How to Install WordPress with Apache on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu Linux

To install Apache HTTP server on Ubuntu 24.04, open the terminal and run the commands sudo apt update and sudo apt install apache2. This sets up the web server software required to host your WordPress site files and make your server accessible over the internet.

To do that, open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the 💿 Apache web server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2

Once Apache is installed, the commands below can start, stop, and enable the Apache web server to start automatically when your server boots up.

sudo systemctl stop apache2
sudo systemctl start apache2
sudo systemctl enable apache2

You can test that the Apache web server is running by opening your web browser and browsing to the server’s localhost or IP address.

http://localhost

When you see the Apache2 Default Page, it means the Apache HTTP server is successfully installed.

Additional help on installing Apache on Ubuntu is in the link below.

How to install Apache on Ubuntu

Install MariaDB database server on Ubuntu Linux

To install MariaDB database server on Ubuntu 24.04, open the terminal and run the commands sudo apt update and sudo apt install mariadb-server. This installs the database system responsible for storing all your WordPress posts, pages, user accounts, and settings.

To install and use the MariaDB database server, use the instructions below.

Open the Ubuntu terminal and run the commands below to install the MariaDB database server.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install mariadb-server

Once the MariaDB database server is installed, use the commands below to stop, start, and enable the MariaDB server to start automatically when the server boots.

sudo systemctl stop mariadb
sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

Run the following commands to validate and test if the MariaDB database server is installed successfully.

sudo mariadb

Once you run the commands above, it will log you onto the MariaDB console and display a message similar to the one below.

Welcome to the MariaDB monitor.  Commands end with ; or g.
Your MariaDB connection id is 32
Server version: 10.11.2-MariaDB-1 Ubuntu 23.04

Copyright (c) 2000, 2018, Oracle, MariaDB Corporation Ab and others.

Type 'help;' or 'h' for help. Type 'c' to clear the current input statement.

MariaDB [(none)]> 

The message tells you that the server is installed successfully.

Additional help on installing MariaDB.

• How to install MariaDB on Ubuntu Linux
• MariaDB without password prompt

Create a WordPress database

To create a WordPress database on Ubuntu 24.04, log into the MariaDB shell and run the SQL commands to create a dedicated database and user with full privileges. This gives your WordPress site a secure container to store all its content and settings.

As part of the setup, we will create a database named 'wordpressdb '. Additionally, we will create a corresponding user account called 'wordpressdbuser '.

All the database steps above can be done using the commands below:

But first, log on to the MariaDB database server:

sudo mariadb

Then run the commands below to complete the steps:

CREATE DATABASE wordpressdb CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_general_ci;
CREATE USER wordpressdbuser@localhost IDENTIFIED BY 'type_your_password_here';
GRANT ALL ON wordpressdb.* TO wordpressdbuser@localhost WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
exit

Install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

To install PHP on Ubuntu 24.04 for your WordPress site, open the terminal and run the command sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql php-curl php-gd php-mbstring. This installs the programming language and required extensions that WordPress needs to execute code and connect to the database.

Run the commands below to install PHP.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-intl php-mysql php-curl php-cli php-zip php-xml php-gd php-common php-mbstring php-xmlrpc php-json php-sqlite3 php-soap php-zip

Additional help on installing PHP

How to install PHP on Ubuntu Linux

Download WordPress files

To download WordPress files on Ubuntu 24.04, fetch the latest archive from the official site using wget, extract the contents, and move them into your Apache web root directory. This places the core website files where your web server can read and serve them to visitors.

First, navigate to the /tmp/ directory and download WordPress files. After unzipping the file, move the content into the WordPress folder in the Apache root directory.

The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Apache web server to safely interact with the files, ensuring a secure environment for your WordPress installation.

cd /tmp/
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.tar.gz
tar -xvzf latest.tar.gz
sudo mv wordpress /var/www/wordpress
sudo chown -R www-data:www-data /var/www/wordpress/

Once all the steps above are done, continue below to configure the Apache webserver to serve the WordPress content.

Run the commands below to create an Apache virtual host file for WordPress.

sudo nano /etc/apache2/sites-available/wordpress.conf

Then, copy and paste the content block below into the Apache server block.

<VirtualHost *:80>
  ServerName wordpress.example.com
  ServerAlias www.wordpress.example.com
  ServerAdmin admin@example.com
  DocumentRoot /var/www/wordpress
    
  <Directory /var/www/wordpress/>
       Options FollowSymlinks
       AllowOverride All
       Require all granted
  </Directory>

       ErrorLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/error.log
       CustomLog ${APACHE_LOG_DIR}/access.log combined
</VirtualHost>

Save the file.

You can enable the Apache virtual host for WordPress by running the commands `sudo a2ensite your_domain.conf` and then restart the Apache server with `sudo systemctl restart apache2.service` to apply the changes.

sudo a2ensite wordpress.conf
sudo systemctl restart apache2

Setup Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for WordPress

To setup Let's Encrypt SSL/TLS for WordPress on Ubuntu 24.04, install Certbot and run the Apache plugin command to generate and configure a free security certificate. This encrypts traffic between your visitors and the server, enabling secure HTTPS connections.

Please read the post below for additional resources on installing and creating Let’s Encrypt SSL certificates for Apache.

How to set up Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate for Apache on Ubuntu Linux

Once you have restarted the Apache web server, open your browser and browse to the server hostname or IP address defined in the Apache server block.

http://wordpress.example.com

A WordPress installation wizard page should appear. Select the installation language and continue to the next page.

Next, click the Let's go button to begin the installation process.

On the next screen, type the database name, account name, and password. Then, click Submit.

Next, click the "Run the installation" button to install WordPress files.

Next, type in the site title, admin account, email address, and password. Then, click "Install WordPress."

Your WordPress site should be set up and ready to use.

That should do it!

Conclusion:

• In this article, you have learned how to install WordPress with Apache support on Ubuntu 24.04, leveraging the stable and robust Apache web server for optimal performance.
• The step-by-step guide covered installing Apache, MariaDB, and PHP, creating a WordPress database, and setting Let’s Encrypt SSL/TLS for enhanced security.
• You have successfully configured the Apache server to serve the WordPress content and completed the installation process, resulting in a fully functional WordPress site ready for use.
• Refer to the provided links for additional resources and support, and share your feedback or queries in the comments section.