Developing and delivering dynamic web sites using Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP

Overview

The 'LAMP' stack of open-source technologies (Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP) provides an excellent platform for web content delivery. Based around a realistic case study, this 5-day hands-on course provides a comprehensive introduction to the use of LAMP to build a dynamic, commercial web site. The courses uses a RedHat-based Linux system as a basis for hands-on exercises but is not closely tied to a specific linux distribution.

Prerequisites

• Delegates should have basic Linux command-line competence including knowledge of file system commands, users and groups, and file permissions.

• Prior exposure to some of the relevant technologies (Databases, SQL, HTML, and a programming language) would be advantageous but is not essential. No prior specific knowledge of Apache, MySQL or PHP is assumed.

Delegates will learn how to

• Install and configure Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP onto a bare machine
• Configure apache to support virtual hosting, authenticated login, and SSL
• Design, create and populate a relational database using MySQL
• Design and run database queries and updates using SQL
• Keep web servers and web applications secure
• Create web pages and web forms using HTML and CSS
• Use PHP for server-side processing and database access within a web application

Course Outline.

Setting the scene

• The architecture of web applications
• The case study

Installing Linux

• Installation Methods
• Partitioning
• Account creation
• Other configuration choices

Survival Linux

• Key command line tools
• File system management commands
• File permissions
• System activity reporting tools
• File system tour: what lives where

Installing and configuring Apache

• Installation
• Basic configuration
• Virtual Hosting
• Access control
• Creating secure connections with SSL

An HTML Primer

• Basic tags and attributes
• Tables
• Forms
• Cascading style sheets

PHP core language

• Creating a stand-alone script
• Data types and variables
• Arithmetic operators
• Relational operators
• Flow control

PHP advanced features

• Functions
• Arrays
• String manipulation
• Object-oriented programming

Processing web forms with PHP

• Embedding PHP into a web page
• Accessing form data from PHP
• Maintaining state in web applications

Database Fundamentals

• Tables, columns and keys
• Data types
• Data relations
• Designing our database

Structured Query Language

• Creating tables
• Inserting data
• Querying the database
• Deleting data

Installing and configuring MySQL

• Installation
• Administration using mysql command line tool
• MySQL Workbench
• Granting rights to users
• Creating, populating and querying tables

Accessing a database using PHP

• Connecting to the database
• Building and executing a query
• Accessing the results of a query
• Putting it altogether

Staying safe

• Applying the principal of least privilege
• Hardening linux
• Protecting the database
• Authentication and authorisation in web applicactions
• Validating user input