Appendix C: Installing XAMPP
In This Appendix
Setting Up XAMPP on your Windows machine
XAMPP is a unified software package that bundles all the elements necessary to create a fully functional server environment on your computer. The system includes not only the basics, like the Apache web server, the MySQL database, and PHP language support, but also useful management tools such as phpMyAdmin. If you want to build a local development or testing server, XAMPP is an easy way to get up and running quickly. XAMPP is cross-platform compatible and can be installed on almost any computer running Windows, Linux, or Mac OS.
Tip
If you are using Mac, you will probably prefer to use MAMP instead of XAMPP. I cover MAMP in Appendix D. If you are using Linux, you may not need a package like this at all, as many Linux distributions already have the necessary tools installed.
This appendix provides a step-by-step guide to installing XAMPP on a Windows machine. At the conclusion of this process, you will have a functional server on your Windows machine that allows you to run Joomla! locally.
Follow these steps to acquire the XAMPP installation package and set it up on your local machine.
1. Connect to the Internet and open your browser.
2. Direct your browser to www.apachefriends.org. The web page loads in your browser.
3. Click the XAMPP button in the Main menu. The XAMPP page loads.
4. Click the XAMPP for Windows link. The XAMPP for Windows page loads.
5. Scroll down the page to the list ...
