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Intermediate12 min readUpdated Mar 13, 2026

How to deploy a LAMP stack on Contabo

Quick Answer

Contabo offers pre-configured LAMP instances for beginners, 90-second Cloud-Init automation for speed, or manual installation on Debian 11. Use apt to install Apache, add Sury PHP repo for PHP 8.1 extensions, and MariaDB with secure setup. Test with a simple PHP info page and configure firewall for HTTP/HTTPS.

Prerequisites

  1. Contabo VPS/VDS with Debian 11 or Ubuntu 20.04/22.04 and root SSH access
  2. SSH client like PuTTY or terminal
  3. Basic Linux command line knowledge
  4. At least 1GB RAM (Contabo's basic VPS works)
  5. Optional: Domain pointed to server IP
1

Log into Contabo Dashboard

Access your Contabo Dashboard using your email and password, then navigate to VPS/VDS management for new instance creation or reinstallation.
2

Choose Pre-Configured LAMP (Beginners)

During instance creation or in the reinstallation panel, select the LAMP stack as your pre-installed configuration to get Apache, PHP 8.1, and MariaDB ready instantly without manual steps.
Tip
Recommended for beginners; server is usable immediately after setup.
3

Update System Packages (Manual/Cloud-Init Base)

SSH into your Debian 11 server as root and run: 

apt update && apt upgrade -y
This ensures latest packages before installing LAMP components.

4

Install Apache and Base Packages

Install Apache web server and dependencies: 

apt-get install software-properties-common wget curl apache2 -y
Apache will start automatically; verify with your server IP in a browser showing the default page.

Tip
Check status with systemctl status apache2.
5

Add PHP 8.1 Repository

Add the Sury PHP repository (critical for PHP 8.1): 

curl -sSL https://packages.sury.org/php/README.txt | sudo bash -x
This enables modern PHP versions beyond default apt repos.

Tip
Watch for GPG key warnings; they are normal.
6

Install PHP 8.1 and Extensions

Install PHP 8.1 with essential modules for web apps: 

apt-get install php8.1 php8.1-cli php8.1-common php8.1-curl php8.1-gd php8.1-intl php8.1-mbstring php8.1-mysql php8.1-opcache php8.1-readline php8.1-xml php8.1-xsl php8.1-zip php8.1-bz2 libapache2-mod-php8.1 -y
Restart Apache: service apache2 restart.

Tip
Test PHP with php -v and create /var/www/html/info.php with <?php phpinfo(); ?>.
7

Install and Secure MariaDB

Install MariaDB server: 

apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y && mysql_secure_installation
Set root password during prompts, remove anonymous users, and disallow remote root login for security. Reload grants: mysqladmin reload.

Tip
Access DB with mysql -u root -p using your set password.
8

Configure Firewall

Enable UFW if active and allow web traffic: 

sudo ufw allow 80/tcp
sudo ufw allow 443/tcp
sudo ufw enable
This permits HTTP/HTTPS without exposing other ports.

9

Set Up Cloud-Init Automation (Advanced)

For 90-second deploys on new instances, create this config in Contabo Dashboard: 

#cloud-config
package_update: true
package_upgrade: true
packages:
  - software-properties-common
  - wget
  - curl
  - apache2
runcmd:
  - curl -sSL https://packages.sury.org/php/README.txt | sudo bash -x
  - sudo apt-get install php8.1 php8.1-cli php8.1-common php8.1-curl php8.1-gd php8.1-intl php8.1-mbstring php8.1-mysql php8.1-opcache php8.1-readline php8.1-xml php8.1-xsl php8.1-zip php8.1-bz2 libapache2-mod-php8.1 -y
  - service apache2 restart
  - apt install mariadb-server mariadb-client -y
  - pw=$(openssl rand -base64 18); mysqladmin -u root -h localhost password "$pw"; echo "mysql_password=$pw" >> /home/mysql_access.txt
  - mysqladmin reload
Check /home/mysql_access.txt for auto-generated password.

Tip
Ideal for scaling multiple servers.
10

Create First Website Directory

Set up virtual host structure: 

mkdir -p /var/www/example.com/public_html
mkdir /var/www/example.com/logs
Add a test index.html or PHP file to public_html and configure Apache sites-available/example.com.

Tip
Enable site with a2ensite example.com && service apache2 reload.

Troubleshooting

PHP repo addition fails or GPG errors
Rerun apt update after adding repo; temporarily disable strict key checks with apt-get install -o Acquire::Check-Valid-Until=false if needed, then retry.
Apache not starting or PHP not processing
Restart with service apache2 restart; check a2enmod php8.1 and error logs in /var/log/apache2/error.log.
MariaDB root password issues or access denied
Reset via mysql_secure_installation or check /home/mysql_access.txt from Cloud-Init; run mysqladmin reload after changes.
Firewall blocks web access
Verify UFW status with ufw status; allow ports 80/443 and reload: ufw reload. Test locally with curl localhost.
Outdated packages or dependency conflicts
Full upgrade apt update && apt full-upgrade -y && apt autoremove; reboot if services hang.

Related Guides

More Contabo Tutorials

How to set up a VPS

How to connect via SSH

How to access the control panel

How to install Windows on VPS

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