What is XAMPP Server (Introduction, Importance, Installation, Usage, Drawbacks, Frequently Asked Questions)
What is XAMPP Server? This post provides comprehensive tutorials on XAMPP Server to clear all your confusions.
This is a web development server application that helps run live websites or web applications on your computer or PC system.
What does XAMPP Server mean?
The full meaning of XAMPP Server is:
X- CROSS PLATFORM
XAMPP Server is a cross-platform web server that can be run on Windows, Linux, or Mac operating systems. This versatility is why it is so popular among developers.
A – APACHE SERVER
Back ⇧Apache Server is a free and open-source cross-platform web server. This open-source HTTP server hosts your website or web application on your local device and is also used for real web hosting
You can read about it on its official website and download it from there as well:
https://httpd.apache.org/download.cgi
M – MYSQL
Back ⇧MySQL is very useful for collecting data, which can be of any type,
such as:
- This helps in managing website structure. MySQL is also used to maintain the structure of your WordPress blog.
The official download link for MySQL is:
https://dev.mysql.com/downloads/
To manage data, you will need to download PHPMyAdmin. You need PHPMyAdmin to access MySQL data. Below is its official link:
https://www.phpmyadmin.net/downloads/
P- PHP
Back ⇧PHP is a back-end programming language. If you have used any secret code or logic on your website that you do not want to reveal to anyone, PHP is helpful in this regard. PHP keeps this code hidden. Any calculation or programming performed will be done on your server. This keeps your logic more secure and hidden.
That’s why WordPress blogs are more secure and dynamic websites.
It is a loosely type, easy to learn, and a secure language.
PHP download official link is:
https://windows.php.net/download/
Learn PHP from Basic: Click Here!
P- Perl Programming Language
Back ⇧The Perl Programming Language is used: –
- System Administration
- Web Development
- Network Programming
- Graphical user interface (GUI)
With its help, you can create your own user interface. It is even faster than Python.
Its official download link is:
If you use the XAMPP server, you don’t need to download all of these separately. You get all of these in the XAMPP server itself.
The official download link for XAMPP Server is:
https://www.apachefriends.org/index.html
The importance of the XAMPP server
It acts as a live server. There is no need for web hosting to test websites or web applications.
You will have access to even the smallest details of a website. In most cases, web hosting limits access to its details.
You can use any logic in it and analyze it.
It comes with packages including Apache server, PHP, MySQL, PHPMyAdmin, and Perl language.
There’s no need to download each of them separately, essential for hosting a website. It’s free to use and open-source software, widely utilized by most users.
Why is the XAMPP server so popular?
- Free, open-source, and easy to use
- Supports Windows, Linux, and Mac operating systems.
- The most popular software among web developers.
- Files are easily editable and customizable.
- Support from community groups is available.
- All related videos are freely available on social media.
Xampp Server Installation
Here, an example of XAMPP installation in Windows 10 is provided.
- Go to the XAMPP website and download the Windows version.
- Open the downloaded installer file.
- Allow the app to make changes if prompted by Windows.
- Follow the setup wizard by clicking “Next”.
- Choose the components to install and click “Next”.
- Select the installation location and click “Next”.
- Choose the language for the control panel and click “Next”.
- Optionally, install additional software packages and click “Next”.
- Review the setup summary and click “Next” to proceed.
- Wait for the installation to complete.
- Optionally, launch the XAMPP control panel and click “Finish”.
- If needed, find the control panel in the installation directory.
- XAMPP is now successfully installed on your Windows 10 computer.
XAMPP: Create a local web server for testing and development with this popular open-source software package.
While XAMPP offers many benefits, users should also be aware of potential drawbacks. Here are some common downsides of XAMPP:
- XAMPP Security Alert: Not suitable for production servers. Recent years have seen security vulnerabilities. Users must take extra steps to secure their XAMPP installations.
- Limited Scalability: It is designed for small-scale web development projects and may not be suitable for larger or more complex projects. If you plan to develop a large web application, you may need to consider a more robust server environment.
- Performance Issues: XAMPP may not deliver optimal performance like a dedicated server environment.
- Especially on lower-end computers, it can slow down load times and cause other performance issues.
FAQ’s
Q: Is XAMPP Server Free?
Q: Is this a real web hosting server?
Ans: No, it’s not used to host real websites.
It hosts your website locally on your PC. This website is not available online.
Q: What is the use of XAMPP server?
Ans:
- Testing a website or web application.
- Improvement in Web Development Skills
