Use PHP Scripts with Apache on Ubuntu 26.04

Before you start

Every command below needs administrator rights, so each one starts with sudo. Run them in the server’s terminal, or from Windows 11 over SSH (a secure remote login). Windows Terminal, PowerShell and Command Prompt all include the ssh client.

If you run Ubuntu inside WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux), you can test there too. Nothing in this guide changes Windows itself.

To test from a Windows browser, you need the server’s IP address. Run this on the server:

hostname -I

The command prints one or more addresses, such as 192.0.2.10. Use the first one that belongs to your local network, and write it down for the browser tests later.

Install PHP and the Apache PHP module

The libapache2-mod-php package is the Apache module, a plug-in that lets the web server run PHP code directly. The php package pulls in the PHP command-line program and the common files PHP needs.

Install the packages

1. Open a terminal on the server, or connect with ssh USERNAME@192.0.2.10.
2. Refresh the package list by running:
   

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   sudo apt update

   A list of repositories scrolls past as Ubuntu checks them.
3. Install PHP and the Apache module:
   

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   sudo apt -y install php libapache2-mod-php

   Enter your password if prompted. The installer enables the PHP module for Apache on its own.
4. Check that PHP installed:
   

   🐘PHP

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   php -v

   The terminal prints the installed PHP version number and build details. Note the first two parts of the version, because a later section needs them.

That’s it. PHP and the Apache module are now installed, but Apache has not loaded the module yet.

Apache can run PHP only through certain processing modes. These modes, called MPMs, control how Apache handles incoming connections. The module package may switch Apache to the mode it needs during installation. That is normal, and you do not need to act on it.

Restart Apache

1. Restart the🔄 web server so it loads the module:
   

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   sudo systemctl restart apache2

   The command returns to the prompt without output when it works.
2. Confirm Apache is running:
   

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   systemctl status apache2

   Look for active (running) in green. Press Q to leave the status screen.

That’s it. Apache is running again with the PHP module loaded, so it is ready to run scripts.

Create a test PHP script

A short script that calls phpinfo() proves the setup works. That built-in function prints PHP’s settings as a web page. Apache serves files from /var/www/html by default, so the script goes there.

Write the file

1. Open a new file in the nano editor:
   

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   sudo nano /var/www/html/info.php

   An empty editor screen opens.
2. Type this line into the empty file:
   

   🐘PHP

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   <?php phpinfo(); ?>

3. Press Ctrl + O, then Enter, to save. Nano shows a short “Wrote 1 line” message at the bottom.
4. Press Ctrl + X to close nano.

That’s it. The test script now exists in the document root, and you can request it from a browser.

Open it in a browser

1. On your Windows PC, open any browser.
2. Go to http://192.0.2.10/info.php. Replace the address with your server’s.
3. Check the page. A purple-and-grey table headed PHP Version means Apache is running your PHP code.

You should now have a working PHP setup on Apache. If the browser instead downloads the file or shows the raw <?php text, Apache is not processing PHP. Jump to the troubleshooting section below.

Delete the test file

1. Delete the file:
   

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   sudo rm /var/www/html/info.php

2. Reload the address in your browser. A Not Found error appears, which is what you want.

That’s it. The test page is gone and no longer leaks details about your server.

Run your own PHP scripts

Any file ending in .php inside the document root runs as a script. Try a small page that prints the date.

1. Create the file:
   

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   sudo nano /var/www/html/hello.php

2. Enter this content:
   

   🐘PHP

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   <?php
   echo "Hello from PHP. Server time: " . date("Y-m-d H:i:s");
   ?>

3. Save with Ctrl + O and Enter, then exit with Ctrl + X.
4. Browse to http://192.0.2.10/hello.php. The page shows the greeting and the current server time. Refresh the page and the time changes, which shows the script runs on every request.

You should now have a dynamic page that Apache and PHP build fresh each time someone loads it.

Set file ownership for your own pages

Files you create with sudo belong to root. That is fine for testing. For a real site, give the web files to a regular account so you can edit them without sudo.

1. Change the owner of a single file, replacing USERNAME with your own account name:
   

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   sudo chown USERNAME:www-data /var/www/html/hello.php

   The command prints nothing when it works.
2. Check the result:
   

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   ls -l /var/www/html

   The owner column shows USERNAME and the group column shows www-data, the account Apache runs as.

That’s it. Your account now owns the file and can edit it directly, while Apache keeps read access through the group.

Change PHP settings

PHP reads its settings from a file called php.ini. The copy used by Apache sits in a folder named after your PHP version. Replace VERSION with the number that php -v printed, using the first two parts of the version.

1. List the PHP configuration folders to confirm the exact name:
   

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   ls /etc/php

   The output shows one folder per installed PHP version.
2. Open the Apache copy of the file:
   

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   sudo nano /etc/php/VERSION/apache2/php.ini

3. Press Ctrl + W to search, type the setting you want (for example date.timezone), and press Enter to jump to it.
4. Edit the value. Remove the leading semicolon, which marks a line as a comment, if the setting is commented out.
5. Save with Ctrl + O, then exit with Ctrl + X.
6. Restart Apache to apply the change:
   

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   sudo systemctl restart apache2

That’s it. Apache now runs PHP with your new setting.

To undo a change, put the semicolon back, or restore the old value, and restart Apache again. Copy the file first with sudo cp /etc/php/VERSION/apache2/php.ini /etc/php/VERSION/apache2/php.ini.bak if you want a safe fallback.

Fix PHP files that do not run

The browser shows PHP code or offers a download

1. List the enabled Apache modules that mention PHP:
   
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   apache2ctl -M | grep php

   Expect one line that starts with php_module.
2. If nothing appears, reinstall the module:
   
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   sudo apt -y install --reinstall libapache2-mod-php

3. Restart Apache:
   
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   sudo systemctl restart apache2

4. Hard-refresh the page in your browser with Ctrl + F5. This skips the cached copy of the page.

You should now see the PHP page render instead of downloading or showing raw code.

The page shows a blank screen or error 500

1. Read the newest lines of the Apache error log:
   

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   sudo tail -n 20 /var/log/apache2/error.log

2. Look for a line naming your script and a line number. A missing semicolon or unclosed bracket is the usual cause.
3. Fix the script and reload the page.

That’s it. Once the mistake is corrected, the page should load normally.

The browser cannot connect at all

1. Check that Apache is running with systemctl status apache2.
2. If the UFW firewall (Ubuntu’s built-in firewall tool) is on, check its rules:
   

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   sudo ufw status

3. If port 80 is not allowed, open it:
   

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   sudo ufw allow 80/tcp

   To undo it later, run sudo ufw delete allow 80/tcp.

You should now be able to reach the server from your Windows browser.

What to do next

If scripts still fail, check the newest lines of the Apache error log, then compare them with the script’s line numbers. For a busier site, the next step is running PHP through PHP-FPM, a separate process manager that handles PHP outside Apache. That keeps PHP and the web server apart.