LAMP Project with Docker

This project provides a lightweight local LAMP environment using Docker Compose. It includes:

• Apache + PHP 8.3
• MariaDB 12
• phpMyAdmin
• A sample PHP page that connects to the database

The main goal is to enable fast local development of PHP applications without needing to install Apache, PHP, and MySQL/MariaDB directly on the host machine.

Note

This project was developed for learning purposes.

---

Project structure

.
├── .github/
│   └── workflows/
│       ├── docker-release.yml
│       └── docker-syntax-checker.yml
├── public/
│   ├── index.php
│   └── info.php
├── .dockerignore
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
├── docker-compose.yml
├── Dockerfile
├── README.md
└── README.es.md

Services

Service	Image / Base	Port	Purpose
web	custom image built from the Dockerfile	80:80	Apache web server for PHP files
db	mariadb:12	internal only	MariaDB database
phpmyadmin	phpmyadmin/phpmyadmin:5.2	8080:80	Database administration interface

Technologies used

• PHP 8.3 with Apache 2
• Alpine Linux base image
• MariaDB database engine
• Docker Compose for orchestration
• Environment-variable-based configuration with .env.example

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

• Docker installed
• Docker Compose installed
• Ports 80 and 8080 available on your machine

Environment configuration

This project uses environment variables to configure the application and the database.

1. Copy the example file:

cp .env.example .env

2. Update the values in .env:

ENV=
DB_ROOT_PASSWORD=
DB_USER=
DB_PASSWORD=
DB_DATABASE=

The docker-compose.yml file uses these values for MariaDB and the web container, while the sample PHP page reads them through the environment at runtime.

Quick start

1. Clone or open the project folder:

git clone https://github.com/Akisolu/lamp-docker
cd lamp-docker

2. Start the containers:

docker compose up --build -d

3. Access the application:

• Web app: http://localhost
• phpMyAdmin: http://localhost:8080

Default database configuration

The database is configured through the variables in your .env file (copy them from .env.example). Use the values below for local development, or replace them with your own:

Variable	Value	Description
DB_ROOT_PASSWORD	password	MariaDB root password
DB_USER	lamp	Application user
DB_PASSWORD	lamp	Password for DB_USER
DB_DATABASE	mydatabase	Database name

Note: The host (db) and port (3306) cannot be configured using this method.
They are fixed by the internal Docker network between containers.

These values are injected via environment variables in docker-compose.yml and then consumed by the sample PHP script in public/index.php.

Status dashboard

The public/index.php file is a visual status dashboard that verifies the stack is working. It displays two cards:

• Web Server: Apache version, PHP version, and document root, with a running/online indicator.
• Database: connection status to MariaDB via PDO (engine, host, database name), showing a Connected or Disconnected badge with the error details if the connection fails.

This makes it easy to verify at a glance that:

1. The Apache container is serving PHP correctly.
2. The web and database containers can communicate over the internal network.

The page also includes quick links to phpMyAdmin and to info.php (full phpinfo() output).

Service behavior and health checks

Recent updates added a health check to the MariaDB container and improved service dependencies:

• The web service waits for the database to be healthy before starting.
• The db service runs a MariaDB readiness check using healthcheck.sh.
• The phpmyadmin service also waits for db to be ready before starting.

This makes the startup sequence more reliable in Docker Compose.

Useful commands

Start the stack:

docker compose up -d

Stop the stack:

docker compose down

View running containers:

docker compose ps

View logs:

docker compose logs -f

Rebuild the custom PHP image:

docker compose build

Volumes and persistence

Database data is persisted using a Docker named volume:

volumes:
  db-data:

This ensures that MariaDB data remains available even if the container is restarted or recreated.

Notes

• The web root is mounted from ./public/ into Apache's document root.
• The custom Docker image installs the required PHP extensions, including support for MySQL/MariaDB.
• The Compose network lamp-network connects the web and database services internally.
• The project supports environment-variable configuration for database credentials and phpMyAdmin defaults.

Troubleshooting

The PHP app cannot connect to the database

Check whether the database container is running:

docker compose ps

Then inspect the logs:

docker compose logs db

Confirm that the values in .env match the credentials expected by the application and Docker Compose.

Port already in use

If port 80 or 8080 is already occupied, change the host port mapping in docker-compose.yml:

ports:
  - "8081:80"

Then use the new URL in your browser.