How to Set Up LNMP with Docker Compose (Linux, Nginx, MySQL, PHP)

Docker Compose lets you define and run multi‑container applications. This guide sets up a complete LNMP stack (Nginx, MySQL, PHP‑FPM) for local development or production.

Prerequisites

A VPS with Docker and Docker Compose installed. Check our VPS reviews if you need one. Basic knowledge of YAML and the command line.

Step 1: Create Project Directory

mkdir lnmp && cd lnmp

Step 2: Create docker-compose.yml

version: '3.8'

services:
  nginx:
    image: nginx:alpine
    container_name: nginx
    ports:
      - "80:80"
      - "443:443"
    volumes:
      - ./www:/var/www/html
      - ./nginx/default.conf:/etc/nginx/conf.d/default.conf
    depends_on:
      - php
    restart: unless-stopped

  php:
    image: php:8.2-fpm
    container_name: php-fpm
    volumes:
      - ./www:/var/www/html
    restart: unless-stopped

  mysql:
    image: mysql:8.0
    container_name: mysql
    environment:
      MYSQL_ROOT_PASSWORD: rootpassword
      MYSQL_DATABASE: appdb
      MYSQL_USER: user
      MYSQL_PASSWORD: password
    volumes:
      - db_data:/var/lib/mysql
    restart: unless-stopped

volumes:
  db_data:

Step 3: Create Nginx Configuration

Create a directory nginx and a file default.conf:

server {
    listen 80;
    server_name localhost;
    root /var/www/html;
    index index.php index.html;

    location / {
        try_files $uri $uri/ /index.php?$args;
    }

    location ~ \.php$ {
        fastcgi_pass php:9000;
        fastcgi_index index.php;
        fastcgi_param SCRIPT_FILENAME $document_root$fastcgi_script_name;
        include fastcgi_params;
    }
}

Step 4: Create Sample PHP File

mkdir www
echo "<?php phpinfo(); ?>" > www/index.php

Step 5: Start Containers

docker-compose up -d

Open your browser at http://your_server_ip. You should see the PHP info page.

Step 6: Add WordPress (Optional)

Download WordPress into the www directory and update database credentials in wp-config.php:

define('DB_HOST', 'mysql');

Then visit http://your_server_ip and complete WordPress installation.

Managing Containers

Stop all containers: docker-compose down. View logs: docker-compose logs -f. Rebuild after changes: docker-compose up -d --build.

Next Steps

You can extend this stack by adding phpMyAdmin, Redis, or other services to the compose file. For production, add SSL (with Certbot container) and secure MySQL.

Need a VPS to practice on? Check our recommended VPS providers.