1.1. Why You Need Apache, MySQL, and PHP

PHP is a powerful scripting language that can be run by itself in the command line of any computer with PHP installed. However, PHP alone isn't enough in order to build dynamic web sites.

To use PHP on a web site, you need a server that can process PHP scripts. Apache is a free web server that, once installed on a computer, allows developers to test PHP scripts locally; this makes it an invaluable piece of your local development environment.

Additionally, dynamic websites are dependent on stored information that can be modified quickly and easily; this is the main difference between a dynamic site and a static HTML site. However, PHP doesn't provide a simple, efficient way to store data. This is where ...

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