You can now install and run Linux servers and services on directly from a Windows desktop or server via Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) without installing third-party apps or using virtual machines. Back in 2017, Microsoft released WSL and later WSL2 which lets developers run a GNU/Linux environment, including most command-line tools, utilities, and applications directly in Windows without setting up a virtual machine or dual-boot. WSL2 is the new and improved version that comes with a performance boost, and full system call compatibility, and is built with a new architecture that delivers features that make WSL an amazing way to run a Linux environment in Windows. If you need to run the LAMP stack to run servers and services built for Linux, you can now do it directly from Windows 11. The steps below show you how to install and configure it all without too much fuss. WSL and 2 are a bit different than in Windows 10, but we show you how to do that as well. To install and run the LAMP stack on Windows 11 you must first install and enable WSL.

Install Windows Subsystem for Linux in Windows 11

To enable WSL in Windows, you will want to open the Command Prompt as administrator. Click on Start then begin typing Command Prompt. Next, right-click Command Prompt app and choose to Run as administrator. When the console opens, run the commands below to install Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL): Wait for WSL to be installed. After installing, you should get a success message similar to the lines below: Restart your computer. WSL should be installed and ready to use. When you want to update, simply run the commands below:

Install Specific Linux distro on Windows 11

Now that WSL is installed, you can now install the Linux distro of your choice. To list the available distributions to install, simply run the commands below: You should then see all available distributions that can be installed on WSL. To install a Linux distribution from the list above, simply run the commands below using the distribution name. For example, to install Ubuntu 20.04, run the commands below: You should then get a message that the distribution is installed. After installing, you should get a Ubuntu command console with setup details. Some troubleshooting commands to run when you run into issues. Now that Ubuntu Linux is installed and ready to use, continue below to install the LAMP stack on Windows 11. First, install Apache HTTP Server.

Install Apache HTTP Server

Apache is a core component of the LAMP stack, and one of the most popular open-source web servers available today. To install Apache on Ubuntu, run the commands below: After installing Apache, the commands below can be used to stop and start Apache services. To test whether Apache is installed and functioning, open your web browser and browse to the server’s IP address or hostname. http://localhost If you see the above page in your browser, then Apache is working as expected.

Install MariaDB Server

MySQL or MariaDB is another core component of the LAMP stack. A truly open-source database server that you can use with your open-source project is the MariaDB database server. It is fast, secure and the default server for almost all Linux servers. To install MariaDB, run the commands below: After installing MariaDB, the commands below can be used to stop, start and enable the MariaDB service always to start up when the server boots. Next, run the commands below to secure the database server with a root password if you were not prompted to do so during the installation. When prompted, answer the questions below by following the guide.

Enter current password for root (enter for none): Just press the Enter Set root password? [Y/n]: Y New password: Enter password Re-enter new password: Repeat password Remove anonymous users? [Y/n]: Y Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n]: Y Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n]:  Y Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n]:  Y

To verify and validate that MariaDB is installed and working, log in to the database console using the commands below: type the root password when prompted. If you see a similar screen as shown above, then the server was successfully installed.

PHP is a script that glues all the LAMP components together and requires for PHP-based apps. Run the commands below to install PHP and related modules to support most PHP-based apps. After installing PHP, go and configure some basic settings that may be required for your PHP project to function properly. For this tutorial, PHP 7.4 was installed. Based on your environment, another version of PHP might be installed. So verify that. Below are good settings to configure for most PHP apps. That should get PHP 7.4 installed with some basic settings to allow many PHP apps to run and function. After setting up PHP, restart Apache services to the settings to apply. That’s it! You’ve learned how to install the LAMP stack on Windows 11 with WSL support. Conclusion: This post showed you how to install the LAMP stack with WSL 2 on Windows 11. If you find any error above please use the comment form below to report.