These installation steps is a basic guide on how to setup Apache Server with PHP7.2 FPM on MacOS Mojave.

Before we start with installation process, let us first —

a. Remove built in Apache and PHP

Remove build in Apache Server for MAC OSX by issuing the following commands:

sudo apachectl stop
sudo launchctl unload -w /System/Library/LaunchDaemons/org.apache.httpd.plist
#Assuming you have PHP 7.2 preinstalled
brew unlink php72

b. Purging Previous Configuration Files (Apache & PHP)

If HomeBrew is already installed and you would like to purge all previous Apache and PHP Configurations:

sudo rm -R /usr/local/etc/httpd
sudo rm -R /usr/local/etc/php

Now, lets install necessary dependencies before beginning the process:

c. Install Xcode CLI tools (if not already installed)

xcode-select --install

d. Install HomeBrew (if not already installed)

Install HomeBrew by issuing the following command:

/usr/bin/ruby -e "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/master/install)"

Run HomeBrew Doctor to check if everything is in oder:

brew doctor
#Your system is ready to brew.

Phew, now that everything else is sorted, lets get to work —

1. Installing Apache using HomeBrew

Lets install and start the Apache Server using Homebrew by issuing the following commands —

brew install httpd24 --with-privileged-ports --with-http
brew services start http

Running Apache on HomeBrew

On HomeBrew Default Ports

By default, HomeBrew Apache v2.4.35 is configured to run on port 8080 while SSL port is configured to run on 8443. If you would like to start Apache then simply issue the command:

apachectl start

If you require Apache to run as a background service(start automatically on restart, requires user log-in) then run the following command:

brew services start httpd24

Now, open up your browser and browse to http://127.0.0.1:8080. You should be able to see “It works!” on the browser!

Run Apache on Standard Port 80

If the apache server is running, then stop the server using the following command:

apachectl stop

In order to configure Apache to run on port 80 then simply open up /usr/local/etc/httpd/httpd.conf and make the following change:

#Find the line with  
Listen 8080

#and change it to  
Listen 80

In order to run Apache on port 80 or any other port ≤1024, you would need to run apache with sudo privileges. Hence, start the apache server using the following command:

sudo apachectl start

Again, if you require Apache to run as a background service(start automatically on restart) then run the following command:

sudo brew services start httpd24

Now, open up your browser and browse to http://l27.0.0.1. You should be able to see “It works!” on the browser!

2. Install latest PHP 7.2 with FPM

Brew is configured to install php with fpm automatically when issuing the following command:

brew install php72

Once complete, confirm that the version of PHP installed is 7.2

php -v
PHP 7.2.10 (cli) (built: Sep 14 2018 07:05:22) ( NTS )
Copyright (c) 1997-2018 The PHP Group
Zend Engine v3.2.0, Copyright (c) 1998-2018 Zend Technologies
    with Zend OPcache v7.2.10, Copyright (c) 1999-2018, by Zend Technologies

In order to start php72 FPM (FastCGI Process Manager), please issue the following command:

sudo brew services start php

3. Configuring Apache to work with PHP FPM

In order to configure apache to work with php fpm please open the /usr/local/etc/httpd/httpd.conf file again and uncomment the following lines to enable the listed php modules:

LoadModule proxy_module libexec/mod_proxy.so 
LoadModule proxy_fcgi_module libexec/mod_proxy_fcgi.so 
LoadModule rewrite_module libexec/mod_rewrite.so

Again on httpd.conf, make the following changes to make Apache load index.php by default

# 
# DirectoryIndex: sets the file that Apache will serve if a directory 
# is requested. 
# 
<IfModule dir_module> 
    DirectoryIndex index.php index.html index.htm 
</IfModule>

Add the following configurations to the /usr/local/etc/httpd/httpd.conf file just under the directory directive:

<VirtualHost *:*>
   ProxyPassMatch "^/(.*\.php(/.*)?)$" "fcgi://127.0.0.1:9000/usr/local/var/www/$1"
</VirtualHost>
<FilesMatch \.php$>
    # 2.4.10+ can proxy to unix socket
    # SetHandler "proxy:unix:/var/run/php5-fpm.sock|fcgi://localhost/"
    # Else we can just use a tcp socket:
    SetHandler "proxy:fcgi://127.0.0.1:9000"
</FilesMatch>

Now, to make the configurations take effect, please restart the Apache Server by issuing the following command:

sudo brew services restart httpd24

Now, create a new php file named test.php under the server directory at /usr/local/var/www/ and add the following content to the file:

<?php echo phpinfo(); ?>

Now, browse to http://127.0.0.1/test.php to check if your Server is able to handle PHP files.

I hope this article has been to some aid to you. Do leave your feedback! Thanks!

Fahim Hossain

With the booming pace of the tech industry, there is a lot to grasp, learn and master. My passion is to work with different architectural design patterns and developing high performance software solutions using the latest technology stacks. I am the founder of ARITS Limited and am currently serving as its Chief Executive Officer