Install a LEMP Server on Debian Bookworm

To run a WordPress website, you need a server with the required services pre-installed. A low-cost VPS is usually enough for small or new sites, and Debian 12 (Bookworm) is a solid base for a lightweight LEMP stack.

This guide uses the root user. If you want to run commands with a normal user (for example debian), run the following first as root:

usermod -aG sudo username
exec su -l username

Replace username with your actual account name.

1. L - Linux

Install Debian 12 (Bookworm) on your VPS.

2. E - Install Nginx

apt update
apt install -y nginx-full

After installation, open your browser:

http://your-domain-or-ip

3. M - Install and Configure MariaDB

apt update
apt install -y mariadb-server
mysql_secure_installation

Log in to MariaDB as root:

mysql -u root

If your root account authentication method needs to be switched to password-based auth, run:

USE mysql;
UPDATE user SET plugin='mysql_native_password' WHERE User='root';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
EXIT;

Restart MariaDB:

systemctl restart mariadb

Optional backup for a custom MariaDB config file:

mv /etc/mysql/conf.d/mysql.cnf /etc/mysql/conf.d/mysql.cnf.backup

Then create your own /etc/mysql/conf.d/mysql.cnf if you need custom tuning.

4. P - Install and Configure PHP 8.2 (FPM)

On Debian 12 (Bookworm), the default PHP version is 8.2.

apt install -y php8.2-fpm php8.2-mysql php8.2-zip php8.2-xml php8.2-curl php8.2-gd

Check PHP-FPM status:

systemctl status php8.2-fpm.service

Backup and edit the main PHP-FPM configuration:

mv /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini.backup
nano /etc/php/8.2/fpm/php.ini
systemctl restart php8.2-fpm

5. Configure Nginx to Use PHP-FPM

Backup the default Nginx virtual host file:

mv /etc/nginx/sites-available/default /etc/nginx/sites-available/default.bak

Create a new /etc/nginx/sites-available/default with your server block and PHP-FPM settings. Make sure the PHP socket matches PHP 8.2:

fastcgi_pass unix:/run/php/php8.2-fpm.sock;

Restart Nginx:

systemctl restart nginx

Create a test file to verify Nginx + PHP:

mkdir -p /srv/www
nano /srv/www/test.php

<?php
phpinfo();

Open in browser:

http://your-domain-or-ip/test.php

6. Create a Database for WordPress

Create a database skywirex, user skywire, and grant permissions:

mysql -u root

CREATE DATABASE skywirex CHARACTER SET utf8mb4 COLLATE utf8mb4_unicode_ci;
CREATE USER 'skywire'@'localhost' IDENTIFIED BY 'your_strong_password';
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON skywirex.* TO 'skywire'@'localhost' WITH GRANT OPTION;
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;

Your VPS is now ready for WordPress installation.

7. Remove Components (Optional)

If you need to remove Nginx and reinstall from scratch:

apt remove nginx-full nginx-common
apt purge nginx-full nginx-common
apt autoremove

Bonus: WordPress Permissions

Assuming your website root is /srv/www:

chown root:www-data -R /srv/www/wp-content/*
cd /srv/www/wp-content
find . -type d -exec chmod 775 {} \;
find . -type f -exec chmod 664 {} \;