How to Create a Basic PHP Site on Debian 12 Bookworm System

Setting up a basic PHP site on Debian 12 (Bookworm) is a great way to learn web development and server management. Debian is known for its stability and security, making it a solid foundation for running PHP-based websites. In this article, we will walk you through the entire process of installing the necessary packages, configuring your server, and deploying a simple PHP web page. By the end, you’ll have a fully functional local web server ready to serve PHP content.

1. Introduction

PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a widely-used open-source scripting language suited for web development. Apache, on the other hand, is a robust, open-source HTTP server. Combined, they form the backbone of many popular websites. In this tutorial, we will be using Debian 12 Bookworm, the latest stable release of the Debian operating system.

2. Prerequisites

Before we begin, ensure you have:

• A Debian 12 Bookworm system (bare metal or virtual machine)
• A non-root user with sudo privileges
• Internet connectivity for downloading packages

3. Step 1: Update the System

It’s always good practice to update your system before installing new packages.

sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade -y

This ensures that all packages are up to date and you are installing the latest versions from the Debian repositories.

4. Step 2: Install Apache Web Server

Apache is the most widely used web server in the world. You can install it using the apt package manager.

sudo apt install apache2 -y

Once installed, you can check if Apache is running:

sudo systemctl status apache2

You should see an output indicating the service is active (running).

To verify Apache installation, open a web browser and navigate to:

http://your_server_ip/

You should see the Apache2 Debian Default Page.

5. Step 3: Install PHP

To enable PHP processing on your server, install PHP along with some commonly used modules.

sudo apt install php libapache2-mod-php php-mysql -y

You can verify the PHP installation with:

php -v

This should return the PHP version number (e.g., PHP 8.2.0).

6. Step 4: Install MariaDB (Optional)

If your PHP site needs a database, installing MariaDB is a good option.

sudo apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y

After installation, secure the database server:

sudo mysql_secure_installation

You’ll be prompted to configure root password security, remove anonymous users, disallow remote root login, and remove test databases.

You can log into MariaDB with:

sudo mariadb

And exit with:

exit;

7. Step 5: Configure Apache for PHP

By default, Apache should now use PHP to process .php files. To ensure that Apache gives priority to PHP files over HTML when loading directory indexes, you can modify the dir.conf file:

sudo nano /etc/apache2/mods-enabled/dir.conf

Make sure it looks like this:

<IfModule mod_dir.c>
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.cgi index.pl index.xhtml index.htm
</IfModule>

Save the file and restart Apache:

sudo systemctl restart apache2

8. Step 6: Create a Basic PHP Site

Let’s create a simple PHP file to test your server.

Navigate to Apache’s web root directory:

cd /var/www/html

Remove the default index file:

sudo rm index.html

Create a new index.php file:

sudo nano index.php

Add the following content:

<?php
echo "<h1>Hello from Debian 12 + Apache + PHP!</h1>";
phpinfo();
?>

This script displays a simple greeting and PHP configuration details.

9. Step 7: Test Your PHP Site

Open your web browser and go to:

http://your_server_ip/

You should now see your greeting message along with a full PHP configuration page, including loaded modules and settings.

If you see this, congratulations! Your PHP server is working.

10. Step 8: Managing Services

It’s important to know how to control your services:

• Start Apache:

  sudo systemctl start apache2
  

• Stop Apache:

  sudo systemctl stop apache2
  

• Restart Apache:

  sudo systemctl restart apache2
  

• Enable on Boot:

  sudo systemctl enable apache2
  

Same applies for MariaDB:

sudo systemctl start mariadb
sudo systemctl enable mariadb

11. Security Tips

Here are a few security practices to consider once your basic setup is done:

• Use UFW to control access:

  sudo apt install ufw
  sudo ufw allow 'Apache Full'
  sudo ufw enable
  

• Avoid displaying phpinfo() in production, as it leaks configuration information.

• Regularly update your server and PHP packages:

  sudo apt update && sudo apt upgrade
  

• Disable unnecessary PHP modules to reduce attack surface:

  php -m       # to list modules
  sudo phpdismod module_name
  sudo systemctl restart apache2
  

• Create a Virtual Host configuration if you plan to host multiple sites on the same server.

12. Conclusion

By following this guide, you now have a working PHP environment running on Debian 12 Bookworm. You’ve installed Apache, PHP, and optionally MariaDB, configured them to work together, and tested everything with a basic script.

This setup is ideal for personal projects, learning environments, and lightweight web applications. As you grow more comfortable, you can expand this foundation by adding tools like:

• phpMyAdmin for managing databases through a browser
• Let’s Encrypt for SSL/TLS support
• Composer for PHP dependency management
• Virtual Hosts for multi-site configurations

Debian provides a solid and secure environment, and now that you’ve got the basics down, you’re well on your way to becoming a proficient server administrator or web developer.