Is your site loading slowly? Customers won't wait — they'll go to competitors. Let's fix this together! Imagine: you launched a project, but delays are scaring visitors away. We'll show you how to configure your PHP server so that it runs quickly and reliably. Now let's see how proper PHP server setup solves these problems.
PHP is the engine of your site. Without it, WordPress, Laravel or other platforms won't run. And if the server performs poorly, it affects everything — from speed to security.
We have helped over 600 clients optimize their sites — and we'll share our experience with you.
First, decide where to run your PHP code. Here are the main options:
⚠️ Warning: Local tools are only for testing. For live sites, you need reliable hosting like Hostiserver.
For a quick test:
php -S localhost:8000
And it works!
Now let's move on to the installation.
Want to have control over the server? Here's how to do it on Ubuntu.
Step by step:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install apache2
sudo apt install libapache2-mod-php
Don't forget to restart the server:
sudo systemctl restart apache2
Step by step:
sudo apt update
sudo apt install nginx
sudo apt install php-fpm
Don't forget to restart the server:
sudo systemctl restart nginx
📌 Tip: Nginx with PHP-FPM handles high traffic well — ideal for popular sites.
PHP is the foundation of your server. Let's break it down step by step.
On Ubuntu:
sudo apt install php php-cli php-fpm
On Windows:
Step by step:
C:\PHP.Here are the basic settings:
memory_limit = 256M
max_execution_time = 60
upload_max_filesize = 50M
post_max_size = 50M
error_reporting = E_ALL & ~E_NOTICE
Example: For a store with large photos, we raised upload_max_filesize to 100M — and uploading became seamless. For WooCommerce with lots of images, we recommend increasing memory_limit to 512M.
Install MySQL:
sudo apt install mysql-serverStart MySQL:
sudo systemctl start mysqlConnect PHP:
connect_error) {
die("Connection failed: " . $connection->connect_error);
}
echo "Everything works!";
?>
Create info.php in /var/www/html/:
<?php
phpinfo();
?>
Open http://localhost/info.php. If you see details about PHP, everything is working.
Here are 5 steps to secure it:
Disable potentially dangerous functions
In php.ini:
disable_functions = exec,shell_execFor Apache:
<Files "config.php">
Order Allow,Deny
Deny from all
</Files>
For Nginx:
location ~* ^/config\.php$ {
deny all;
}Install SSL through your hosting provider.
Check for updates on https://www.php.net.
Fail2Ban automatically stops suspicious IP addresses.
Advantage: During an attack on one of our clients, Fail2Ban blocked over 200 password-guess attempts in 24 hours.
Besides Fail2Ban, install UFW (Uncomplicated Firewall) for even better protection against unwanted requests.
Once the server is secured, it's time to think about performance.
Reducing load times significantly improves UX and SEO. Here's how:
opcache.enable=1 opcache.memory_consumption=128
OPcache stores compiled PHP code in memory so it doesn't have to be processed again — this speeds up the site. Personally, we always recommend it for sites with heavy load — it really saves you from freezes.
Compress pages on Apache or Nginx.
A CDN (Content Delivery Network) speeds up loading of static files, like images and videos.
When using a CDN, don't forget to enable automatic browser-level caching — this speeds up page loads even more.
Caching stores data in fast memory, reducing request processing time. Use Memcached or Redis.
One client with a WordPress store increased load speed by 60% thanks to OPcache and Memcached. Another client with a blog reduced server response time by 40% thanks to Cloudflare's CDN.
Configuring a PHP server is about speed, security, and flexibility. With the right approach, your site will run without a hitch. Need help? Our servers at Hostiserver are optimized for high speed — the configuration is already done for you. Just launch your site and enjoy stable performance!
memory_limit to 512M and max_execution_time to 120 to handle large catalogs.