How to Build a LAMP Stack on CentOS 7: Step-by-Step Guide

Preparation

Install CentOS 7.2 in VMware (installation steps omitted).

1. Configure firewall

CentOS 7.2 uses firewalld by default; switch to iptables.

1.1 Disable firewalld

1.2 Install iptables

Open ports 80 and 3306. Add the rules below the default SSH (22) rule to avoid firewall startup failure.

2. Disable SELinux

3. Install Apache

After installation, opening the CentOS server IP in a browser shows the Apache default page, confirming success.

4. Install MariaDB

Install MariaDB and set the root password.

2.2 Set root password

Press Enter, then confirm with Y.

Enter the password twice and press Enter.

When prompted [Y/n] type Y.

Continue until the message “Thanks for using MySQL!” appears.

Restart MySQL.

5. Install PHP

Install PHP and the necessary extensions to enable MariaDB support.

Install PHP components for MariaDB support.

6. Configuration

Apache configuration

PHP configuration

7. Test

Open the server IP in a client browser; the classic “hello world!” page appears.

Note: Apache’s default document root is /var/www/html. Set appropriate permissions, e.g., chown apache.apache -R /var/www/html.

The author is a beginner and welcomes feedback.