XAMPP

XAMPP brings Apache, MariaDB, PHP and Perl to a single platform. In plain terms, it is an all-in-one web server solution. The package includes everything you need to run and maintain a local web server, for testing purposes. This includes setting up the server, running applications, maintaining a database and much more. The best part is that it uses the same components as most web server deployments, which means that you can seamlessly transform your local test server into a live server.

XAMPP is free, open source and cross-platform. You can download its setup package and install its components fairly fast and without any difficulties. The hardware requirements are modest and there is no need to install any supplementary tools.

The Apache HTTP server, MariaDB database and the PHP and Perl interpreters can be accessed from a central control panel, which you can run normally, like any application. The controls are laid out in an efficient manner and they are quite easy to learn. You can find separate buttons for each module, which allow you to start or stop them, access their admin panels, configure their INI files and view their logs.

By default, the Mercury module is the only one installed, but you can install the rest of them in no time, with a single click. If any problems occur, you can check the log, in the lower region of the control panel, to figure out what happened.

Although the main panel has a simple appearance, you will find many more controls for each module, on separate interfaces. Obviously, some advanced knowledge is required, but you will find XAMPP considerably easier to use, compared to other similar tools.

When it comes to creating and preparing a web server, XAMPP can make everything much easier and more comfortable.