How to Install LEMP on Google Cloud Server

A LEMP stack is a bundle of four open-source programs—Linux, Nginx, MySQL, and PHP—that work together to run dynamic websites like WordPress on a virtual server. Installing 💿 a LEMP stack on a Google Cloud server gives you a reliable, cloud-hosted platform to build and host your own websites or web applications.

This setup process works on a Google Cloud virtual machine running Ubuntu Linux version 22.04 or 24.04. You will install each part step by step, starting with the Nginx web server, followed by the MySQL database, and finishing with PHP.

• How to create a website domain
• How to set up a Google Cloud server with Ubuntu Linux
• How to install Apache on a Google Cloud server (alternative to Nginx)
• How to install Nginx on a Google Cloud server (alternative to Apache)
• How to install PHP on a Google Cloud server
• How to install MySQL or MariaDB database server

Now that you’ve learned how to create a website domain, set up a Google Cloud server, and installed Apache, Nginx, PHP, MySQL, or MariaDB, you can continue below to tie all together with any platform that uses the LEMP stack.

As covered earlier in this series, web servers make your site’s content accessible to anyone browsing the internet. A PHP or server-side scripting language allows for a dynamic and more functional website. A database server allows you to store your website content efficiently.

Other software and packages may also be needed to enhance the functionality of a website. Below, we’ll show you how to install these tools with LEMP-based websites and applications.

In our first post, we also mentioned that after creating a domain name, it can’t be used until it is forwarded or pointed to a server. The second post showed you how to point a domain to a server we created. Then we showed you how to install software and packages to help us run a website online.

We're ready to connect to our Google Cloud server and install LEMP by tying the software and packages installed in our previous posts.

How to connect to Google Cloud servers

Google Cloud Compute Engine lets you connect directly to a virtual machine (VM) instance using an in-browser terminal. 

SSH from the browser supports several web browsers:

• Web browsers
  • The latest version of Google Chrome
  • Firefox
  • Microsoft Edge
  • Microsoft Internet Explorer 11 and later
  • Safari 8 and later. Note that Safari in private browser mode is not supported.
• Virtual machine configurations
  • All Linux VM images are natively available in Google Cloud.

No additional software or browser extensions are needed. Log in to Google Cloud Console and go to Menu ==> Compute Engine ==> VM instances.

In the list of virtual machine instances, click SSH in the row of the instance that you want to connect to.

Alternatively, you can open an SSH connection to an instance by clicking its name and SSH from the instance details page.

An SSH terminal window with the Ubuntu Linux instance created in the series's second post will open.

You should now be able to run commands in Ubuntu Linux created on the Google Cloud server.

How to install the LEMP stack on Google Cloud Servers

Installing and managing the LEMP stack on Ubuntu Linux is no different, whether on Google Cloud servers or a local VM instance.

All the previous posts above are related to installing LEMP, except for installing Apache. LEMP is Linux (Ubuntu), Engine-x, MySQL or MariaDB, and PHP.

Once you've installed all required packages, you should be able to access the LEMP stack from your browser by browsing to the server hostname or IP address.

Below is a detailed post and help installing the LEMP stack on Ubuntu Linux. Use this link to learn more about LEMP.

How to install LEMP on Ubuntu Linux

That should do it!

Conclusion:

Installing the LEMP stack on Google Cloud servers with Ubuntu Linux empowers you to build powerful websites and applications. Here are the key takeaways:

• LEMP stands for Linux, Nginx (Engine-x), MySQL/MariaDB, and PHP, a widely used stack for modern web development.
• Properly understanding the components—web server, server-side scripting, and database management—is essential for dynamic content delivery.
• Following our series ensures a structured approach to creating a domain, setting up Google Cloud servers, and installing the necessary software.
• Having completed the installation, you can now effectively host and manage LEMP-based websites.
• Explore additional tools and packages to further enhance your site's capabilities beyond the basic LEMP installation.

By leveraging the power of the LEMP stack, you're well on your way to building robust online presences!