XAMPP is the most famous software package to set up a PHP development environment for web services by delivering all the required software features. During the software deployment process, most web servers use almost similar components, so using XAMPP provides easy growth from the local server to the live server. In this article, we will learn a step-by-step guide on XAMPP installation and XAMPP setup. How to install XAMPP for Windows? If you want to know which local server works best for your websites, blogs, CMSs, or applications, you can look at our detailed comparative study on XAMPP vs WampServer.
Table of Contents
What is XAMPP?
A cross-platform, open-source web server called XAMPP includes a web server, the MySQL database engine, and the PHP and Perl programming languages. It is compiled and supported by Apache and let users build WordPress websites online using a local web server on their computer. It helps Windows, Linux, and Mac.
The acronym XAMPP stands for:
X – [cross-platform operating systems], which can work on any OS, Mac OX, Windows, Linux, etc.
A – Apache – this is the web server software.
M – MySQL – Database.
P – PHP
P – Perl – scripting language
Software Components of XAMPP:
Apache
The open-source web server Apache is the most widely used server worldwide for web content delivery. The server application is made public as free software by the Apache Software Foundation.
MySQL/MariaDB
In MySQL, XAMPP includes one of the world’s most famous relational database management systems. MySQL offers data storage for web services in combination with the web server Apache and the scripting language PHP. Current XAMPP versions have replaced MySQL with MariaDB.
PHP
The server-side programming language PHP allows users to make dynamic websites or applications. PHP can be installed on all platforms and supports several various database systems.
Perl
Perl is the scripting language in system administration, web development, and network programming. Like PHP, Perl also enables users to program dynamic web applications.
Why Do You Use XAMPP?
XAMPP delivers an easy-to-use control panel to control Apache, MySQL, and other programs without commands. To use PHP, we ought to install Apache and MySQL. It’s not easy to install Apache and configure it as it requires to be set up and merged with PHP and Perl, among other things. XAMPP deals with all the complexity of setting up and integrating Apache with PHP and Perl. Unlike Java, which only runs with the Java SDK, PHP needs a web server to work.
Application Areas
An XAMPP server can be installed and used with a single executable file quickly and easily, working as a local test system for Linux, Windows, and Mac OS X. The software package has the same features found on shared web servers. Developers can test their projects locally and quickly transfer them to production systems. But XAMPP isn’t appropriate to use as a public server because many safety elements have been intentionally left out to facilitate and speed up the system for testing.
Advantages of XAMPP:
- It is free, easy to use, and readily available for Windows, Linux, and Mac OS.
- It is a beginner’s friendly solution package for full-stack web development.
- It is an open-source software package that gives an easy installation experience.
- Creating a setup for development, testing, and deployment is very simple.
- It is a time-saver and provides several ways to handle configuration changes.
- It takes many organizational tasks like checking the status and security.
Installing XAMPP
We look into the step-by-step process to install XAMPP for Windows. For other Operating Systems, XAMPP installation steps are identical.
Download XAMPP
XAMPP is a release made accessible by the non-profit project Apache Friends. There are different versions of PHP, you can install. Follow the link to download XAMPP for Windows https://www.apachefriends.org/de/download.html
Run .exe file
When you download the software package, you can start the XAMPP installation. Double-click on the file ending with the .exe file.
Deactivate Any Antivirus Software
Since an active antivirus program can negatively impact the installation process, it is suggested to temporarily pause any antivirus software until all XAMPP components have successfully been installed.
Deactivate User Account Control
User Account Control (UAC) can interrupt the XAMPP installation because it determines writing access to the C: drive, so we suggest you deactivate this, too, for the installation process.
Start The Setup Wizard
After opening the .exe file, the start screen of the XAMPP setup wizard should arise automatically. Click on ‘Next’ to configure the installation settings.
Select Software Components
According to the selected components, you have the right to exclude individual components of the XAMPP software bundle from installation. But for a full local test server, we suggest you install using the standard setup and all available features. When you choose any option, click the ‘next’ button.
Choose The Installation Folder
After selecting the software components, you can choose the installing folder. If XAMPP is already installed, then this message will appear on your screen.
But, if you are installing XAMPP for the first time, then the folder with the name XAMPP will be created under C:/ for you. After choosing an installing directory, click on the ‘next’ button.
Choose The Language
After choosing a folder to install XAMPP, you have the option to choose a language. XAMPP control panel for Windows supports different languages. Choose your desired language and click on the ‘next’ button.
Learn About Bitnami for XAMPP
Bitnami for XAMPP provides free installers that can install Drupal, Joomla, WordPress, and many other famous open-source apps on top of your existing XAMPP installation. Click on the ‘next’ button.
Ready To Install
XAMPP setup is ready to install on your computers. Click the ‘next’ button.
Start The Installation Process
Once all the above choices have been decided, click to begin the installation. The setup wizard will unpack and install the chosen components and save them to the specified directory. This process can take several minutes in total. You can observe the progress of this installation by keeping an eye on the green loading bar in the center of the screen.
Complete XAMPP Setup
Once all the components are unpacked and installed, you can close the setup wizard by clicking on the ‘finish’ button. Click to tick the corresponding check box and open the XAMPP Control Panel once the installation process is completed.
The XAMPP Control Panel
Controls for the individual components of your test server can be reached through the XAMPP Control Panel. The clear user interface logs all actions and lets you start or stop individual modules with a single. The XAMPP Control Panel also offers you various other buttons, including:
- Config: Allows you to configure the XAMPP as well as the individual components.
- Netstat: Displays all running processes on the local computer.
- Shell: Opens a UNIX shell.
- Explorer: Open the XAMPP folder in Windows Explorer.
- Services: Shows all services currently running in the background.
- Help: Offers links to user forums.
- Quit: Closes the XAMPP Control Panel.
In the cPanel, you can stop and start the individual modules.
Start the Modules
You can start or stop the individual modules on the XAMPP cPanel via action buttons. You can also see the modules created because their names are highlighted. The green color shows that they are active modules.
If a module hasn’t been active, it shows an error and will appear in red font. An error report can help you specify the reason for the problem.
Module Administration
You have an ‘Admin’ option on the cPanel for every module in your XAMPP.
- Click on the Admin button of your Apache server to go to the web address of your web server. The cPanel will now start in your standard browser, and you will be led to the dashboard of your XAMPP’s local host. The dashboard features multiple links to websites for valuable information and the open source open-sourceNami, which shows you many other applications for your XAMPP, like WordPress or other content management systems. Alternatively, you can get the dashboard through localhost/dashboard/.
- Use the Admin button of your database to open phpMyAdmin. You can also handle the databases of your web projects. You can also get access to the administration section of your MySQL database through localhost/PHPMyAdmin/.
- Open the ‘databases’ and create a database with the name.
Testing Your XAMPP Installation
You can create a PHP page to check whether your test server is configured and installed correctly. You can store them on your XAMPP’s local host and recover them through the web browser.
- Open the XAMPP directory through the ‘Explorer’ button in the Control Panel and select the folder htdocs (C:\xampp\htdocs for standard installations). This directory will keep file data compiled for web pages that you test on your XAMPP server. The htdocs folder should already have data to support the web server’s configuration. But it would be best to store your projects in a new folder (like ‘Test Folder,’ for example).
- You can make a new PHP page easily by using the following content in your editor and storing it as test.php in your ‘test’ folder (C:\xampp\htdocs\test):
- The final step is to open your web browser and load your PHP page through localhost/test/test.php. If your browser window shows the words ‘Hello David’ then XAMPP has been successfully installed and configured.