Set Up LEMP for Laravel on Windows using WSL
Tags: laravel, windows, linux, lemp
Published: 2022-05-13 02:27:00



## Chapters

- [**I. Introduction**](#i-introduction)
- [**II. Install Windows Terminal**](#ii-install-windows-terminal)
- [**III. Install WSL Ubuntu**](#iii-install-wsl-and-ubuntu)
- [**IV. Install Nginx**](#iv-install-nginx)
- [**V. Install MySQL**](#v-install-mysql)
- [**VI. Install PHP and Composer**](#vi-install-php-and-composer)
- [**VII. Create a Laravel Application**](#vii-creating-a-laravel-application)
- [**VIII. Manage Multiple Laravel Applications and PHP Versions**](#viii-manage-multiple-laravel-applications-and-php-versions)
- [**IX. Extras**](#ix-extras)

## I. Introduction

Finally, we can set up a _true_ **Linux, Nginx, MySQL and Php** (LEMP) environment on our Windows machine using [Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL)](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/).

If you're a Linux or Mac user, but you're forced to use a Windows machine just like me, or, if you simply want to develop web applications on your Windows PC while still on a Linux or Unix-like environment without dual-booting, this guide is for you.

**Why not just use [XAMPP, WAMP or MAMP](https://www.google.com/search?q=xampp+vs+mamp+vs+wamp)?** Well, these are functional until they aren't. They are very clunky, they can't make your local projects look good with domains like <u>myproject.test</u>.

**Why not use [Homestead](https://laravel.com/docs/homestead)?** Well, I wished I did, until I gave up trying to make it work on my Windows PC.

**Why not use [Laragon](http://laragon.com/)?** I do use Laragon! I love it. It's lightweight, configurable, gives beautiful local domains like <u>myproject.test</u> and also supports sharing your local project to the internet using [Ngrok](https://ngrok.com/).
But, it is still not a true Linux/Unix-like environment.

**Why use WSL**? It's the real deal! It's lightweight and fast! It's official! You get to deal with a true Linux environment here. You setup your project on your local machine the same as you would in a real remote Linux server. This way, you are already practicing your server-administration skills.

## II. Install Windows Terminal

Install Windows Terminal from Microsoft Store:
[https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-terminal/9N0DX20HK701](https://apps.microsoft.com/store/detail/windows-terminal/9N0DX20HK701)

## III. Install WSL and Ubuntu

We will be using Ubuntu 20.04 as it is the default and the latest stable Linux distribution supported by WSL.

To install WSL and Ubuntu 20.04, follow the official guide:
[https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install](https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/wsl/install)

Once WSL Ubuntu is installed, open a new Ubuntu tab in Windows Terminal.

$ `cd ~`
$ `sudo apt update`

## IV. Install Nginx

$ `sudo apt install nginx`

To start, stop or restart Nginx, run:
$ `sudo service nginx start`
$ `sudo service nginx stop`
$ `sudo service nginx restart`

## V. Install MySQL

To install MySQL, run:

$ `sudo apt install mysql-server`

To start, stop or restart MySQL, run:
$ `sudo service mysql start`
$ `sudo service mysql stop`
$ `sudo service mysql restart`

Connect to MySQL:

$ `sudo mysql` *<-- If username and password is not needed.*
or
$ `sudo mysql -u root -p` *<-- If username and password is needed.*

Inside MySQL, create a new database for our example Laravel application:

mysql > `create database laravel;`
mysql > `exit;`

For a comprehensive guide on MySQL, see [How To Install MySQL on Ubuntu 20.04](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-mysql-on-ubuntu-20-04).

If you encounter the error `Can't connect to local MySQL server through socket '/run/mysqld/mysqld.sock'`, resolve it by following the solution at [Stack Overflow](https://stackoverflow.com/a/56684498/3936053):

```
sudo service mysql stop
sudo mkdir -p /var/run/mysqld
sudo chown mysql:mysql /var/run/mysqld
sudo mysql service start
```

## VI. Install PHP and Composer

### Install PHP

To install PHP and the recommended extensions, run:

$ `sudo apt install php php-fpm php-mysql php-mbstring php-xml php-bcmath php-zip php-curl`

*Note that this will install PHP 7.4, which is the latest stable version supported by Ubuntu 20.04. To show the supported PHP version in Ubuntu, run $ `sudo apt show php` or $ `sudo apt show php -a`. To show the installed PHP version, run $ `php -v`.

To start, stop or restart PHP, run:
$ `sudo service php7.4-fpm start`
$ `sudo service php7.4 stop`
$ `sudo service php7.4 restart`

### Install Composer

To install [Composer](https://getcomposer.org), see [How To Install and Use Composer on Ubuntu 20.04](https://www.digitalocean.com/community/tutorials/how-to-install-and-use-composer-on-ubuntu-20-04).

## VII. Creating a Laravel Application

First, create a directory for our Laravel projects inside our home:

$ `cd ~` <-- Go to our home directory.
$ `mkdir codes` <-- Make a new directory called "codes".
$ `cd codes` <-- Go to the new "codes" directory.

Create a new Laravel application via Composer:

$ `composer create-project laravel/laravel`
$ `cd laravel`

Our new Laravel application is now ready to be served:
$ `php artisan serve`

To see our running Laravel application, visit [http://127.0.0.1:8000](http://127.0.0.1:8000) in a web browser in our local machine.

You may now work on your project from here:

$ `code .` *<-- Open your Laravel application in VS Code*

Sometimes, you will need to work with databases, this is the "M" part in LEMP. To connect the Laravel application's database, update the `.env` environment configuration file:
```
DB_NAME=laravel
DB_USERNAME=root
DB_PASSWORD=
```

After your database connection has been set, start the migration script to create the database tables:
$ `php artisan migrate`

🎉🙌👏 **Hurray!** You now have a running Laravel application and confirms that you have successfully setup your LEMP:

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/ct4vuu4jzgu3ss8tcs2s.png)

In this chapter, we are simply serving our Laravel application using the built-in server $ `php artisan serve`. In the next Chapter VIII, we will use Nginx to serve multiple Laravel applications without $ `php artisan serve`.

## VIII. Manage Multiple Laravel Applications and PHP Versions

Eventually, you will need to work with multiple Laravel applications, _and perhaps even other PHP applications_, each may require other PHP versions. This is  managed by adding virtual host configurations for each Laravel application. Then, we add each domain to Windows' `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts` file. This way, we will no longer need to run $ `php artisan serve` for each application every time, and, we will have more readable domains for each application, eg `laravel.local`, `myblog.test`, `todos.test`, etc.

As an example, we will make our first Laravel application called "**laravel**" accessible at **http://laravel.local**. We will then create two additional Laravel applications called "**todo**" and "**blog**". Each application requires **PHP 5.6** and **PHP 7.3** and can be visited in a browser at **http://todo.local** and **http://blog.local** respectively. Of course, you may change the application names as needed.

Create the **todo** and **blog** Laravel applications in `/var/www` via Composer, then setup each application. Refer to **Chapter VI. Create a Laravel Application**:

```
sudo composer create-project laravel/laravel /var/www/todo
sudo composer create-project laravel/laravel /var/www/blog
```

Next, give group ownership of our Laravel directory structures to the user and webserver group, and, change the permissions of the `storage` and `bootstrap/cache` directories to allow the web group write permissions. This is necessary for the application to function correctly:

```
sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/todo/storage
sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/todo/bootstrap/cache
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/todo/storage
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/todo/bootstrap/cache

sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/blog/storage
sudo chown -R $USER:www-data /var/www/blog/bootstrap/cache
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/blog/storage
sudo chmod -R 775 /var/www/blog/bootstrap/cache
```

Sometimes, you may need to clear temporary Laravel files before setting the permission:

```
php artisan route:clear
php artisan config:clear
php artisan cache:clear
```

*...continue the necessary setup for each application. See [Chapter VII: Create a Laravel Application](#vii-creating-a-laravel-application).*

### Install Multiple PHP Versions

Note that Ubuntu 20.04 ships with PHP 7.4 by default. Officially, the only available version is PHP 7.4. To install alternative PHP versions, first, we need to add PHP repositories via [ondrej](https://launchpad.net/~ondrej)'s [Ubuntu Personal Package Archive (PPA)](https://launchpad.net/~ondrej/+archive/ubuntu/php):
```
sudo apt install lsb-release ca-certificates apt-transport-https software-properties-common -y
sudo add-apt-repository ppa:ondrej/php
```

We can now install multiple PHP versions and their respective recommended extensions for Laravel:
```
sudo apt update

# Install PHP 5.6:
sudo apt install php5.6 php5.6-fpm php5.6-mysql php5.6-mbstring php5.6-xml php5.6-bcmath php5.6-zip php5.6-curl php5.6-gd

# Install PHP 7.0:
sudo apt install php7.0 php7.0-fpm php7.0-mysql php7.0-mbstring php7.0-xml php7.0-bcmath php7.0-zip php7.0-curl php7.0-gd

# Install PHP 7.1:
sudo apt install php7.1 php7.1-fpm php7.1-mysql php7.1-mbstring php7.1-xml php7.1-bcmath php7.1-zip php7.1-curl php7.1-gd

# Install PHP 7.2:
sudo apt install php7.2 php7.2-fpm php7.2-mysql php7.2-mbstring php7.2-xml php7.2-bcmath php7.2-zip php7.2-curl php7.2-gd

# Install PHP 7.3:
sudo apt install php7.3 php7.3-fpm php7.3-mysql php7.3-mbstring php7.3-xml php7.3-bcmath php7.3-zip php7.3-curl php7.3-gd

# Install PHP 7.4:
sudo apt install php7.4 php7.4-fpm php7.4-mysql php7.4-mbstring php7.4-xml php7.4-bcmath php7.4-zip php7.4-curl php7.4-gd

# Install PHP 8.0:
sudo apt install php8.0 php8.0-fpm php8.0-mysql php8.0-mbstring php8.0-xml php8.0-bcmath php8.0-zip php8.0-curl php8.0-gd

# Install PHP 8.1:
sudo apt install php8.1 php8.1-fpm php8.1-mysql php8.1-mbstring php8.1-xml php8.1-bcmath php8.1-zip php8.1-curl php8.1-gd

# Install PHP 8.2:
sudo apt install php8.2 php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql php8.2-mbstring php8.2-xml php8.2-bcmath php8.2-zip php8.2-curl php8.2-gd

# Install PHP 8.3:
sudo apt install php8.3 php8.3-fpm php8.3-mysql php8.3-mbstring php8.3-xml php8.3-bcmath php8.3-zip php8.3-curl php8.3-gd
```

To change the PHP version used by the CLI, run:

```
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php5.6
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.0
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.1
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.2
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.3
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php7.4
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.0
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.1
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.2
sudo update-alternatives --set php /usr/bin/php8.3
```

To see and select the installed and active PHP versions interactively:

```
sudo update-alternatives --config php
```

To confirm the updated version of PHP used by the CLI, run $ `php -v`:
![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/5i0cqhfu2vmwdrjbtp6c.png)

Start, stop or restart the services each PHP versions:

```
# Start the services for each PHP version:
sudo service php5.6-fpm start
sudo service php7.0-fpm start
sudo service php7.1-fpm start
sudo service php7.2-fpm start
sudo service php7.3-fpm start
sudo service php7.4-fpm start
sudo service php8.0-fpm start
sudo service php8.1-fpm start
sudo service php8.2-fpm start
sudo service php8.3-fpm start

# Stop the services for each PHP version:
sudo service php5.6-fpm stop
sudo service php7.0-fpm stop
sudo service php7.1-fpm stop
sudo service php7.2-fpm stop
sudo service php7.3-fpm stop
sudo service php7.4-fpm stop
sudo service php8.0-fpm stop
sudo service php8.1-fpm stop
sudo service php8.2-fpm stop
sudo service php8.3-fpm restart

# Restart the services for each PHP version:
sudo service php5.6-fpm restart
sudo service php7.0-fpm restart
sudo service php7.1-fpm restart
sudo service php7.2-fpm restart
sudo service php7.3-fpm restart
sudo service php7.4-fpm restart
sudo service php8.0-fpm restart
sudo service php8.1-fpm restart
sudo service php8.2-fpm restart
sudo service php8.3-fpm restart
```

Go to your Nginx' virtual hosts directory (`/etc/nginx/sites-available`) and create three virtual host configuration files for your **laravel**, **todo** and **blog** Laravel applications:

$ `cd /etc/nginx/sites-available`
$ `sudo vim laravel.conf`
$ `sudo vim todo.conf`
$ `sudo vim blog.conf`

Save the following [recommended Nginx configuration for Laravel](https://laravel.com/docs/5.8/deployment#server-configuration) for each files, updating only the `server_name`, `root` and `fastcgi_pass` variables:
```
server {
    listen 80;
    
    # UPDATE BELOW: Use appropriate server_name for each Laravel application.
    server_name laravel.local;
    #server_name todo.local;
    #server_name blog.local;
    
    # UPDATE BELOW: Use appropriate root directory for each Laravel application.
    root /home/joserizal/codes/laravel/public;
	#root /home/joserizal/codes/todo/public;
	#root /home/joserizal/codes/blog/public;

    add_header X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN";
    add_header X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block";
    add_header X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff";

    index index.html index.htm index.php;

    charset utf-8;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$query_string;
    }

    location = /favicon.ico { access_log off; log_not_found off; }
    location = /robots.txt  { access_log off; log_not_found off; }

    error_page 404 /index.php;

    location ~ \.php$ {
        # UPDATE BELOW: Use appropriate PHP version.
        # For example, to use PHP 5.6, replace php8.1-fpm to php5.6-fpm.
        fastcgi_pass unix:/var/run/php/php8.1-fpm.sock;
        # The available PHP versions are php5.6, php7.0, php7.1, php7.2, php7.3, php7.4, php8.0 and php8.1.
        
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $realpath_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }

    location ~ /\.(?!well-known).* {
        deny all;
    }
}
```

To activate the new virtual host configuration files, create symbolic links to `laravel`, `todo` and `blog` in `sites-enabled`:

$ `sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/laravel.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/`
$ `sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/todo.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/`
$ `sudo ln -s /etc/nginx/sites-available/blog.conf /etc/nginx/sites-enabled/`

Test Nginx for errors then restart:

$ `sudo nginx -t`
$ `sudo service nginx restart`

Add the three new domains to Windows' `C:\Windows\System32\drivers\etc\hosts` file:

```
127.0.0.1 laravel.local
127.0.0.1 todo.local
127.0.0.1 blog.local
```

In a browser, we can visit our new Laravel applications:

[http://laravel.local](http://laravel.local)
[http://todo.local](http://todo.local)
[http://blog.local](http://blog.local)

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/4kwnmrwh3qllri6vtr2x.png)

### Potential Nginx Errors and Fixes

- To resolve the error `File not found` and `HTTP Error 500` when accessing the site in the browser, and the error logged by Nginx at `/var/log/nginx/error.log`, `stat() "/home/joserizal/laravel/public/" failed (13: Permission denied)`, make sure that [Nginx has the proper permission to the project root directories](https://stackoverflow.com/a/43686446/3936053):

```
chmod +x /home/
chmod +x /home/username
chmod +x /home/username/siteroot
```

## IX. Extras

### Open a Laravel application source code in Visual Studio Code

Open an Ubuntu tab in Windows Terminal.

To open the current directory in Visual Studio Code, run:

$ `code .`

To open a specific file in Visual Studio Code, run:

$ `code FILENAME.TXT`

### Open a Laravel application source code in Sublime Text 3/4.

Sublime Text does not support opening directories inside WSL yet. To be able to do so, we need to do a little configuration.

First, add the following block of code below to your Bash configuration file (`~/.bashrc`, `~/.bash_profile` or `~/.zshrc`):
```
alias subl='"/mnt/c/Program Files/Sublime Text 3/subl.exe"'
```
Restart Windows Terminal after reloading your Bash script:
$ `source ~/.bashrc` or
$ `source ~/.bash_profile` or
$ `source ~/.zshrc`

Go to a Laravel application and open the project in Sublime Text 3/4.
$ `cd ~/codes/todo`
$ `subl .`

To open a specific file, run:

$ `subl FILENAME.TXT`

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/y9gi7nrje4gf2ucw34fx.png)

### Manage multiple LEMP services in one command:

To create an easy-to-use command to manage our LEMP services in one command, add the following block of code below to your Bash configuration file  (`~/.bashrc`, `~/.bash_profile` or `~/.zshrc`):
```
# Function to start|stop|restart LEMP services in one command.
# Example: $ sudo lemp start|stop|restart
lemp() {
    echo "

 __          _______ _        
 \ \        / / ____| |       
  \ \  /\  / / (___ | |       
   \ \/  \/ / \___ \| |       
    \  /\  /  ____) | |____   
  _  \/  \/__|_____/|______|  
 | |    |  ____|  \/  |  __ \ 
 | |    | |__  | \  / | |__) |
 | |    |  __| | |\/| |  ___/ 
 | |____| |____| |  | | |     
 |______|______|_|  |_|_|     
                              
                              

"
    echo "WSL LEMP: $1 Nginx, MySQL and PHP for Linux (LEMP)"
    sudo service nginx "$1"
    sudo service mysql "$1"
    sudo service php5.6-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php7.0-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php7.1-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php7.2-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php7.3-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php7.4-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php8.0-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php8.1-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php8.2-fpm "$1"
    sudo service php8.3-fpm "$1"
    echo "Done..."
}
```

To activate the new Bash configuration, reload your Bash script:
$ `source ~/.bashrc` or
$ `source ~/.bash_profile` or
$ `source ~/.zshrc`

Then, restart your Windows Terminal.

You may now start, stop or restart your LEMP services in one command:
```
lemp start
lemp stop
lemp restart
```

![Image description](https://dev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/uploads/articles/h2uuh7lscqdc30glke4m.png)

Hurray! 🙌🎉 Enjoy Linux, Nginx, MySQL and PHP (LEMP) on your Windows PC!