Install WordPress with Lighttpd on Ubuntu 24.04

Install Lighttpd

To install Lighttpd on Ubuntu 24.04, you can use a simple command because the necessary packages are already in Ubuntu’s software lists. This command installs the Lighttpd web server, getting your system ready to host websites.

Run the command below to install Lighttpd.

sudo apt update
sudo apt install lighttpd

Once installed, the commands below can be used to start and enable the Lighttpd server services.

sudo systemctl start lighttpd
sudo systemctl enable lighttpd

Now that Lighttpd is installed, continue to install a database server below.

Install MariaDB

Setting up MariaDB on Ubuntu 24.04 is straightforward, making it a great database choice for your WordPress site. You can install the MariaDB server using a single command directly from Ubuntu’s software lists, which provides the essential database system.

Run the command below to install it.

sudo apt install mariadb-server

After installing the MariaDB database server, use the commands below to stop, start, and enable the MariaDB server to start when the server boots automatically.

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

After executing the commands above, you will be logged into the MariaDB console, and a message similar to the one below will be displayed.

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.

Create a WordPress database

Once MariaDB is set up, you need to create a dedicated database and user for your WordPress site. This guide shows you how to create a database named ‘wordpressdb’ and a user called ‘wordpressdbuser’ with the correct permissions for your WordPress installation.

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

Granting `wordpressdbuser` full access to the `wordpressdb` database ensures that your WordPress installation can create, read, update, and delete necessary data for your website to function correctly. This step is vital for the successful setup of your WordPress site on Ubuntu 24.04 with Lighttpd.

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-FPM

PHP-FPM is crucial for WordPress as it processes your site’s PHP code, especially with newer versions. Installing PHP-FPM and the common PHP extensions WordPress needs is done with a single command, preparing your server to run your website smoothly.

Run the commands below to install PHP-FPM.

sudo apt install php-fpm 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

After installing PHP-FPM, run the command below to enable PHP support for Lighttpd.

sudo lighty-enable-mod fastcgi fastcgi-php-fpm
sudo systemctl restart php8.3-fpm

Next, open the Lighttpd PHP configuration file [/etc/lighttpd/conf-available/15-fastcgi-php-fpm.conf] and edit the PHP block to turn it on.

sudo nano /etc/lighttpd/conf-available/15-fastcgi-php-fpm.conf

Change the highlighted block to turn on PHP support and specify the PHP version [8.3] to use.

## Use PHP-FPM service for PHP via FastCGI
fastcgi.server += ( ".php" =>
        ((
                "socket" => "/run/php/php8.3-fpm.sock",
                "broken-scriptfilename" => "enable"
        ))
)

Restart Lighttpd.

sudo systemctl restart lighttpd

Set up WordPress vhost

Setting up a virtual host for WordPress on Lighttpd involves creating a specific directory and a configuration file. This file, named [wordpress.conf], tells Lighttpd how to display your WordPress site, making sure it’s accessible correctly.

Run the command below to create a virtual host directory and put the WordPress vhost file [wordpress.conf] in it.

sudo mkdir /etc/lighttpd/vhosts.d
sudo nano /etc/lighttpd/vhosts.d/wordpress.conf

Copy and paste the block below into the file. Update the domain name to match yours.

$HTTP["host"] =~ "(^|.)wordpress.example.com$" {
    server.document-root = "/var/www/wordpress"
    server.errorlog = "/var/log/lighttpd/wordpress.local-error.log"
    accesslog.filename = "/var/log/lighttpd/wordpress.local-access.log"
}

Save and exit the file.

Next, open the main Lighttpd configuration file.

sudo nano /etc/lighttpd/lighttpd.conf

Then, add the line below into the file to include all virtual hosts in the vhost directory.

#Include the vhosts directory
include "/etc/lighttpd/vhosts.d/*.conf"

Save and exit the file.

Restart Lighttpd.

sudo systemctl restart lighttpd

Download WordPress

Downloading the latest WordPress files onto your Ubuntu 24.04 server is the next step in setting up your site. You will download the files to a temporary location, move them to the correct web folder, and ensure the server has the necessary permissions to run WordPress.

The final step is to change the permissions. This will allow the Nginx 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/

After that, open your web browser and browse to the domain name configured above to begin setting up WordPress.

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.

Type the database name, account name, and password on the next screen. 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.

Set up HTTPS

Securing your WordPress site with HTTPS is vital and requires an SSL certificate. If you don’t have one, you can get a free one from Let’s Encrypt, and the first step is installing this certificate on your server to protect your site and user data.

First, go and obtain an SSL certificate for your server. If you don’t already have one, use the post below to learn how to get a Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate.

Generate a free Let’s Encrypt SSL certificate

After obtaining your certificate, open the WordPress virtual host file to edit it.

sudo nano /etc/lighttpd/vhosts.d/wordpress.conf

Then, add the highlighted portion to the file.

$HTTP["scheme"] == "http" {
        $HTTP["host"] == "wordpress.example.com" {
                url.redirect = ("/.*" => "https://wordpress.example.com$0")
        }
}

$SERVER["socket"] == ":443" {
    ssl.engine = "enable"

    ssl.pemfile = "/etc/letsencrypt/live/srv1.example.com/fullchain.pem"
    ssl.privkey = "/etc/letsencrypt/live/srv1.example.com/privkey.pem"

    server.name = "wordpress.example.com"
    server.document-root = "/var/www/wordpress"
    server.errorlog = "/var/log/lighttpd/wordpress.local-error.log"
    accesslog.filename = "/var/log/lighttpd/wordpress.local-access.log"
}

Finally, enable the SSL module and restart Lighttpd.

sudo lighty-enable mod ssl
sudo systemctl restart lighttpd

That should do it!

Conclusion:

In summary, installing WordPress with Lighttpd on Ubuntu 24.04 is a straightforward process that combines the efficiency of a lightweight web server with the flexibility of a robust CMS. Here are the key takeaways:

• Efficiency: Lighttpd handles concurrent connections effectively, making it suitable for high-performance websites.
• Database Setup: MariaDB is a reliable database solution for managing WordPress data.
• Flexible Configuration: Easy configuration of PHP with PHP-FPM allows for optimal performance of WordPress applications.
• Virtual Hosting: Setting up virtual hosts in Lighttpd facilitates managing multiple sites on a single server.
• User-Friendly Installation: The WordPress installation wizard simplifies the setup process for users, guiding them through necessary configurations.
• Customization: WordPress offers extensive themes and plugins for customization, catering to various website needs.

Following the above steps ensures a successful WordPress installation that leverages the strengths of both Lighttpd and Ubuntu. Enjoy building your new website.

WordPress Lighttpd Ubuntu is a setup that combines the WordPress content management system with the Lighttpd web server on an Ubuntu 24.04 operating system. This combination creates a fast and resource-efficient website hosting environment, ideal for users who want a lean and speedy server, especially when compared to heavier options like Apache.

1. Open your terminal and update your package list with sudo apt update.
2. 💿 Install the Lighttpd web server by running sudo apt install lighttpd.
3. Start the Lighttpd service with sudo systemctl start lighttpd.
4. Make sure Lighttpd starts automatically on boot using sudo systemctl enable lighttpd.
5. 💿 Install the MariaDB database server with sudo apt install mariadb-server.
6. Start and enable the MariaDB service using sudo systemctl start mariadb and sudo systemctl enable mariadb.
7. Log into MariaDB to create your WordPress database and user.