How to Install Laravel with LAMP on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa

In this tutorial we are going to learn how to install Laravel with LAMP on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa. However, Laravel is one of the most popular PHP language frameworks. Additionally, it is an open source PHP web framework. It is based on Model View Controller (MVC) architecture. Laravel was designed for web application development. However, it is best fit for not only enterprise level development but it is also good choice for small project development.

Laravel was created by Taylor Otwell as a better alternative to Codeigniter. However, it is a new framework, having big potential to become one of the most popular PHP frameworks. Moreover, Laravel has a huge community of developers and users. In addition to above, it has the most detailed online manual and documentation. Moreover, lot of help and study material is already available on the internet.

This tutorial expects a basic knowledge of Linux from the user along with some knowledge of PHP and related technologies for installation of Laravel 8.x. This tutorial will work well for Ubuntu 16.04, Ubuntu 18.04 and other Debian based Linux distributions also.

Prerequisite for Installation of Laravel on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

1. First we will need a laptop or a desktop computer with Ubuntu 20.04 installed on it. If you want to learn how to install Ubuntu 20.04, then follow the link to our tutorial as given below.

2. We will also require preinstalled LAMP Stack on Ubuntu 20.04. LAMP stack is an abbreviation for Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP. Therefore we will be installing Apache2 web server, PHP 7.2 or higher and MySQL / MariaDB Database Server. PHP 7.2 or higher is needed for Laravel 8.x installation.
3. We will also need a user with sudo privileges for installation of Applications.
4. We will also require a stable and fast internet connection for downloading and installing the various applications.

Update Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Before any installation it is best to update the Ubuntu 20.04 LTS operating system. Issue the following command in the terminal window to update Ubuntu 20.04.

sudo apt update

sudo apt upgrade

Install Apache2 Web Server on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

Laravel is used for creation of web applications. We will require a web server to run the web application. For this we will use Apache2 Web Server which is one of the most popular web servers. To install Apache2 Web Server, open the terminal window and issue the following command.

sudo apt install apache2

The output of the above command will be similar to the displayed below.

After the affirmative answer the above prompt, it will take 2 minutes to install apache2 Web Server on our Ubuntu 20.04 LTS.

After the installation enable and start apache2 web server by issuing the following command in the terminal window.

sudo systemctl start apache2

sudo systemctl enable apache2

The output of the above command will be similar to the shown below.

Now is the time to verify that the apache2 web service is enabled and started. To check this issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo systemctl status apache2

The output of the command will be similar to the given below.

We can also verify apache2 web server running status by opening our favorite browser and entering the ip address of the system or by simply typing localhost in the address bar of the browser. The output of the above will be similar to the given below figure.

Now we have successfully installed apache2 web server. Now we will install PHP 7.4 and all its required extensions.

Install PHP 7.4 and the required extensions on Ubuntu 20.04

To install PHP 7.4 with the required extensions on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, open the terminal window and issue the following command as shown below.

sudo apt install php7.4 libapache2-mod-php7.4 php7.4-bcmath php7.4-json php7.4-mbstring php7.4-xml php7.4-zip

The output of the above command will be similar as shown in the figure below.

After the affirmative response to the above, it will take 2 to 3 minutes depending on your internet speed and computer configuration to complete the PHP 7.4 installation along with its required extensions. After the installation of PHP 7.4 we can verify the installation by issuing the following command in the terminal window.

php –v

The output of the above command will be similar to the given below.

Now restart the apache2 web server to update the changes made to the Ubuntu 20.04. To restart the apache2 web server issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo systemctl restart apache2 

Install MySQL Server on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

To install MySQL Server on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS, issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo apt install mysql-server php7.4-mysql

The output of the above command is shown below in the figure.

After the affirmative response to the above MySQL Server will be installed in just 2 to 3 minutes.

After the completion of the installation issue the following command to secure the MySQL installation.

sudo mysql_secure_installation

The output of the above command will be similar to given below.

Install Composer on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

However, open the terminal windows and issue the following command in the terminal window to install composer on Ubuntu 20.04

sudo curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php

sudo mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer

sudo chmod +x /usr/local/bin/composer

Download and Install Laravel 8.x on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS

However, the latest Laravel version is always updated under the Github repository. Moreover, issue the following command in the terminal window to clone the master branch of the Laravel from the GitHub repository. However, if git is not installed on your system then to install git issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo apt install git

sudo cd /var/www 

git clone https://github.com/laravel/laravel.git

The output of the above command will be similar to the given below.

Now switch to the Laravel folder and install all the dependencies required for the Laravel framework. To do this issue the following command in the terminal window.

cd /var/www/laravel

sudo composer install

Additionally, the installation will take some time depending on your network speed and computer configuration. After successfully installing all the dependencies, set the proper permissions on the files. To do this issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo chown -R www-data.www-data /var/www/laravel

sudo chmod -R 755 /var/www/laravel

sudo chmod -R 777 /var/www/laravel/storage

Create Environment Settings

However, to create environment settings issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo mv .env.example .env

Now generate base64 random number encryption key. This will be used by the Illuminate encrypter service. Issue the following command to generate the key.

sudo php artisan key:generate

Now edit the .env configuration file and update the required settings. Also, make sure APP_KEY is properly set as generated in the above command.

sudo nano .env

Create MySQL User and Database and enter the values in the .env file.

To run Laravel issue the following command in the terminal window.

sudo php artisan serve

The output will be similar to given below.

Now open your browser and enter the following in the address bar.

http://127.0.0.1:8000

You will see the output similar to the given below.

Now we have installed Laravel successfully. Enjoy!

How to Install Laravel with LAMP on Ubuntu 20.04 LTS Focal Fossa