Complete Guide on How to Install PHP Framework Yii using LAMP Stack on AlmaLinux 8
The Yii PHP framework is one of the best and fastest frameworks widely used to build modern web applications. To run Yii optimally, we need a reliable server environment such as the LAMP Stack (Linux, Apache, MySQL/MariaDB, and PHP). In this guide, we will discuss in depth and structured about how to install the Yii PHP framework using the LAMP Stack on AlmaLinux 8, starting from basic system installation to testing the Yii application running successfully.
Prerequisites
- Full root access
- Domain (optional)
- Basic Linux Command Line
Preparation
Make sure the firewall and SELinux have been adjusted or temporarily disabled if you want to avoid problems during the initial installation.
Before starting the Yii installation, make sure your AlmaLinux 8 server is up to date and ready to install the LAMP Stack (Linux, Apache, MariaDB, PHP).
dnf update -y
dnf install epel-release -y
Install Apache
Apache is a reliable web server and is widely used in production environments. To install it, run the following command:
dnf install httpd -y
Once the installation is complete, enable and start the Apache service with the following command:
systemctl enable --now httpd
To allow access to the server via HTTP and HTTPS, allow the firewall:
firewall-cmd --permanent --add-service={http,https}
firewall-cmd --reload
Install PHP
PHP (Hypertext Preprocessor) is a server-side programming language that is crucial in this stack. We will install PHP 8 from the Remi Repository to use the latest version of PHP.
Run the following command to install the Remi Repository:
dnf install -y https://rpms.remirepo.net/enterprise/remi-release-8.rpm
Then list the available PHP using the following command:
dnf module list php
Output example:
AlmaLinux 8 - AppStream
Name Stream Profiles Summary
php 7.2 [d] common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php 7.3 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php 7.4 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php 8.0 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php 8.2 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
Remi's Modular repository for Enterprise Linux 8 - x86_64
Name Stream Profiles Summary
php remi-7.2 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-7.3 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-7.4 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-8.0 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-8.1 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-8.2 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-8.3 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
php remi-8.4 common [d], devel, minimal PHP scripting language
Hint: [d]efault, [e]nabled, [x]disabled, [i]nstalled
Enable the desired PHP module version. For example, for PHP 8.4, run the following command:
dnf module reset php -y
dnf module enable php:remi-8.4 -y
Once the repository is active, we can proceed with installing PHP along with the commonly used essential modules:
dnf install -y php php-cli php-common php-mysqlnd php-fpm php-opcache php-gd php-curl php-mbstring php-xml php-json php-soap php-bcmath
Check the installed PHP version with the following command:
php -v
Install MariaDB
MariaDB is a replacement for MySQL and is compatible with MySQL-based applications. Run the following command to install it:
dnf module list mariadb
Output example:
AlmaLinux 8 - AppStream
Name Stream Profiles Summary
mariadb 10.3 [d] client, galera, server [d] MariaDB Module
mariadb 10.5 client, galera, server [d] MariaDB Module
mariadb 10.11 client, galera, server [d] MariaDB Module
Hint: [d]efault, [e]nabled, [x]disabled, [i]nstalled
The output above shows that the default version of MariaDB is 10.11 (the latest version from the OS). However, we'll use MariaDB version 11.4.7 using the official repository at https://mariadb.org/download/ and then reset MariaDB to remove it from the OS's default repository:
dnf module reset mariadb
Run the following command to add the MariaDB version 11.4.7 repository:
nano /etc/yum.repos.d/MariaDB.repo
Add the following parameters:
# MariaDB 11.4 RedHatEnterpriseLinux repository list - created 2025-07-31 14:04 UTC
# https://mariadb.org/download/
[mariadb]
name = MariaDB
# rpm.mariadb.org is a dynamic mirror if your preferred mirror goes offline. See https://mariadb.org/mirrorbits/ for details.
# baseurl = https://rpm.mariadb.org/11.4/rhel/$releasever/$basearch
baseurl = https://mirror.its.dal.ca/mariadb/yum/11.4/rhel/$releasever/$basearch
module_hotfixes = 1
# gpgkey = https://rpm.mariadb.org/RPM-GPG-KEY-MariaDB
gpgkey = https://mirror.its.dal.ca/mariadb/yum/RPM-GPG-KEY-MariaDB
gpgcheck = 1
Then run the following command to install MariaDB:
dnf install MariaDB-server MariaDB-client
Enable and activate the MariaDB service:
systemctl enable --now mariadb
systemctl status mariadb
Before using it for production or testing, it is best to secure the MariaDB installation first by running the following command:
mariadb-secure-installation
Then follow the instructions that appear:
- Enter current password for root (enter for none) → [ENTER]
- Switch to unix_socket authentication → Y
- Change the root password? → Y
- Remove anonymous users? → Y
- Disallow root login remotely? Y
- Remove test database and access to it? Y
- Reload privilege tables now? Y
Install Yii
Before installing Yii, we'll first create a virtual host and database (to store Yii's content, configuration, and structure). Run the following command to create a virtual host:
Make sure you're using a valid domain (FQDN) and that the DNS A record is pointed to the server IP address used on your server.
nano /etc/httpd/conf.d/focusnic.biz.id.conf
Fill in the following parameters:
<VirtualHost *:80>
ServerAdmin webmaster@focusnic.biz.id
ServerName focusnic.biz.id
ServerAlias www.focusnic.biz.id
DocumentRoot /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/yiiapp/web
<Directory /var/www/focusnic.biz.id>
AllowOverride All
Require all granted
</Directory>
ErrorLog /var/log/httpd/focusnic.biz.id-error.log
CustomLog /var/log/httpd/focusnic.biz.id-access.log combined
</VirtualHost>
Then create a directory on the virtualhost above:
mkdir -p /var/www/focusnic.biz.id
Restart Apache to save changes:
apachectl configtest
systemctl restart httpd
Create a database by running the following command:
mariadb
Then run the following command to create a database, user, and password:
create database yii_db;
create user 'yii_user'@'localhost' identified by 'beTeOBAzd7bdY0H0';
grant all on yii_db.* to 'yii_user'@'localhost';
flush privileges;
quit;
Download composer and install it with the following command:
Composer will be needed for Yii management such as installing dependencies and other requirements during development or production.
curl -sS https://getcomposer.org/installer | php
mv composer.phar /usr/local/bin/composer
Check composer version:
composer --version
Output example:
Composer version 2.8.10 2025-07-10 19:08:33
PHP version 8.4.11 (/usr/bin/php)
Download the Yii file and place it in the appropriate directory on your virtual host. We'll download Yii and create a project named yiiapp using composer:
Yii has two application templates. The main difference is the advanced template, which comes with more front-end and back-end features, user registration, and password restore/reset.
cd /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/
composer create-project --prefer-dist --stability=stable yiisoft/yii2-app-basic yiiapp # yii basic
composer create-project --prefer-dist --stability=stable yiisoft/yii2-app-advanced yiiapp # yii advanced
Change some parameters in the following file for database connection in Yii:
nano /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/yiiapp/config/db.php
Match the previously created database information including db, username, and password:
<?php
return [
'class' => 'yii\db\Connection',
'dsn' => 'mysql:host=localhost;dbname=yii_db',
'username' => 'yii_user',
'password' => 'beTeOBAzd7bdY0H0',
'charset' => 'utf8',
];
Run the following command to populate or db migrate:
cd /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/yiiapp
php yii migrate
If the configuration is successful, and the database is empty (without migration), the following message will appear:
Creating migration history table "migration"...Done.
No new migrations found. Your system is up-to-date.
Adjust permissions on the Yii directory:
find /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/yiiapp -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find /var/www/focusnic.biz.id/yiiapp -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
chown -R apache:apache /var/www/focusnic.biz.id
Access the Yii installation through a browser, for example: http://focusnic.biz.id. If the installation is successful, the default Yii page will appear as follows.
Troubleshooting
- Error: SQLSTATE[HY000] [1045] Access denied for user
Cause: The username or password is incorrect, or the user has not been granted access to the database.
Solution: Double-check the configuration in config/db.php. Ensure the username, password, and database name are correct. Rerun the following command:
GRANT ALL PRIVILEGES ON yii_db.* TO 'yii_user'@'localhost';
FLUSH PRIVILEGES;
- Error: Could not find driver when running
php yii migrate
This is usually caused by the pdo_mysql module not being installed correctly. Run the following command to install it:
dnf install php-mysqlnd
- Error: yii\db\Exception or blank page when accessing from a browser
Database connection issue or DSN typo. Ensure the DSN is formatted correctly:
mysql:host=localhost;dbname=yiidb
Conclusion
Installing the Yii PHP framework on AlmaLinux 8 using the LAMP Stack is not difficult if done correctly. With a properly configured combination of Apache, MariaDB, and PHP, Yii can run efficiently and optimally. It's also important to configure the environment and file permissions according to production security standards to prevent the application from being easily exploited.
Q: Can Yii run on shared hosting?
A: Yes, but certain features like Redis, queues, or advanced URL rewriting may be limited by the hosting provider.
Q: What is the difference between Yii basic and advanced?
A: The basic version is suitable for simple applications, while the advanced version has a modular structure for large projects.
Q: How do I know the database connection is successful?
A: Run the following command. If no errors appear, the connection is successful:
php yii migrate
Further References: