The choice between XAMPP or WAMP must be made based on the demand and level of user knowledge, the former being considered more friendly to lay people, with little experience in programming language, as it presents a greater detail of the process, while the second is aimed more at experienced professionals.
A website can be divided into two dimensions, the frontend (what the client sees) and the backend (what runs on the server) . Every time you interact with a website, whether by clicking a button or submitting a form, you are sending a request to a server, which sends back a response. You can think of the server as a remote warehouse where the website, along with all of its resources, is securely stored.
Renting this server costs money, and if you are developing a website for a project college or to take tests, there’s no need to spend that kind of money. In this scenario, a good solution is to use a local development server, using XAMPP or WAMP, which will run on the same machine where the site is being developed.
However, the crucial question is : XAMPP or WAMP, which one is better for the user? With that in mind, we explain in this content what they mean, how they work and what are the differences between these two solutions, analyzing the characteristics and similarities of each of the applications, in addition to comparing them to other operating systems, such as LAMP and MAMP.
Read on and learn more about it!
What does XAMPP mean?
THE XAMPP is an open source solution that is used as a local server, simulating a real web server on a home machine. It is a solution widely used by students who need to test their code and by development professionals who do not yet have a budget to rent a remote test environment.
The term XAMPP is an acronym that each letter has a meaning related to a feature of that solution. The meaning of this acronym is:
- X — represents a cross, indicating cross-platform (compatible with various operating systems such as Windows and Linux);
- A — Apache HTTP Server, better known as Apache;
- M — MySQL, the most used database among beginners;
- P — PHP, the most popular programming language used in the backend and base of the main CMS, such as WordPress;
- P — Perl, a high-level programming language.
Together, these components form an integrated environment where developers can perform tasks such as managing the server and associated ports. They can also maintain a database to store, search or edit data related to the user for the site and write scripts that allow the exchange of data between the site and this database.
What is WAMP?
Like XAMPP, WAMP is also a locally developed server package that gives developers the opportunity to test their sites locally, before deploying them. them on a hosting server to publish it. Another similarity between XAMPP and WAMP is that the name of the second solution presented in this text is also an acronym, which means:
- W – Windows;
- A – APACHE HTTP Server;
- M – MySQL ;
- P – PHP.
O “A”, “M” and “P” in WAMP have the same meaning as they do in XAMPP, but as you may have noticed, the X has been replaced by a “W” and the last “P” has been dropped. This is because WAMP was designed to run on Windows only, hence the “W”. The lack of the second “P” indicates that this solution does not offer standard support for Perl, requiring the developer to configure this language manually.
How to install WampServer?
As we have seen, to create, test or import your site on your machine, or to import an existing site, you will have to install WAMP. See below the step-by-step instructions for installing it.
1. Download the app from the official website
It is not necessary to fill in the information that will be requested in the pop-up, if you do not want to. Download it by clicking “Go to Direct Download”. An important detail about this first moment is that Skype blocks WAMP, that is, if you use this tool, don’t forget to close it before installing.
During this process you you have the option to choose a default browser and editor to work with your settings. Installation is basic, like any software on Windows, just follow the instructions and WampServer will be installed right away.
2. Launch WampServer
After the installation is complete, it’s time to launch the app. To do this, open the program and wait for the icon to appear on the taskbar. WampServer will appear with a red sign, followed by yellow and green, which is when it is actually working and your computer becomes a simulated web server.
