LAPP Stack on Ubuntu 24.04 LTS

The LAPP stack is the PostgreSQL sibling of the classic LAMP stack: Linux, the Apache HTTP Server, PostgreSQL and PHP. Apache executes PHP in process with mod_php, and PostgreSQL provides a robust, standards compliant relational database. It is a proven platform for content management systems, custom PHP sites and PostgreSQL backed applications.

This cloudimg image wires the whole stack together and hardens it on a fully patched Ubuntu 24.04 LTS base, so the web and database tiers are ready the moment first boot completes.

What you get

• Apache 2.4 serving port 80, with PHP 8.3 executed in process by mod_php under the prefork MPM
• PostgreSQL 16, bound to the loopback interface only with scram-sha-256 password authentication
• A ready to use application database and a least privilege database role, created on first boot
• A live status page that proves Apache, PHP and PostgreSQL are all working together in one request
• Adminer 6.0.0 for browser based PostgreSQL administration
• A paired step by step deployment guide and 24/7 cloudimg support

Secure by default

No default login ships in the image. The PostgreSQL superuser password and the application role password are generated uniquely on the first boot of every VM and written to a root only file. PostgreSQL listens on the loopback interface only, never on the network, and its host authentication uses scram-sha-256 with no trust method anywhere. The web tier is gated on first boot: Apache only starts once the per VM credentials have been minted, so there is no window in which a default credential is reachable. The database credentials for your application live outside the document root and cannot be fetched over HTTP.

Using the stack

Sign in over SSH, read the per VM credentials from the root only file, and browse to the status page to see Apache, PHP and PostgreSQL answering a live query together. Administer the database from Adminer in your browser, point your own PHP application at the ready made application database, or drop your code straight into the document root. The guide covers adding TLS with Let's Encrypt.

Licensing

The Apache HTTP Server is Apache-2.0 licensed, PostgreSQL uses the permissive PostgreSQL Licence, PHP uses the PHP Licence, and Adminer is Apache-2.0 licensed. There is no licence fee for any component. The cloudimg charge of $0.04 per vCPU per hour covers packaging, security patching, image maintenance and 24/7 support. All trademarks are the property of their respective owners.