Install Windows 10 WSL for Nginx + php. If you don’t have Windows 10 WSL (Windows Subsystem. Installing Nginx + PHP-FPM + MySQL on OS X Setting up working environment is the first step you need to do. This will be your local web server for programming in OS X with PHP, Nginx and MySQL (also known as LEMP).

Although Nginx is available for Windows 10/8/7, however, to really understand, experience, build or test web application around, I recommend using it on Linux. And the Windows 10 WSL is the best option to run Linux+Nginx+PHP+MySQLstack to get a complete Linux based web server without really installing a separate Linux distro.

Thus, let’s see how to install Linux+Nginx+PHP+MySQL stack on Windows 10 WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux).

What is Nginx?

Nginx (engine x) is a high-performance HTTP and reverse proxy web server that also provides IMAP/pop3/smtp services.

It is distributed under a BSD-like agreement and characterized by less memory and strong concurrent power. Nginx can be compiled and run on most Unix & Linux os and has a Windows port too.

In the case of high concurrency, Nginx is a good alternative to the Apache service: Nginx is one of the software platforms that dominating web hosting business supporting responses up to 50 000 concurrent connections thanks to Nginx for choosing Epoll and Kqueue as the development model.

The Nginx code is written entirely from the c language and has been ported to many architectures and operating systems including Linux, FreeBSD, Solaris, mac os x, AIX, and Microsoft windows.

Nginx has its own library of functions, and in addition to zlib, PCRE, and OpenSSL, standard modules only use system C library functions. Also, these third-party libraries may not be used if you do not need or consider potential authorization conflicts.

Step 1: Install Windows 10 WSL for Nginx + php

If you don’t have Windows 10 WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux) enabled on your system yet, then simply go to the search section of Windows 10 and type “Turn Windows feature on or off” after that scroll and look for Windows subsystem for Linux option, check it and click on the OK button. This will enable it on your system. For step by step guide see this: How to enable WSL on Windows 10.

Step 2: Choose Linux Distro App for WIndows 10 WSL

Once you enabled WSL on your system, the next step is to procure some Linux distro app from Microsoft store. Here we are installing and using Ubuntu app on Windows 10 WSL. Just search for Microsoft store on your Windows 10 system and then in the search box type: Run Linux on Windows. The instructions of installing the Nginx stack will be the same for Debian and Kali Linux WSL images.

And select Ubuntu and then Get it.

Step 3: Run Ubuntu to install Nginx + PHPs on Windows 10 WSL

Once you open the Linux Ubuntu 18.04 WSL on your Windows 10 system it will exactly look and behave like any other Linux command terminal.

The first thing which we do is to update the Ubuntu Wsl, use the below-given command:

Second is running of commands to install Nginx on Windows 10 Ubuntu WSL:

Step 4: Start Nginx web server service on WSL

We have successfully installed the Nginx on our Windows 10 WSL Linux app, now the thing which we have to do is starting off its service. For that use the below command

Step 5: Test Nginx Webserver

Open your Windows 10 browser and type http:localhost:80

It will show the welcome screen of this web server as shown below in the screenshot.

Step 6: Installing PHP for Nginx on Windows 10 WSL

The Webserver is ready now we have to install and configure PHP to use with Nginx open-source web server. Here we install modules PHP-FPM and PHP-MySQL to use PHP with both Nginx and MySQL.

Add repo:

Check the latest PHP version available to install

According to the available version, install the following PHP modules, in our case the latest version was php7.4

Check the installed version

Step 7: Start PHP-fpm service

Here is the command to start the installed PHP-fpm service

Step 8: Nginx Error (optional)

In case the following error such as occurs:

We have to configure PHP-fpm for Nginx otherwise PHP would not be able to contact Nginx:

Thus, open the php-fpm configuration file

In the file find the PHP-fpm listening socket path:

Change that to

Note: If you want to use some other version of PHP then replace the php7.4 with that version.

Configure PHP for Nginx Default site configuration

In the default site configuration, to use PHP with Nginx, first, we have to add index.php in that…

Find the below line and add index.php to the list.

# For example:

Now find the below lines and do editing as mentioned below:

Remove the # or uncomment the following things which as we have done here…

After all the changes press CTRL+X and type Y and then press the Enter button to save the changes.

Restart Nginx and PHP-FPM services

Step 9: Create a test PHP file

Create an index.php file

Open it:

And add the following lines in that

Again press CTRL+X and type Y then press the enter button to save it.

Note: The root directory to save your project, so that you can call it using Nginx in the browser is just like Apache, i.e /var/www/

Step 10: Access the PHP info on Nginx WSL Windows 10 webserver

Finally, open the http:localhost or http:ip_address_of_your_system

Step 11: Install MySQL with Nginx on Windows 10 (optional)

If you also want to install MySQL on Windows WSL along with Nginx and PHP then here is the command:

Nginx Php Windows

To secure MySQL the command is:

Linux Nginx Mysql Php

In this way, we can set up Linux, Nginx, PHP & MySQL on Windows WSL (Windows Subsystem for Linux)