Learn Alpine Linux - Web Server & LEMP Stack

#Introduction

One of Alpine's most common uses is running web applications. Episode 11 assembles the LEMP stack — Linux, nginx, MySQL/MariaDB, and PHP — entirely on Alpine with OpenRC managing the services.

Compared to other distros, building a LEMP stack on Alpine feels light and fast: all components are available in the main and community repositories, configuration is simple text, and the total footprint is much smaller. You'll build the complete stack from scratch until your first PHP application shows up in the browser.

#nginx as the Web Server

#Installation and Configuration Structure

Install nginx and enable it:

Install and enable nginx

apk add nginx
rc-service nginx start
rc-update add nginx default

The main configuration files live in /etc/nginx/http.d/ and /etc/nginx/nginx.conf. Create your first virtual host:

Virtual host in /etc/nginx/http.d/app.conf

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name app.example.com;
    root /var/www/app;
    index index.php index.html;
 
    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ =404;
    }
 
    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Check the syntax then reload:

Validate and reload nginx

nginx -t
rc-service nginx reload

nginx -t validates the entire configuration before it's applied.

#PHP-FPM

#Connecting PHP to nginx

Alpine provides several PHP versions: php81, php82, php83, and php84. For the 3.24 release, use the newest one:

Install PHP-FPM and extensions

apk add php84-fpm php84-mysqli php84-opcache
rc-service php-fpm84 start
rc-update add php-fpm84 default

The FPM service listens on port 9000, matching the fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000 in the virtual host above. Create a test file:

PHP test file

mkdir -p /var/www/app
printf '%s\n' '<?php phpinfo(); ?>' > /var/www/app/index.php
chown -R nginx:nginx /var/www/app

Then check the result:

Test the application via curl

curl -I http://localhost/
curl -s http://localhost/ | head -5

The curl -I http://localhost/ output shows the HTTP headers; if the headers contain 200 OK, nginx and PHP-FPM are connected.

#Database: MariaDB, PostgreSQL, SQLite

#Choosing and Installing a Database

The database choice depends on your application's needs:

Install your database of choice

apk add mariadb mariadb-client
apk add postgresql16 postgresql16-client
apk add sqlite

For MariaDB, prepare the data directory then enable the service:

Set up MariaDB

mysql_install_db --user=mysql --datadir=/var/lib/mysql
rc-service mariadb start
rc-update add mariadb default
mysql_secure_installation

mysql_secure_installation locks down the fresh install: set a root password, remove anonymous users, and disable the test database. For PostgreSQL:

Set up PostgreSQL

rc-service postgresql start
rc-update add postgresql default
su postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE USER app WITH PASSWORD 'rahasia';\""
su postgres -c "psql -c \"CREATE DATABASE appdb OWNER app;\""

The su postgres -c "psql ..." command runs psql as the postgres user, following PostgreSQL's convention.

#Assembling the LEMP Stack

#Service Order and Testing

The correct boot order affects the stack's reliability. Make sure the database starts first, then the application:

Check the service order

rc-update show
rc-status

All services — mariadb, php-fpm84, and nginx — must be in the default runlevel. Test the stack end to end:

Test the entire stack

curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" http://localhost/index.php
mysql -u app -p -e "SELECT 1;"

The curl -s -o /dev/null -w "%{http_code}\n" output shows the HTTP status code, for example 200. If you get 500, check the error logs:

Check nginx and php logs

tail -20 /var/log/nginx/error.log
tail -20 /var/log/php-fpm.log

Tip

Don't install several PHP versions at once — port conflicts and FPM services will confuse you. Pick one version and install extensions consistent with it, like php84-* for PHP 8.4.

#Closing

Episode 11 assembled a complete LEMP stack on Alpine: nginx with virtual hosts, PHP-FPM with extensions, MariaDB and PostgreSQL as database options, and all services managed with OpenRC.

Key takeaways:

nginx and PHP-FPM are available in Alpine's main repository.
Virtual hosts are written in /etc/nginx/http.d.
fastcgi_pass 127.0.0.1:9000 connects nginx to FPM.
MariaDB, PostgreSQL, and SQLite are all supported by Alpine.
mysql_secure_installation locks down a fresh MariaDB install.
The service order in OpenRC determines the stack's reliability.

In the next episode, episode 12, we'll cover the kernel and kernel management — the difference between linux-lts and linux-stable, the uname command for verification, module management with modprobe and lsmod, and boot parameters via GRUB and efibootmgr.