Mariadb:

sudo apt install apache2 mariadb-server

Install PHP and other required libraries:

sudo apt install php php-intl php-mysql

Install phpMyAdmin:

sudo apt install phpmyadmin

Note: Remember to press space to select "apache2" (not lighttpd) in the screen that comes, then press tab and enter. If asks for "Configure database for phpmyadmin with dbconfig-common?" I chose no.

E: Package 'phpmyadmin' has no installation candidate

Recently found out Debian Testing does not have the phpMyAdmin package on the official repos anymore. So it issues this message above. Skip this if you don't see this message. Download phpMyAdmin from here and then keep it on /var/www/html/phpmyadmin. Go inside the folder and copy config.sample.inc.php to config.inc.php. Edit this file instead where it is told to edit /etc/phpmyadmin/config.inc.php from now on. When a new update arrives for phpMyAdmin, install Composer with sudo apt install composer or see here if not already, cd to the directory and run composer update.

Also, install recommended packages for phpMyAdmin:

sudo apt install php-mbstring php-zip php-gd php-gettext

Now, to start the local server:

sudo systemctl start apache2 mariadb

To test, open http://localhost on a webbrowser and then test http://localhost/phpmyadmin. They should open without problems. If any message is given, follow the headings for the message under Step 2 below.

Step 2: Configuring

/phpmyadmin not found

If you've installed from repo:

ln -s /etc/phpmyadmin/apache.conf /etc/apache2/conf.d/phpmyadmin.conf

If you've downloaded phpMyAdmin, then: sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/phpmyadmin.conf

Alias /phpmyadmin "/var/www/html/phpmyadmin"
<Directory "/var/www/html/phpmyadmin">
    DirectoryIndex index.php
    AllowOverride All
    Options FollowSymlinks
    Require all granted
</Directory>

sudo a2ensite phpmyadmin.conf
sudo systemctl reload apache2

---

If you can't access http://localhost/phpmyadmin then run:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/apache2.conf

then add at the end:

Include /etc/phpmyadmin/apache.conf

then:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Cannot login to phpMyAdmin (root, with no password)

Windows XAMPP has root user with no password. To keep it here same:

Run:

sudo nano /etc/phpmyadmin/conf.d/custom.inc.php

then add these:

if (!empty($dbname)) {
	$i--;
	$cfg['Servers'][$i]['user'] = 'root';
	$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPasswordRoot'] = TRUE;
	$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = TRUE;
	$i++;
}
$cfg['Servers'][$i]['AllowNoPassword'] = TRUE;

Also, comment these lines (maybe not needed):

//$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controluser'] = $dbuser;
//$cfg['Servers'][$i]['controlpass'] = $dbpass;

To clear mysql root password (to use blank password), run: sudo mysql -u root

then a mysql shell will open. Enter these on the shell:

use mysql;
update user set plugin='' where User='root';
flush privileges;
\q

source: https://superuser.com/a/1027838

Cannot login to PhpMyAdmin (root, with a password)

If you want to set a password for root user then follow this. If you don't want to set a password, skip to next heading.

You can skip this if you did not set a password for phpMyAdmin. It may be that it is not possible to login to phpMyAdmin with root and with a password after install. This is normal since password is not set yet. To set a password, run:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

Go through the process and set the password. If it does not work then:

sudo systemctl stop mariadb
sudo mysqld --skip-grant-tables &
sudo mysql -u root mysql

Replace YOURNEWPASSWORD with your new password:

UPDATE user SET Password=PASSWORD('YOURNEWPASSWORD') WHERE User='root'; FLUSH PRIVILEGES; exit;

sudo systemctl start mariadb

Now you should be able to login with the new password on root user.

source: https://askubuntu.com/a/893899

Cannot login to PhpMyAdmin (separate user, with a password)

It is recommended to not use or modify root because it may be changed on upgrades. You can create a new user called something like admin to maintain databases. Run sudo mysql_secure_installation but when asked to set a root password, choose n. Run:

sudo mysql
# then on the prompt:
GRANT ALL ON *.* TO 'admin'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'yourmariadbpasswd' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Run mysqladmin -u admin -p version and enter the password you set. It should return version info if successful.

https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-mariadb-on-debian-10

Using Adminer

Adminer can be a lightweight and yet feature rich alternative to phpMyAdmin.

sudo apt install adminer

If you can't access http://localhost/adminer then...

sudo nano /etc/apache2/conf-available/adminer.conf

Alias /adminer "/usr/share/adminer/adminer"
<Directory "/usr/share/adminer/adminer">
    DirectoryIndex index.php
    AllowOverride All
    Options FollowSymlinks
    Require all granted
</Directory>

sudo a2enconf adminer.conf

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Unfortunately, it complains if there is no password on mysql root user:

Adminer does not support accessing a database without a password...

Set a mysql root password or follow the instructions on the link with the message.

source: https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-to-make-mysql-administration-simple-with-adminer/

WordPress plugin cannot install - wants FTP credentials

To solve this problem, run:

sudo groupadd www-data # maybe not needed, it should be automatically created w/apache

sudo usermod -a -G www-data $USER # to add your user to www-data group

Run:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/envvars

then add:

export APACHE_RUN_USER=your_username

• replace your_username with your actual username (output of whoami command).

sudo systemctl restart apache2

Enable mod_rewrite

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/20-www.conf

<Directory "/var/www/html">
	Options Indexes FollowSymLinks
	AllowOverride All
	Require all granted
</Directory>

Then:

sudo a2ensite 20-www.conf
sudo a2enmod rewrite
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Start/stop/restart server

sudo systemctl start apache2 mariadb
sudo systemctl stop apache2 mariadb
sudo systemctl restart apache2 mariadb

Get loaded php.ini file path:

php --ini | grep Loaded | awk '{ print $4 }'

Mine says /etc/php/7.2/cli/php.ini so I used it on later instructions.

Enable PHP error logging

sudo nano /etc/php/7.3/cli/conf.d/30-log.ini

error_log = /var/log/apache2/error.log

Then:

sudo systemctl restart apache2
php --info | grep error  # to confirm

CakePHP preparation:

sudo apt install composer php-sqlite3
sudo phpenmod intl
sudo phpenmod pdo_mysql
sudo phpenmod pdo_sqlite
sudo phpenmod sockets
sudo phpenmod mbstring

Then: sudo systemctl restart apache2

source: https://stackoverflow.com/a/29405081

Step 3: Convenience

ln -s /var/www/html ~/html

sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/html/

This will create a shortcut named html on your home and allow you to modify files without root, like a normal directory.

As this is an experimental config, please report any issues.