How to install Lighttpd Web Server on Centos 7

To install Lighttpd Web Server on Centos 7

Lighttpd is a free Secure and fast web server. It uses less memory when compared to other web servers. In this article we will see how to install the lighttpd web server on your linux system.


To setup MariaDB Database server for lighttpd

Run the below command to install the packages for Mariadb server.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# yum install mariadb-server mariadb -y
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: centos.webwerks.com
 * extras: centos.webwerks.com
 * updates: centos.webwerks.com
Resolving Dependencies
-->  Running transaction check
--->  Package mariadb.x86_64 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2 will be installed
-->  Processing Dependency: mariadb-libs(x86-64) = 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2 for package: 1:mariadb-5.5.47-1.el7_2.x86_64
--->  Package mariadb-server.x86_64 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2 will be installed
.
.
.
Installed:
  mariadb.x86_64 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2                                   mariadb-server.x86_64 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2                                  

Dependency Installed:
  perl-Compress-Raw-Bzip2.x86_64 0:2.061-3.el7     perl-Compress-Raw-Zlib.x86_64 1:2.061-4.el7     perl-DBD-MySQL.x86_64 0:4.023-5.el7      
  perl-DBI.x86_64 0:1.627-4.el7                    perl-Data-Dumper.x86_64 0:2.145-3.el7           perl-IO-Compress.noarch 0:2.061-2.el7    
  perl-Net-Daemon.noarch 0:0.48-5.el7              perl-PlRPC.noarch 0:0.2020-14.el7              

Dependency Updated:
  mariadb-libs.x86_64 1:5.5.47-1.el7_2                                                                                                      

Complete!

Start and enable the service for Mariadb as follows.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# systemctl start mariadb
[root@linuxhelp ~]# systemctl enable mariadb
ln -s ' /usr/lib/systemd/system/mariadb.service'  ' /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/mariadb.service' 

Set root password for mariadb.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# mysql_secure_installation
/usr/bin/mysql_secure_installation: line 379: find_mysql_client: command not found

NOTE: RUNNING ALL PARTS OF THIS SCRIPT IS RECOMMENDED FOR ALL MariaDB
      SERVERS IN PRODUCTION USE!  PLEASE READ EACH STEP CAREFULLY!

In order to log into MariaDB to secure it, we' ll need the current
password for the root user.  If you' ve just installed MariaDB, and
you haven' t set the root password yet, the password will be blank,
so you should just press enter here.

Enter current password for root (enter for none):
OK, successfully used password, moving on...

Setting the root password ensures that nobody can log into the MariaDB
root user without the proper authorisation.

Set root password? [Y/n] y
New password:
Re-enter new password:
Password updated successfully!
Reloading privilege tables..
 ... Success!

By default, a MariaDB installation has an anonymous user, allowing anyone
to log into MariaDB without having to have a user account created for
them.  This is intended only for testing, and to make the installation
go a bit smoother.  You should remove them before moving into a
production environment.

Remove anonymous users? [Y/n] y
 ... Success!

Normally, root should only be allowed to connect from ' localhost' .  This
ensures that someone cannot guess at the root password from the network.

Disallow root login remotely? [Y/n] y
 ... Success!

By default, MariaDB comes with a database named ' test'  that anyone can
access.  This is also intended only for testing, and should be removed
before moving into a production environment.

Remove test database and access to it? [Y/n] y
 - Dropping test database...
 ... Success!
 - Removing privileges on test database...
 ... Success!

Reloading the privilege tables will ensure that all changes made so far
will take effect immediately.

Reload privilege tables now? [Y/n] y
 ... Success!

Cleaning up...

All done!  If you' ve completed all of the above steps, your MariaDB
installation should now be secure.

Thanks for using MariaDB!


To install Lighttpd web server

Enable epel repository before installing Lighttpd.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# yum install epel-release -y
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: centos.webwerks.com
 * extras: centos.webwerks.com
 * updates: centos.webwerks.com
Resolving Dependencies
-->  Running transaction check
--->  Package epel-release.noarch 0:7-6 will be installed
-->  Finished Dependency Resolution
.
.
.
Running transaction test
Transaction test succeeded
Running transaction
  Installing : epel-release-7-6.noarch                                                                                                  1/1
  Verifying  : epel-release-7-6.noarch                                                                                                  1/1

Installed:
  epel-release.noarch 0:7-6                                                                                                                 

Complete!

Run the following command to import EPEL GPG key.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# rpm --import /etc/pki/rpm-gpg/RPM-GPG-KEY-EPEL-7

Install lighttpd web server.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# yum install lighttpd -y
Loaded plugins: fastestmirror, langpacks
Loading mirror speeds from cached hostfile
 * base: centos.webwerks.com
 * epel: ftp.yzu.edu.tw
 * extras: centos.webwerks.com
 * updates: centos.webwerks.com
Resolving Dependencies
-->  Running transaction check
--->  Package lighttpd.x86_64 0:1.4.39-3.el7 will be installed
-->  Processing Dependency: libfam.so.0()(64bit) for package: lighttpd-1.4.39-3.el7.x86_64
-->  Running transaction check
--->  Package gamin.x86_64 0:0.1.10-16.el7 will be installed
.
.
.
Installed:
  lighttpd.x86_64 0:1.4.39-3.el7                                                                                                            

Dependency Installed:
  gamin.x86_64 0:0.1.10-16.el7                                                                                                              

Complete!

Start and enable the service for lighttpd web server.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# systemctl start lighttpd
[root@linuxhelp ~]# systemctl enable lighttpd
ln -s ' /usr/lib/systemd/system/lighttpd.service'  ' /etc/systemd/system/multi-user.target.wants/lighttpd.service' 

Rename the directory as follows.

[root@linuxhelp ~]# mv /var/www/lighttpd /var/www/htdocs

Open the web browser and navigate to http://192.168.7.125 or http://localhost

FAQ
Q
Can I use SVN over WebDAV with lighttpd?
A
No, use Apache. If you would like, you can proxy requests to Apache through lighttpd.
Q
Does Lighttpd support .htaccess files?
A
No. Lighttpd design does not permit implementing this functionality as config files are loaded at startup time and .htaccess would be needed to be parsed at request time.
Q
How do I protect a directory with a password in Lighttpd?
A
Look in the doc/authentication.txt
If you're converting from Apache, htpasswd authentication backend
Q
What is the document root for it?
A
"/var/www/lighttpd" is the default document root for Lighttpd.
Q
How can I use Apache Modules with Lighttpd?
A
No, Apache modules are not compatible with Lighttpd.