Creating A Web Server In Linux

In this article, we will be using an old unused machine along with free software to create a web server with the capability to handle all our web application development needs. We will be using the Linux operating system and installing Apache HTTP Server (the most popular HTTP server software available), MySQL (the most popular open source relational database management system), and PHP (an open source server-side scripting language). Whether you are a seasoned web developer or just starting out in HTML, this is a vital first step.

The goal of this article is to set up a simple web server using entirely free software. As usual, we will follow a step-by-step process to complete our goal. First, we will install the latest stable version of Debian Linux. We chose Debian because of its focus on stability and security. After we have our operating system installed, we will configure it with web development in mind and then install our server software (Apache, MySQL, & PHP).

This tutorial is not meant to teach you to use Linux or how to set up an impenetrable state-of-the-art web server, but rather help you create a simple web server where you can experiment and learn web development. If you are just starting out, why not start for free? Let's get started!