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WampServer – Apache Server on Windows

What is WampServer? WAMP is an acronym formed from the initials of the operating system Microsoft Windows and the main components of the package: Apache, MySQL, and PHP. It allows you to develop, upgrade components, perform any web development task, and carefully test everything offline first, which reduces the risks of creating problems on the live server.

What is WampServer?

WAMP is an acronym formed from the initials of the operating system Microsoft Windows and the main components of the package: Apache, MySQL, and PHP.

Apache is the most popular open-source web server. MySQL is a widely used open-source database, utilised by numerous websites around the world, including Google, YouTube, Wikipedia, Facebook, and Flickr. PHP is a widely used general-purpose server-side scripting language designed to produce dynamic web pages.

By combining these components into a single installation package, WampServer allows users to set up a server locally on their Windows machine to create dynamic web applications with Apache, PHP, and MySQL in the same development conditions as on the production server.

One of the great benefits of WampServer is that it allows you to develop, upgrade components, perform any web development task, and carefully test everything offline first, which reduces the risks of creating problems on the live server.

Installing WampServer is Quick and Easy

WampServer is very easy to install.

Simply download the WampServer installer file and follow the on-screen instructions. By default, WampServer will use the latest versions of Apache, MySQL, and PHP. Once WampServer is installed, it is possible to add as many Apache, MySQL, and PHP releases as you want. To switch to a different release, simply select it in the WampServer menu.

When you install WampServer, a “www” directory is automatically created (typically, the path is c:wampwww). You can create a subfolder in which to place all your PHP files. Then launch your web browser and enter http://localhost in the address bar. The settings screen will be displayed, detailing each component version and the list of extensions loaded. In the tools tab, you will find the familiar phpMyAdmin and SQLiteManager.

Once started, the application adds an icon to the Windows system tray (or taskbar). Left-clicking on this icon opens a drop-down menu with various options: start, stop, and restart Apache and MySQL services, use the online or offline mode, manage specific server settings, access the configuration files, or view the log files. Right-clicking allows you to change the application language, close the application, display the “About WampServer” pop-up window, and clicking on “Help” will take you to the WampServer website, which has additional documentation, a forum, and a small add-ons section.

WampServer is a lightweight, easy to use, and stable Windows web development environment for Apache, MySQL, PHP databases. It is open-source and free of charge, though happy users are encouraged to make donations through PayPal on the developer’s website.

Download WampServer:

http://www.wampserver.com/en/

On SourceForge:

https://sourceforge.net/projects/wampserver/