WAMP is a software that recreates the environment of a real web server. The tool is used by developers to run source code. Through WAMP it is possible to test, evaluate and adapt codes created in different programming languages before starting the implementation of a website.
One of the biggest advantages of the technology is the accessibility of digital tools. Although many people believe that the creation of software and web applications is restricted to large companies and few academics, the truth is that the development of digital products is accessible to anyone with a certain knowledge and a computer.
Creating a complete website at home only depends on the dedication and work of the developer, who can learn from scratch, without expenses and only with free material. Some development tools, programming languages, and CMSs are also freely available on the Web. In addition, it is possible to create, test, interact and improve a website through a local server, which can be done through software such as WAMP.
But what is WAMP ? How does this software work and how to install it? That’s what we’ll talk about in this complete guide. See what subjects will be discussed in this article:
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- What are local development servers?
- What is WAMP anyway?
- How to install WAMP?
- How to install WordPress on WAMP server?
- How to use WAMP?
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- What are the main differences between XAMPP and WAMP?
- What are the differences between WAMP, MAMP and LAMP?
What are local development servers?
Before we break down all the specifics of WAMP, we need to answer a much more important question: What is a local development server? To understand better, we need to know how websites work and what happens in the background when we visit a website.
Websites are divided into two parts, the FrontEnd, what you see on the screen browser, and the BackEnd, the code that operates on the server side. We call a client any device that has access to the Internet.
When a client sends a request to view a website, where does this request go? To the hosting server! We can say that this server works as a remote warehouse, where all the files that make up the site are safely stored.
We now know that it is important to have some kind of accessible storage space where your site will be hosted. But if the developer starts the site from scratch, he also needs to carry out tests and simulations on a hosting server, how to do it without having to pay for it?
It is at this point that the server Local development is handled as it runs on the same machine the developer is using to create and access the site. Thus, the machine starts to act both as a client and as a server. You don’t even need to be connected to the Internet to run the site.
There are several software that can fulfill this role of local web server, such as Easy PHP, XAMPP, LAMPP and WAMP — which is the “protagonist” of this post.
After all, what is WAMP?
WAMP is a web development environment for Windows, Apache, MySQL and PHP. It is software that automatically installs everything you need to start developing web applications.
What is the meaning of the acronym WAMP? The initials of the components that are the basis for creating the local server:
- W — Windows;
- A — Apache;
- M – MySQL;
- P – PHP.
Because WAMP is become so popular?
WAMP is a tool that has been gaining more and more popularity, especially among WordPress users, since its main feature is intuitiveness.
With the tool, the user can build a website using all the resources of the most popular CMS in the world, experimenting with codes, plugins, design, as well as being able to test the different features of the your site, before publishing it.
The combination of the easy usability of WAMP with the practicality of development with a complete CMS, like WordPress, allows that even people without great experience with code able to create dynamic websites. For this, each resource that makes up the WAMP will act so that the process can be used in:
- Apache Web Server or Apache HTTP Server — allows users to test web pages or applications in the browser;
- PHP — is a versatile programming language that allows integration with HTML and that is the foundation of WordPress websites
- MySQL is a relational database management system used by many web applications, and it can be integrated with platforms such as Joomla, WordPress, Drupal etc.
All three WAMP packages are open source, that is, they have free usability and no cost , and can be configured individually. However, WAMP automates the entire process so that the user can only worry about creating and testing their web application.
Another positive feature of WAMP is the support for phpMyAdmin, MariaDB, Adminer, PhpSysInfo . As a result, the user does not need to enter complicated SQL statements to manage the MySQL database — but manage it directly from phpMyAdmin, which provides a completely intuitive graphical interface for creating, managing and deleting databases.
See, briefly, what are the potential and main advantages of working with WAMP:
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- is easy to install and use;
- has customizable versions of applications and services;
has customizable application menu items;
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- facilitates the creation of VirtualHost;
- is free;
- is intuitive — ideal for beginners;
has great compatibility with other features — supports integration with other tools;
- has many modules supported on Windows;
- facilitates PHP coding and creating databases on the Windows platform;
- supports use on 64-bit and 32-bit systems.
- includes modules such as OpenSSL, phpMyAdmin, MediaWiki , etc.
- allows starting and stopping the entire web server and database with just one command;
- has a graphical interface that helps individual component software turn on or off when WampServer is running.
How to install WAMP?
Now that we understand the concept and features of WAMP, let’s go practice of this article, which is the installation and configuration of this local server on your computer. Check it out!
Check the WAMP installation requirements
Before Before starting the WAMP installation, the user must ensure that requirements and some elements are installed on his system. In this way, it is possible to avoid execution problems and installation defects that make WAMP unfeasible on the hardware.
For example, make sure to keep Visual C++ packages, such as VC9, VC10, VC11, VC13 , VC14 and VC15, always up to date. Also, never subscribe to a WAMP installation, that is, avoid installing a new version over an older one, as this may incur the risk of losing databases.
Another tip is to install WAMP in a folder at the root of the device, for example C:wamp or D:wamp, and choose an installation path that does not include spaces.
Before installing the application, disable or close applications such as IIS and Skype, or avoid using port 80. If user’s operating system is 64-bit Windows, install 32-bit and 64-bit versions of each Visual C++ package, even if do not use 64-bit WAMP. To verify that all VC++ packages are installed and with the latest versions.
Other main WAMP installation prerequisites are:
- Windows Server 2016/2019/2022 operating system along with RDP access;
- user with administrative privileges ;
- minimum of 4 GB of RAM with 2-core CPU.
Download the latest version of WAMP
The first step couldn’t be another , go to the official website and download the latest version of the installer file for the WAMP server on your Windows PC. When entering the site, you will be in front of the “START USING WAMPSERVER” button. Click on it.
The button will take you to the “DOWNLOADS” section, where you can choose one of the two versions of the WAMP server, namely WAMP SERVER 64 BITS (X64) and WAMPSERVER 32 BITS (X86).
Choose the installer file that corresponds to your Windows operating system. If you are not sure whether you are using a 62-bit system or a 32-bit system, just enter Windows Explorer, right-click on “My Computer” or “This Computer”, then click on properties and check the system type.
Install WAMP
With the Once the download is complete, go to where the file was downloaded — if you haven’t changed it, it’s probably in the “Downloads” folder and locate the WAMP installer. The process is the same as any installation on Windows, that is, just double-click on the file and authorize the execution in the security window that will open.
A wizard screen will appear, select “ Next” to continue with the installation process. On the next screen, you will see a License Agreement. You can read, check the option “I accept the agreement” at the bottom of the screen and then “Next”.
In the next window, a screen titled: “Select Destination Location” will appear. . Choose a folder where you would like to install the WAMP server. In most cases, it is good to leave it as is and click “Next” to continue.
The next window will be titled: “Select Additional Tasks”. There you can choose whether you want an add icon on the desktop or quick launch icon. Make your selection and click “Next”.
At this point, the setup process is just a click away. Check the options and make sure you don’t need to make any changes to your previous selections, click “Install” and the extraction process will start automatically.
Choose your default browser
When the extraction process is complete, you will be prompted to choose your default browser. In most cases, the default file browser will be Edge as it is the default for newer versions of Windows, but you can change it to Safari, Opera, Mozilla or Chrome.
The default browser chosen must have a corresponding .exe file. For example, safari.exe, opera.exe, firefox.exe or chrome.exe. Select “open” to continue. A Windows security alert indication will appear saying that the firewall has blocked some of the program’s features. Select “Allow Apache HTTP to communicate on a public or private network”.
A configuration screen with a green bar will appear to show the status of your installation. When the bar is 100% green, another screen will appear, asking for PHP email parameters. Leave the SMTP server as “localhost”, enter your preferred email address and then click Next.
A full installation setup wizard screen will appear. Check the box “Launch Wamp Server” and then click “Finish”.
Check if WAMP is turned on
With the installation completed, a WAMP icon will appear on your taskbar and, to know if the server is working, the icon should be green.
Think of the WAMP icon colors as a traffic light; if it is green, free access, if it is yellow/orange, it is a sign of attention, there is a problem with one of the services. If the icon is red, it is a sign that there are problems with Apache and MySQL.
You can also check by double clicking on the icon d the WAMP server on the desktop to start all system services. Then open your browser and enter the URL http://localhost. You should see the WAMP server test page:
O WAMP is localhost software that supports different CMS installations. You can install any content management system you like, Drupal, Joomla or Magento for example. However, the most used tool is WordPress. Below we highlight this integration between WAMP and WP.
How to install WordPress on the WAMP server?
With WAMP installed, you will most likely want to install a CMS to more reliably simulate web development on a hosting server. So, see below, the process of installing WordPress on the WAMP server.
Before we start the step by step, it is always good to remember that there are two versions of WordPress: WordPress already hosted, which can be accessed by the address “wordpress.com” and the other is WordPress installable, which can be deployed on hosting servers and which can be accessed by the address “wordpress.org” — and it is from this site that we will download our CMS.
Upon entering the site, click on “Get WordPress” to download the zip file. After downloading, extract the files and folders according to the WAMP installation address. For example, if the WAMP server was installed at C:wamp64, then we put our WordPress folder at C:wamp64www.
To avoid confusion in later phases of your project, you You can choose to give the WordPress folder a name that you want and that is easy to remember, such as myprojectowp, testewp, etc. Keep in mind that this will be the local URL of the WordPress site. For example, your URL will look something like http://localhost/folder_name.
Enter the Local Host address in your default browser, choose a language and create a configuration file. Click on “Let’s go!” Next you will need to create a name for the database, username, password, host and table prefix.
After entering the credentials, click Submit. A configuration file will be created on the backend. You will then be presented with another screen indicating that WordPress has successfully connected to your database. Now click on “Run the installation”.
The next screen will ask for your information about your new WordPress site, with information such as the site title, username, password and email address. mail. Enter the credentials and hit “Install WordPress”. When the installation is complete, you will get a success message and you can enter the WordPress dashboard.
How to use WAMP?
To use WAMP, choose the browser in which you will test the site and enter the address http://localhost to access your local server. Then, go to the “www” folder, which was automatically created in the WAMP installation folder. You can put all your website files in this folder or create subfolders under “www” for different website projects and put your web files inside them.
You can also create and manage your databases using phpMyAdmin, entering the address http://localhost/phpmyadmin/index.php in the browser. Login to the database server using root without password.
Whenever you need to do some configuration, look for the WAMP icon in the lower right corner of the taskbar and use the left button to:
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- manage Apache and MySQL services;
configure access;
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- manage server settings;
- access configuration files;
- access WampServer resources
- )configure the Apache web server;
- configure the MySQL database server;
- manage server settings;
manage PHP scripting language parameters;
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- use WAMP server tools;
- access PhpMyAdmin to manage databases;
- switch to online/offline mode (accessible to everyone or limited to localhost);
- manage server configuration parameters.
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What are the main differences between XAMPP and WAMP?
So that you can better understand all the benefits and specifics of WAMP, in this topic we are going to compare it to one of its main competitors, XAMPP. We will talk about the origins, installation and configuration, ease of use and some other features of both tools. Check it out.
What are the similarities?
There is much more similarities than differences between WAMP and XAMPP, starting with the fact that both tools are open and free — which means that anyone can download and use it without any payment or restrictions.
Both products are also designed to serve as packages to set up your own server on your local machine. With WAMP and XAMPP, you can automatically install Apache, MySQL, PHP and some other custom components and services in one go. If you were to configure them manually, you would have to individually download and install the various necessary components, in addition to managing them individually.
Another similarity between the two tools is that both offer Simple and easy-to-use control panels, allowing a lay user to easily configure components as and when needed. Most critical actions, such as turning a particular service on or off, can be performed with a single click.
What are the differences?
While it is difficult to make a strictly dichotomized comparison of WAMP and XAMPP due to the extensive overlap in functionality, there are some minor differences between the two.
Different developers
XAMPP was developed by Apache Friends, a non-profit organization founded in 2002. WAMP is the brainchild of a French engineer, Romain Bourdon, who launched this open source project in 2003.
Compatibility
XAMPP offers the great advantage of being compatible with a variety of operating systems. There are three different downloads available, for Windows, Linux and macOS. WAMP, on the other hand, cannot be used on machines running non-Windows 32-bit or 64-bit operating systems.
File Size
Although the file sizes of both packages are approximately small, WAMP is almost four times the size of XAMPP , which is just 149MB for Windows and Linux and 158MB for macOS. The 64-bit version of WAMP for Windows is around 518 MB.
Installation and configuration
Most users find it much easier to install and configure XAMPP. After running the setup, the installer asks which components you would like to install from the package.
This is the only decision the user makes when installing XAMPP. The FAQ on the XAMPP website also offers more help to users and provides answers to common questions related to issues most users face.
Although WAMP is not a difficult tool to install either. , it requires more decisions from the user, who has the opportunity to follow the recommended factory specifications and proceed with the standard mode installation that happens with almost all Windows software.
Community
Whether you choose WAMP or XAMPP, the sites for both products have a forum where you can ask questions and get answers from members of the developer community. This is of paramount importance, both to meet the demand of those who have doubts, and to help in the development of these tools.
Structure of the folder
Another difference between XAMPP and WAMP is the folder structure for your project. XAMPP project files are stored under the “htdocs” folder inside the installation directory. In WAMP, as we know, you can place your project files in the “www” folder, which is present in the “wamp” installation directory.
Additional Resources
To help make the site migration from local server to remote hosting server smoother, you can use additional tools offered by XAMPP, such as the Filezilla FTP Server and Apache Tomcat.
In addition, the creators of XAMPP also provide useful add-ons that make integration with CMS much easier. This means that just like with WAMP, with XAMPP you can build your site with WordPress, Joomla or Drupal, and test it offline before making any major changes to your site’s content/structure.
If you want to work with additional features other than the three standard ones (Apache, MySQL and PHP), you will have to install these add-ons or extensions manually yourself.
Display and Configuration Languages
The XAMPP community is working on translating the software and related content to make it more accessible. Currently, there are 15 language options on the site that you can choose from, including Japanese, Portuguese, and Urdu.
WAMP, on the other hand, is also actively working to translate the product and documentation in an increasing number of languages such as Polish, Turkish and Urdu. Currently, the site has three language options: English, French and Russian.
Which one to choose, XAMPP or WAMP?
As we saw in the previous topics, there is no significant difference between XAMPP and WAMP. Your choice to choose XAMPP or WAMP is determined by the level of comfort you feel using each software, and the requirements that need to be met for your specific project.
With XAMPP, you You can work on your project on machines running any of the three popular operating systems, and easily migrate your project from one machine to another. XAMPP will also work well for projects of larger sizes or of a more complex nature.
On the other hand, if you want to navigate smoothly on a Windows machine, WAMP would be a great choice. In short, we can say that your decision to choose WAMP or XAMPP ultimately depends on these factors, along with your personal preferences.
And the differences between WAMP, MAMP and LAMP?
Now you know the differences between WAMP and XAMPP. How about learning more about other server types such as LAMP and MAMP?
Both are servers that help you configure a web application. These development stacks are also open source and compatible with PHP.
LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL, PHP/Perl/Python), for example, is a model supported only by Linux operating systems. Therefore, you cannot run the local server on any operating system. The software package and its components can only be used by Linux-based local hosts.
In addition, LAMP components generate static, dynamic, and database-oriented websites. Dice. The system also allows developers to test their pages before releasing them on the web.
The LAMP server is highly customizable, easy and quick to install. In addition, it supports PHP, Perl and Python programming languages, uses Apache web server and MySQL RDBMS to support data storage functions.
Another great advantage is the possibility to modify and make LAMP improvements using shared source code — the platform still has a huge support community.
LAMP server is also compatible with different CMS including WordPress, Drupal, Joomla, etc. . However, one of its disadvantages is that it cannot support heavy workloads, as Apache can have performance issues. Also, the development workflow can be affected when switching between coding in Python and PHP.
MAMP is a local server used by developers to test and run dynamic websites on Mac OS. The tool has free and paid versions. In the pro version, developers can create a separate host for each web project. One of its main advantages is the ease of installation, however, the test environment is restricted to Mac-based systems only.
LAMP, XAMPP, WAMP or MAMP are very open source servers. popular. While LAMP is a combination of Linux, Apache, MySQL and PHP/Perl/Python and used to develop dynamic websites for Linux based systems, WAMP is a local server used to develop dynamic websites for Windows based systems.
Similarly, XAMPP is a cross-platform used by developers to test web content prior to deployment to the Internet, and MAMP, a platform used to test and run dynamic websites on desktop-based operating systems. Mac.
LAMP, WAMP and MAMP use MySQL database for data storage and retrieval operations, while XAMPP server supports MariaDB instead of MySQL. Each local server is easy to install and requires minimal configuration.
These servers allow developers to make various changes and test web content before putting their site live. Another benefit of investing in these servers is that developers find them very easy to build, modify and improve a website.
Compare each open source PHP server listed above based on their programming language , database and web server.
We hope that, after reading this post, you have understood what WAMP is and how it works, in addition to understanding its importance for the popularization of web development.
The greater the reach of digital tools, the greater the opportunities and innovations, since development is not restricted to large corporations or small academic groups. Among the main advantages of open source solutions are the possibility of being improved by the community itself, that is, solutions such as WAMP have a much greater mission, which exceeds their objective functionalities.
Did you like the post? Do you use WAMP as a local server to test changes to your site, before sending them to the hosting server?
